Published Articles

Ketchum and client Mattel took home the 2011 PRWeek Award for Campaign of the Year for their "After 125 Careers, Barbie Gets Her Geek On" campaign, for which they let consumers, for the first time, select a new career for the doll and supported the choice of Computer Engineer Barbie with a traditional and social media campaign that resulted in a 144% sales increase. The campaign also won the 2011 PRWeek Award for Product Brand Development Campaign of the Year.

Nancy Hicks, Associate Director of Ketchum's North American Healthcare Practice, discusses the challenges and opportunities for the new U.S. healthcare law and the important role that communications will play in its success, in a February 2011 byline article for PRWeek magazine.

In a February 2011 op-ed for PRWeek magazine, Ketchum President Rob Flaherty describes how the Middle East uprisings and the WikiLeaks scandals of early 2011 shaped the agenda and output of the 2011 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

PR News selected Ketchum as its Large Firm of the Year for 2009 for "one of the largest PR mergers in history" and "unprecedented, double-digit top-line growth, as well as record revenue growth in terms of percentage and actual dollars"; and PR News also chose Ketchum as one of the 2009 Top Places to Work in PR for recognizing that "engaging its employess has never been more important."

In a November 2010 interview with Gorkana magazine, David Rockland, Ph.D., Partner and Managing Director, Ketchum Global Research, and Chairman of the U.S. Agency Research Leaders Group for the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication, discusses the new Barcelona Declaration of Measurement Principles adopted in June 2010. (This article originally appeared in and was reprinted with permission from Gorkana.)

In an article from the summer 2010 issue of the Public Relations Strategist, Ketchum Senior Vice President of Crisis Management James Donnelly explains the small steps that go into developing an effective crisis management strategy. (Reprinted with permission from the summer 2010 issue of the Public Relations Strategist. Copyright 2010 Public Relations Society of America.)

Ketchum CEO Ray Kotcher comments on the growing importance of public relations in the age of social media, in an August 2010 article in Advertising Age.

Ketchum President and Corporate Practice Managing Director Rob Flaherty takes a look at the challenges of the new corporate disclosure and transparency requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act passed in mid-2010, in an article posted on the CNBC Blog. Click here to view the article.

David Rockland, Ph.D., Partner and Managing Director of Global Research at Ketchum, discusses the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication's passage of the Barcelona Declaration Measurement Principles, the first global standards for measuring public relations results, in the July issue of Communicate magazine. (Reprinted with permission from the July 2010 issue of Communicate.)

In a July 2010 article for the magazine Medical Marketing & Media, Ketchum Associate Healthcare Practice Director Nancy Hicks describes the vital role that communications professionals will play in helping Americans understand the particulars of the 2,400-page healthcare reform bill that was recently passed.

Ketchum Partner and Director of Ketchum Digital Jonathan Kopp looks at how social media has transformed the marketing and communication landscape, in a May 2010 blog post for CNBC.

Ketchum CEO Ray Kotcher offers three steps that Corporate America can take to improve its reputation, in an April 2010 blog post for CNBC.

Ketchum Senior Vice President of Crisis Management James Donnelly breaks down the pros and cons of a career in crisis management, in an article from the spring 2010 issue of The Public Relations Strategist. (Reprinted with permission from the spring 2010 issue of The Public Relations Strategist. Copyright 2010 Public Relations Society of America.)

Ketchum and client Dreyer's took home the 2010 PRWeek Award for Campaign of the Year for their "Dreyer's Beat the Blues With a Taste of Recovery" campaign, for which they introduced a new ice cream flavor called "Red, White and No More Blues" to kick off a program to highlight Dreyer's legacy of cheering up Americans during tough economic times. The campaign also won the 2010 PRWeek Award for Best Consumer Launch Campaign of the Year.

The Holmes Report, a publication by the Holmes Group, a public relations news and trend organization, selected Ketchum as its Large Agency of the Year for 2009 based on its account work, new business and expanding global footprint, among other qualities.

Ketchum and client Frito-Lay were presented the Campaign of the Decade Award by the Holmes Report for "Doritos Crashes the Super Bowl: How a Leading Snack Brand Put the Power to Its People and Changed Madison Avenue Forever" -- a campaign that pioneered the power of consumer-created content by boldly airing fan-made Super Bowl spots in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Ketchum Senior Vice President of Crisis Management James Donnelly explains the challenges and opportunities associated with five beliefs about managing crises online, in an article from the winter 2010 issue of The Public Relations Strategist. (Reprinted with permission from the winter 2010 issue of The Public Relations Strategist. Copyright 2010 Public Relations Society of America.)

Writing in an op-ed for PRWeek from the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010 in Davos, Switzerland, Ketchum Senior Partner and President Rob Flaherty remarks on how this event offers an opportunity for CEOs to consider the dynamics of the multiple stakeholders who play parts in determining corporations' success.

In late 2009, Ketchum Pleon's Joachim Klewes, Senior Partner, Ketchum Pleon, and Robert Wreschniok, Business Director, edited a new book that makes the case that strategies for building reputation are strikingly familiar to classic financial investmet strategies.

Ketchum Pleon examines the new rules for marketing to men in the 21st century.

Focusing on the ability to respond to changes as the ultimate determinant of evolutionary success, Ketchum Pleon explores the opportunities and challenges of change management and change communications for today's companies.

Ketchum Pleon Senior Consultant Stephanie Altemoeller breaks down the dynamics and ramifications of the new Web 2.0 world for public relations.

In the fall 2009 issue of The Public Relations Strategist, Ketchum Senior Partner and CEO Ray Kotcher is one of five public relations agency leaders who is interviewed on the state of public relations and how it serves as one of the best vehicles to build, maintain and advance the credibility and trust that organizations need to succeed. (Reprinted with permission from the fall 2009 issue of The Public Relations Strategist. Copyright 2010 Public Relations Society of America.)

In an August 2009 article posted on the blog The Huffington Post, Daniel Dworkin, Associate Consultant at Ketchum Pleon Change, Ketchum's employee engagement and change management consultancy, goes over several new social media technologies that enable "crowdsourcing" -- the capability for organizations to sift through numerous ideas and questions to determine what's most important to their employees and customers.

PRWeek's senior editors profile Ketchum CEO Ray Kotcher as one of the top 25 industry leaders in PRWeek's annual PR Power List.

In an April 2009 op-ed in Brandweek, Kelley Skoloda, Partner and Director of Ketchum's Global Brand Marketing Practice, discusses the ways in which female consumers are starting to take control of brands and provides insights on how marketers and business owners can benefit from giving up control.

In an April 2009 article posted on the blog The Huffington Post, Daniel Dworkin, Associate Consultant at Ketchum Pleon Change, Ketchum's employee engagement and change management consultancy, discusses the challenges and rewards for organizations in using social media to engage employees.

Ketchum and client IKEA took home the 2009 PRWeek Award for Campaign of the Year for their "Man Lives in IKEA" campaign, for which comedian Mark Malkoff lived in a Paramus, N.J., IKEA store for one week in January 2008 and documented his adventures online and posted webisodes of his time in the store. The campaign also won PRWeek Awards for Best Corporate Branding Campaign and Best Use of Online Media.

In a February 2009 op-ed from PRWeek magazine, Ketchum Senior Partner and New York Director Barri Rafferty comments on the opportunities and challenges for PR professionals to maintain a "digital dialogue" with their audiences. 

Ketchum was named as one of 10 agencies chosen for Advertising Age's 2009 "Agencies to Watch" list, a list
designed to recognize 10 agencies based on creativity in brand strategies and execution, measurable results, and new-business growth.

Ketchum was selected for an honorable mention for agency to succeed in 2009 in PRWeek’s annual Editors’ Choice selection, an annual designation bestowed upon the top two PR agencies judged as most likely to succeed by PRWeek's editors.

In an article from PR Tactics, the monthly newsletter of the Public Relations Society of America, Ketchum Editor of Online Communications Joseph Priest takes a look at some of today's most frequently confused new media terms and how to correctly write them. (Reprinted with permission from the January 2009 issue of PR Tactics. Copyright 2009 Public Relations Society of America.)

In a December 2008 article from the Council of Public Relations Firms' online newsletter, The Firm Voice, Ray Kotcher, Senior Partner and CEO of Ketchum and 2008-2009 Chair of the Council of Public Relations Firms, reflects on the Council's 10th anniversary.

Ketchum Senior Vice President of Crisis Management James Donnelly breaks down the challenges of and best practices for internally communicating corporate layoffs, in an article from the summer 2008 issue of The Public Relations Strategist. (Reprinted with permission from the summer 2008 issue of The Public Relations Strategist. Copyright 2008 Public Relations Society of America.)

In an article from the August 2008 issue of PR Tactics, the monthly newsletter of the Public Relations Society of America, Ketchum New  York Director Barri Rafferty discusses the importance of articulating a leadership brand to developing leaders and building a business.

In a 2008 booklet called Profiles of PR Success: Stories of Emerging Leaders in Public Relations, Ketchum Senior Vice President and Client Development Director Nick Ragone is featured as one of 20 women and men, ages 28-40, selected as successful and emerging leaders in the field based on awards or recognition they have received or recommendations of leaders in the industry. The booklet was researched and written by University of Alabama advertising and public relations graduate students, who conducted interviews with each of the 20 professionals.

In a March 2008 article from The Wall Street Journal Online, Ketchum Senior Counsel John Paluszek talks with the Journal Online about the rising importance of corporate social responsibility over the last few decades and the imperative it has become for today's companies.

In a January 2008 PRWeek article, Ketchum North American Corporate Practice Director John Weckenmann explains how the public's opinion of CEOs is driven by their performance with the environment, ethics and employees.

Ketchum Editor of Online Communications Joseph Priest reviews words that commonly confound business professionals, in an article from the January 2008 issue of PR Tactics, the monthly newsletter of the Public Relations Society of America.

In a 2007 booklet commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Public Relations Student Society of America, Ketchum Senior Counsel John Paluszek and former Ketchum Midwest Director Ron Culp were featured as two of 40 public relations "legends" whose observations of the past and predictions for the future of public relations are profiled. The booklet was produdced by the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations at the University of Alabama.

In a March 2007 article from Management Consulting News magazine, excerpts of Ketchum CEO Ray Kotcher’s speech to the Association of Management Consulting Firms’ 2006 annual meeting at the Harvard Club in New York City were shared.

In a PRWeek byline article, Ketchum Senior Partner Rob Flaherty shares his observations from his attendance at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2007.

In an Op-Ed from a February 2006 issue of PRWeek, Ketchum Global Practices Partner Rob Flaherty and Ketchum London CEO David Gallagher reflect on their attendance at the 36th annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.