Dentsu Public Relations remains highest-earning Asia-based PR firm: Holmes report

Dentsu Public Relations remains the highest earning Asia-based PR firm, while Edelman has overtaken Weber Shandwick and Fleishman Hillard in terms of fee income globally, according to new research disclosed by The Holmes Report.

\Dentsu Public Relations brought in US$80 million in fee income last year, but dropped one place from 2010 to number 20 in the ranking of 250 global PR firms. Two other Japanese firms are mainstays in the top 30 with Kyodo Public Relations climbing up five places to 23 with US$56.6 million, while PRAP Japan remains at 25 with US$50.5 million in fee income last year.

China’s BlueFocus Communications Group has emerged from the pack as the mainland’s biggest PR firm, jumping nine spots to rank number 29 in the global rankings with US$45.3 million.

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia-based Professional Public Relations has dipped one spot to number 62 this year with US$18.1 million, the Strategic Public Relations Group in Hong Kong climbed seven places to number 64 with US$17.8 million, Korea’s Prain landed at number 67 with US$17.3 million, India’s Adfactors PR took in US$13.8 million to come in at 83, and Rowland of Australia dipped 11 spots to fall to 96 with US$11.6 million in fee income recorded in 2010.

Globally, Edelman’s fee income for 2010 was up almost 20 per cent to more than US$530 million, while Weber Shandwick dropped one place from the top, coming in with US$525 million. Rounding out the top five are Fleishman-Hillard (US$505 million), Burson-Marsteller (US$435 million) and the MSLGroup (US$418 million).

Overall, the global PR industry grew by over eight per cent last year with fee income of around US$8.8 billion and employing about 60,000 people, the report revealed.

“The industry’s performance in 2010 represents a strong recovery after 2009, during which global PR revenues declined by about 7.5 percent. Edelman’s ascent to the top spot reflected the generally stronger performance of independent firms, which outperformed their publicly-traded counterparts significantly,” noted Holmes Report editor-in-chief Paul Holmes.