Stories by Matthew Schwartz

Winner: MWW MWW takes its clients’ reputations pretty seriously. Nothing Earth-shattering there; all PR agencies say that. But MWW goes well beyond bromides about clients’ reputations, thanks to the agency’s Total Stakeholder Approach. It’s a… Continued

Co-Winner: Finn Partners Getting the word out about B2B companies requires a certain precision. Dealing with niche audiences also requires PR agencies to sometimes speak in acronyms. The folks at Finn Partners are perfectly capable… Continued

Winner: Edelman “Being of Service” translates into the core values of Darden Restaurants, which is compromised of eight brands, 2,000 restaurants and 185,000 employees. The Darden Foundation deploys those values by having Darden employees give… Continued

Co-Winner: MWW When MWW founder, CEO and president Michael Kempner in 2010 spearheaded a management led buy-out from the Interpublic Group of Companies, the decision caused a surge of interest in the East Rutherford, N.J.-based… Continued

Winner: Cone Communications Boston-based Cone Communications specializes in corporate social responsibility, or CSR, which in the last several years has been creeping toward the top of the consumer agenda. A majority of Americans not only… Continued

Winner: Fraser Communications The mantra at Fraser Communications is “doing well by doing good.” For the past 14 years the PR agency has worked on advocacy campaigns in multiple areas, ranging from early literacy to… Continued

Winner: Peppercomm Tyco International turned the page on a new chapter late last year when the security systems entity was split into three separate companies. The move created a standalone $10.5 billion enterprise focused on… Continued

Who among this audience can be converted into a customer? For a growing number of PR pros, it’s the $64,000 question, particularly when it comes to how to valuate social media.

PR pros can be a verbose bunch. There’s nothing wrong with that. After all, the communications field doesn’t exactly cater to wallflowers. Then again, there are some words and phrases that have been ground to dust, and PR pros should finally give them a rest.

When Diana Nyad emerged from the ocean on Monday — having swum about 110 miles in roughly two days—she was battered and bruised but her spirit was no worse for wear. The first swimmer to make the trek from Cuba to Key West, Fla. without a shark cage, Nyad had three specific messages that should inspire communicators as they transition to a digital age.