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I’m often asked what makes GolinHarris special and distinctive as a public relations agency. It’s a great question and a very important one that underpins our ongoing success.
To my mind, the answer revolves around two themes: culture and professionalism.
Let’s look first at our culture, which really means our people. Of course, it’s a cliché to say that “people are our greatest asset”. But at GolinHarris, our success is most definitely driven by the sort of people who make up the firm and who define our culture—perhaps best typified by our founder, Al Golin.
The fact that GH is headquartered in Chicago has something to do with it, as what are best described as “Midwest values”—friendliness, trust, honesty—permeate the firm. But on their own, such values aren’t enough to make a successful “GHer”. One must also be vibrant and nimble to aggressively pursue new opportunities and demonstrate breakthrough thinking.
As for professionalism, GH often reminds me of that famous slogan, “We Try Harder”, which Avis used to turn its ranking as the world’s No. 2 rental car company into a virtue. The reality is that GH often competes for clients against larger agencies with more resources and more extensive networks. That’s becoming increasingly common here in Asia Pacific as we grow. The great news is that we are winning more of these highly competitive assignments by relentlessly going the extra mile, demonstrating to the client our understanding and passion for their business. This spirit is exemplified in our fast-growing China business, where recent high-profile wins have included the company bringing Broadway shows to Chinese audiences and Delta Air Lines, which begins flying to China shortly.
We’re also showing our professionalism by developing new products and services that align our clients’ needs with trends in the PR industry. A good case in point is our Longevity practice aimed at communicating to the expanding senior market. We launched Longevity in Asia Pacific earlier this year and it has been influential in winning new assignments such as Singapore’s “active aging” campaign, featured in this edition of Breakthrough here.
In closing, as we end another superb year at GH in Asia Pacific, I would like to wish all our valued clients, partners and colleagues all the very best wishes for the forthcoming festive season as we look towards an even more successful 2008.
Andrew Pirie
Regional Managing Director, Asia Pacific
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