Winner: Peppercom
Innovation and reinvention are the defining elements of Peppercom's approach. This explains why the strategic communications firm rang in its 10th year with both style and
substance. Addressing the challenges that keep their clients up at night was among the crowning achievements for Peppercom executives, led by managing partners and co-founders
Steve Cody and Edward Moed.
The team accomplished this by continuously rolling out new products and services, including a reputation-centric blog led by Cody; PepperDigital, a service that combines
positioning expertise with digital communications platforms; and the professional development-focused Executive Leadership Forum. All point to the agency's constant attention to
solutions and progress.
But looking to the future doesn't mean the firm's communications team is blind to the responsibilities at hand. True to their commitment to customer satisfaction, managers
issue quarterly Client Report Cards to get feedback on strategy, creativity, responsiveness, and execution. The results of these checkups help the firm evolve, as does
Peppercom's internal awards program, the Top Dog Awards. This employee relations initiative stimulates involvement of account leaders while celebrating the firm's best work.
In a time of changing communications landscapes, a knack for reinvention is crucial. Peppercom uses constant growth and development to fight complacency, and its reputation as
a communications powerhouse benefits accordingly. After all, in the words of Cody's blog, everyone should care about "the importance of a good reputation in a world gone mad."
Honorable Mentions
SHIFT Communications Three-years-young agency SHIFT Communications gives new meaning to acting its age. The firm, which launched in 2003 and claims more than 40 practice
areas, was listed among the "Best Places to Work" by the Boston Business Journal and San Francisco Business Times. It has also recorded a mind-blowing $1+ billion in activity
since its start. SHIFT's "no hype" policy reflects its commitment to measuring performance according to the impact its executives have on driving business, not fudging
numbers.
Airfoil Public Relations, Inc. As the second-fasting-growing public relations firm in the country, Airfoil has it fair share of work to maintain its upward momentum. It does
so by giving its clients - many of which are ingrained in the technology industry - research-based strategies that catapult them into new stratospheres of success. Its 2005
account roster includes such star power as Microsoft, eBay, PayPal and Starbucks. These powerhouse wins helped the firm generate a 58 percent fee revenue growth in 2005, as well
as a 52 percent increase in professional staff.
Coyne PR has enjoyed robust growth since launching in 1996. This includes client and account work, as well as revenue and staff. Coyne's philosophy is that the agency should
attract the best employees, and then the best clients will seek the agency out. Agency revenue has increased 40 percent in the past 12 months, and major new business is coming on
board as fast as the agency can accommodate it. What's more, the agency didn't lose a single client in 2005.