In 1952, Daniel J. Edelman decided to open a small public relations agency in Chicago for one simple reason: he thought he could do better than the competition.

At the time, public relations was a rudimentary practice, dominated by a handful of firms employed primarily as “press agents” and publicists. Dan, a former journalist and World War II public information officer, had a greater vision. He dreamed of offering clients a range of superior PR services that had never been seen before.

Working with companies like the Toni Company, Sara Lee, Brunswick Bowling, Paper Mate and ReaLemon, Edelman introduced the concept of telling stories through the media (including the creation of the first media tour) to sell products and build corporate brands, helping them capture a market niche.

In the 1990s, the firm expanded its solutions for clients with strong research, experiential, paid and consulting offerings, including global, multidisciplinary research, analytics and data consultancy, which is now Edelman Data & Intelligence; an interactive services division, now Edelman Digital; and used the company background in Global Citizenship to expand into Corporate Social Responsibility. DJE Holdings puts PR at the center of the marketing and corporate communications universe.

Today, Edelman’s communications approach is helping clients remain agile and grow their reach as digital communications and media transform the practices of marketing and public relations. They continue to rely on Edelman firm’s ability to anticipate change; more than 80 percent of the largest clients are long-standing partners.

As of 2020, Edelman is the largest public relations firm in the United States, with a free income 2020 of 840 million U.S dollars and 5,703 staff in total.   

According to en.wikipedia; provokemedia.com; edelman.com. Source of photos: internet