Corporate Responsibility Officer Magazine Names Manning Selvage & Lee Number One PR Firm in CSR

Corporate Responsibility Officer (CRO) magazine, the publication for Corporate Responsibility practitioners and the professional services and non-profits that serve them, has named Manning Selvage & Lee (MS&L) the number one public relations firm in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The results were published in the magazine’s January/February 2008 issue. The list acts as a reference for CSR executives dealing with governance, compliance and sustainability issues.

CRO compiled the list from questionnaire responses and publicly available data, including the number of PR professionals working on CSR programs at each firm, as well as more subjective qualities like company websites and taglines.

"We are delighted to be named the top public relations firm in the corporate responsibility space," said Mark Hass, Global CEO of MS&L. "As companies market themselves as ‘sustainable’ and ‘green’ at an unprecedented pace, it is important for agencies to have a true CSR function that helps clients tell their stories. We have 160 talented staff who work on top clients worldwide to do just that."

The global CSR practice at MS&L works across industry sectors to develop programs and platforms that give clients a voice in CR discussions, increase transparency and demonstrate the business rationale for CR initiatives. MS&L’s capabilities include CSR reporting, stakeholder engagement, community relations, thought leadership, issues management, media relations, cause-related marketing and environmental sustainability communications. Drawing on the firm’s energy and environmental capabilities, MS&L also has a strong global ECO Network that helps clients break through the clutter of environmental stories with pragmatic counsel and program execution. MS&L executes CSR work for over 40 clients globally, including General Motors and Underwriter's Laboratories.

Karyn Margolis, who was recently named Vice President of CSR for MS&L, stated in CRO that she thinks the Internet age has forever changed both PR and CR. "With transparency the essence of CR, companies should use the web as a primary communications vehicle," she claims. "It’s accessible to all stakeholders and it’s environmentally sustainable."

MS&L is one of the world's leading communications firms. Headquartered in New York, MS&L has 54 offices throughout North America, Latin America, EMEA and Asia-Pacific, as well as an extensive global affiliate network. The agency meets the needs of global and local clients by providing best-in-class services in consumer marketing PR, healthcare PR, corporate communications, financial communications and technology communications, as well as industry-leading work in digital communications. MS&L won PRWeek's Best Use of Internet/New Media Award in both 2006 and 2007.

MS&L is a member of the Publicis Groupe (Euronext Paris: FR0000130577), the world’s fourth largest communications group, and a global leader in digital and online advertising, media consulting, and healthcare communications. With some 44,000 professionals in 104 countries, the Groupe's activities cover advertising through three global advertising networks: Leo Burnett, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi, as well as through its two multi-hub networks Fallon Worldwide and 49%-owned Bartle Bogle Hegarty; media agencies with two worldwide networks ZenithOptimedia and Starcom MediaVest Group; and marketing services, including digital and interactive communications through Digitas, relationship and direct marketing, public and media relations, corporate and financial communications, multicultural communications, and event communications. The Groupe is also the world leader in healthcare communications. Web site: www.publicisgroupe.com.

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