NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- Burson-Marsteller, a leading global strategic
communications and public relations firm, today announced the
publication of THE BUSINESS OF PERSUASION: Harold Burson on Public
Relations (RosettaBooks, Oct. 3,
2017; $30 hardcover), the
memoir of the firm's Founding Chairman and one of the public
relations industry's most iconic figures.
THE BUSINESS OF PERSUASION covers Burson's career from
being a 14-year-old contributor to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, through his
coverage of the Nuremberg Trials at the end of World War II, to the
establishment of Harold Burson Public Relations and, eventually, to
joining with Bill Marsteller to
build the world's first integrated communications and marketing
firm. Burson spent 35 years as Chief Executive Officer of the firm,
and throughout his career was a counselor to and confidant of
corporate CEOs, government leaders and heads of public sector
institutions. In 1983, under Burson's leadership as CEO,
Burson-Marsteller became the largest public relations firm in the
world.
In THE BUSINESS OF PERSUASION, Burson tells
behind-the-scenes stories of some of the most prominent
communications events of the last century, details ways he
influenced quite a few of these and provides important lessons of
enduring relevance. Burson strode in the face of controversy as he
helped Union Carbide launch a proactive response to the tragic
Bhopal, India plant explosion that
killed 1,000 employees (though it had no controlling interest in
the plant at the time of the disaster). He urged Coca-Cola to
plead humility and repentance for introducing its polarizing New
Coke, and turned what many called the worst marketing blunder
in history into a reinforcement of Coca-Cola's leadership in the
competitive beverage market. He helped regain the public's trust in
the U.S. Postal Service after the anthrax scares that followed
9/11.
"Harold Burson defined the field
of public relations and inspired scores of communications
professionals across the globe," said Don
Baer, Worldwide Chair and CEO, Burson-Marsteller. "He is a
visionary who saw the opportunity for strategic communications to
be a global business and who established integrated marketing when
he teamed up with our co-founder, advertising executive
Bill Marsteller. THE BUSINESS OF
PERSUASION not only traces his remarkable career and the
building of our firm, it provides key lessons and practical advice
on how to build a business, manage client relationships and handle
any situation with ethics and integrity. It is a must-read for any
student or practitioner of strategic communications."
Burson has received numerous awards from public relations
organizations including Hall of Fame designations by the Public
Relations Society of America, the Arthur W. Page Society, PRWeek,
PR News, the Institute of Public Relations, the Alan Campbell Johnson Award (England), as well as numerous citations by
colleges and universities in the United
States, Europe and
China. He was awarded an honorary
degree by Boston University in 1988,
and a chair in public relations was established in his name in
1995. Burson also received the Paladin Award from the Public
Relations Society of America in 2012 and the President's Medal from
the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in 2017.
About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller,
established in 1953, is a leading global strategic communications
and public relations firm. It provides clients with strategic
thinking and program execution across a full range of public
relations, public affairs, reputation and crisis management,
advertising and digital strategies. The firm's seamless worldwide
network consists of 77 offices and 85 affiliate offices, together
operating in 110 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller
is a part of Young & Rubicam Group, a subsidiary of WPP
(NASDAQ: WPPGY), the world's leader in communications services. For
more information, please visit www.burson-marsteller.com.
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SOURCE Burson-Marsteller