Cone Celebrates 33 Years of Excellence

BOSTON, Sept. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Back in the summer of 1980, when Americans were held hostage in Iran, the Moscow Summer Olympics were boycotted by the US, and Jimmy Carter was serving his last year in office, a small PR shop with big dreams was born; an agency that would make significant contributions to the world of public relations.  It is from this legacy that Cone Communications proudly celebrates our 33rd birthday.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111004/NE79797LOGO )

Why 33?  At age 33, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence – setting the stage for the new United States; Amelia Earhart set the women's world speed record, paving the way for her solo flight across the Atlantic; William Clark set out on his famous expedition with Meriwether Lewis; Tim Berners-Lee (TimBL) first proposed the world-wide web; William Shakespeare had penned at least a dozen of his plays with dozens of his most famous still to come; and Beethoven had written two of his symphonies, with seven more of his best on the way. 

With forbearers such as these, we think 33 is an auspicious year.  And, like these predecessors, we believe Cone Communications is on the cusp of some really great things.

"Our 33rd year is a major turning point for us as an agency; we have really come of age and are poised to achieve new heights," says Jens Bang, Cone Communications' Chairman.  "And, we think we're in pretty good company." 

So what does an agency do coming off the strongest year in its history?  Continue to evolve, innovate and position the agency for exponential growth. 

"We began by launching new branding and positioning for the agency," says Bang.  "With such a strong national reputation and legacy in cause and CSR work, we want to make sure that our traditional brand communications work, the cornerstone of the agency, is not overlooked." 

But Cone Communications did not just re-tool the agency positioning. As the thought leader among CSR agencies, a completely new approach to addressing clients' CSR needs was developed. It is clear that the overall industry focuses on defining an organization's Purpose. Nevertheless, Cone understands that Purpose is not enough. Programs have to be rooted in return – measurable business, brand and societal impacts that yield benefits or gains for vested stakeholders.

Lastly, Cone opened a New York City office, to expand our reach, be readily available to clients and media in NY, and allow us to increase focus in industries like fashion.

"It is not in our nature to be content with our current formula," explains Bill Fleishman, president and CEO of Cone Communications.  "We feel the need to continue to innovate and lead, and we accomplish that by always being curious, always learning and researching and analyzing."

Cone's point of differentiation lies not only in the deep expertise of core practice areas, but in the unique integration of those areas to bring depth and breadth of thinking to every project.  Clients are not siloed into a single part of the agency, but rather benefit from a broad group of diverse thinkers attacking every challenge and project with a fresh eye.  The result is programs that find unique, ownable positions, and are built to last.

"We like to say 'Where others see barriers, we see possibilities,'" claims Bang.  "This fuels our passion to solve problems and create transcendent programs."

About Cone Communications

Cone Communications (www.conecomm.com) is a public relations and marketing agency known for igniting brands with high-impact strategies and programs based in deep insights, unique subject matter expertise and innovation. Focusing on key areas such as consumer product media relations, social media, cause branding and marketing, corporate responsibility, nonprofit marketing, corporate communications and crisis prevention/management – the agency is positioned to help clients achieve both business and societal outcomes. Cone Communications is a part of Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group Inc.

About Diversified Agency Services

Diversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), manages Omnicom's holdings in a variety of marketing communications disciplines.  DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving international and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

SOURCE Cone Communications