Enter Burson-Marsteller, APC’s foreign strategists

A few weeks after alleging that President Goodluck Jonathan hired LEVICK, a US PR firm, to manage the international image of his government after the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls, the All Progressives Congress (APC) also procured the services of an American PR agency to manage its own image.

The APC signed a reported annual contract of $1.2million (the same value as Jonathan’s) with Burson-Marsteller. Its services include “strategising” for the party ahead of the 2015 elections. However, Burson-Marsteller moved the job to its UK subsidiary, perhaps to avoid the compulsory FARA filing in the US which would have revealed the details of the contract.

Here are important facts about Burson-Marsteller.

1. Global player. According to Burson-Marsteller’s profile on Wikipedia, the PR firm is a global public relations firm headquartered in New York City. It operates 67 wholly owned offices and 71 affiliate offices in 98 countries across six continents. Its purpose is to help clients define and communicate their purpose of “being more” and to inspire people to make “Burson-Marsteller” the best ideas-driven, results-oriented communications firm in the world.

2. Influential founders. The company was founded by Harold Burson and William Marsteller in 1953. Harold Burson was described by PRWeek as “the century’s most influential PR figure.” By early 1980s the company he co-founded had become one of the largest public relations companies in the world. In 1979 it became a subsidiary of Young & Rubicam, a marketing communications company which is owned by WPP Plc, a British multinational advertising and public relations company. Donald Baer is the worldwide chair and CEO.

3. Bill Clinton connection. Baer was the communications director for the Clinton administration. He joined the company in 2007 and replaced Mark Penn, who is the current executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Microsoft Corporation, as worldwide CEO in July 2012. Baer has been a member of Burson-Marsteller’s global senior management team since 2008, while also leading major engagements for clients in every sector and part of the world, especially for top technology, communications and media companies.

4. Political lobbying experts. Burson-Marsteller provides public relations and advertising services to clients, including multinational corporations and government agencies. It is primarily known for its crisis management services and political lobbying. Part of the deal with the APC is lobbying political leaders at Washington who can influence the Nigerian government for the party’s gain.

5. Crisis managers. It has won numerous awards from the public relations industry over the years for its work in high profile crisis management including the late 1990s Asian financial crisis which gripped much of East Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a global economic meltdown. The firm may likely manage any crisis in the APC. It recently got the certificate of excellence for corporate branding of the year, PRWeek Awards Asia 2014.