By Rie Ishiguro
Tokyo, Nov. 11 (Jiji Press) - U.S. public relations services firm Burson-Marsteller has been enjoying growing demand in Japan as more and more firms are seeking outside help, its founder and Chairman Harold Burson has said in a recent interview with Jiji Press.
"In the last two years, we have probably done more work for Japanese companies inside Japan than in the previous 20 years," Burson said.
The U.S. firm, founded in 1953, has chiefly served Japanese companies that have become acquisition targets and were aiming to acquire others, as well as food makers engulfed in safety scandals.
"Many Japanese companies feel they need outside help to deal with those problems," Burson said. His firm, which has operated globally since 1961, not only represents its clients but also helps them educate their spokesmen.
Companies in Japan have long depended on their own personnel for communicating with the media, but "that is changing now," he added. As the media has grown much more aggressive, a rapid response is seen as a necessity, Burson said.
As a result, Burson-Marsteller has increased the number of its Japanese clients year by year, said Burson, who served as its chief executive for 35 years.
In fact, the year 2008 has been the company's best ever, Burson said, noting that the ongoing global financial crisis has so far been a boon for its PR services because crisis-stricken firms need them to cope with surges in media inquiries.
Still, Burson said that it is "unrealistic to think we will continue to grow at the same rate in 2009." Client companies are seen scaling back their PR spending in response to the global economy's slowdown, he said.
After experiencing 11 recessions during his long career, Burson cautioned that the current downturn appears "much more serious" because the whole banking system is involved and liabilities are difficult to determine.
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