Happy new year from B-M in Motion!

In speaking to the New Year, it is always proper to reflect on the past year and what a banner year it was for our team! A new office, new team members and new clients have resulted in one of the most successful years for the firm. 

In 2011, I started to teach as an adjunct professor at Chung-Ang University.  Each week I had the chance to sit with students and not only learn about the interests of future communications professionals but I also had the opportunity to step outside of my role and evaluate the PR profession, its history and future – something that really allowed me to consider how all fit into B-M Korea’s vision and strategy.

My ultimate take-away from teaching was that there is a growing interest in public relations as a career path and the advent of social media will empower the profession even more.  I also learned that Korea has the strongest representation of graduate students studying public relations in the United States compared to any other country.  This bodes extremely well for the future of the profession in Korea as these students will later return and share their research, knowledge and trends to further shape the local industry. 

When we consider this brain pool of research and knowledge along with Korea’s unparalleled reliance on the internet and the dynamic nature of SNS networking, we find a country that is well poised to not only quickly adopt new trends and introduce new models of communications but inevitably, we have a market that is guaranteed to push public relations forward to new dimensions.

Public relations started out of the United States and Harold Burson is recognized for helping to introduce and fast forward the globalization of the industry as he opened up offices around the world.  In my opinion, while the US is still considered a heavyweight in the PR market, Asia is fast rising and Korea stands at the forefront especially when you see how Korean multinationals including our clients such as LG Mobile, LG Display, Seoul Semiconductor and Ahn Lab are adopting advanced PR programming and planning into engagement and outreach.

I shared many of my teaching experience with the B-M staff as part of our annual business review and I entitled the presentation “E Pluribus Unum” after Harold Burson’s memoir. In the review, I extended strong focus to the evolution of public relations and how the boundaries of PR are less fixed in the traditional western markets with Asia and Korea leading the way forward. I wanted the team to truly appreciate where we sit right now and how this position will serve as a strong foundation in their roles as PR consultants.

E Pluribus Unum translates to “Out of Many, One” and in my view, the B-M Korea team is really pioneering quality and client service beyond the traditional model of public relations.  We have digital in our pockets; we have training embedded in our culture; we have a growing team of professionals representing diverse in-house, agency and media backgrounds; we are leaders in crisis and issue management; our legacy in public affairs and branding (re Seoul Olympics, FIFA and recently, DFAT/Australia) and our long history with loyal clients (our top three clients have been with over 5 years and counting) are unmatched.  We are, in fact, out of many… one very special, super team.

As we welcome the new year, I would like to extend thanks and appreciation to this super B-M Korea team and wish everyone a happy, successful and healthy 2012! 

We look forward to making 2012 another record year and as always, I thank you for your support of B-M Korea!