Abstract

The case describes the contributions of Harold Burson (Harold) to the field of international public relations. Harold is the founding Chairman of one of the world’s leading PR firm - Burson-Marsteller (BM). The case includes a brief note on Harold’s initial struggles as an entrepreneur and how he established himself as a prominent PR practitioner. It also describes the growth of BM and how it went on to become one of the world’s leading PR firms. The case highlights some of the well-known PR crises that Harold successfully handled including those faced by General Motors, Johnson and Johnson and Coca-Cola.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Gain insights into the contributions made by Harold Burson to the field of international PR
• Appreciate entrepreneurial capabilities of Harold
• Understand PR as an important corporate function
• and To realize the importance of PR in developing and sustaining the image of the organization.

Keywords

Harold Burson, Burson-Marsteller, Public Relations, Entrepreneurship, PR Crises, Crisis Management, General Motors, Unsafe at Any Speed, Corvair, Johnson and Johnson, Tylenol Controversy, Coca-Cola, New Coke, Pepsi Challenge Campaign, Advertising, Business-to-Business Communications