Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox Company | name = 5W Public Relations | logo = [[File:5W Logo.JPG|160px]] | type = [[Private company|Private]] | genre = | predecessor = | foundation = [[New York City]], [[United States|U.S.]] ({{Start date|2003}}) | founder = [[Ronn Torossian]] | location_city = [[New York City]], [[New York]] | location_country = [[United States|U.S.]] | location = | locations = [[New York City]] and [[Los Angeles]] | area_served = [[North America]], [[Europe]], [[Middle East]] | key_people = Ronn Torossian <small>([[Entrepreneur|Founder]])</small> <br /> | industry = [[Public relations]] | products = Consumer, crisis, celebrity, corporate communications, government and public affairs, fashion | services = [[Publicity]], brand-building and marketing | market cap = | revenue = US$11,061,338 (2009), {{decrease}} 7.2% from 2008 | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = 67 (2009) | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = [http://www.5wpr.com/ 5WPR.com] | footnotes = | intl = }} '''5W Public Relations''', also known as '''5WPR''', is an [[United States|American]] public relations [[company (law)|firm]]. It was ranked the 24th largest independent PR firm in the United States by the O'Dwyer independent rating agency<ref name=Odwyer1> [http://www.odwyerpr.com/pr_firm_rankings/independents.htm "Public Relations Firms Rankings"] at www.odwyerpr.com, March 2011</ref>, down from 13th in 2009<ref name=Odwyer2>[http://www.odwyerpr.com/pr_firm_rankings/independents.htm Top PR Firm Rankings &#124; Public Relations Agency Rankings by O'Dwyer's Public Relations News] </ref>. ==History== Founded in 2003 by [[Ronn Torossian]], 5WPR grew quickly from a small office with two employees to a rising star in the PR world. In 2005, Torossian was profiled in the New York Times, which called him "brash and aggressively outspoken... the consummate scrappy publicist"<ref name="NYT">{{cite web|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/20/nyregion/thecity/20feat.html|title= Brash P.R. Guy Grabs Clients, Ink|accessdate= 2008-09-05|last= Kurutz|first= Steven|date= February 20, 2005|work= The City|publisher= ''[[The New York Times]]''}}</ref>. By 2007, it was cited by [[Inc]] Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the US<ref name=inc.com> [http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2007/company-profile.html?id=200701530 5W Public Relations - Advertising & Marketing, inc5000 Article - Inc. Article]</ref>, an honor it won again in 2008. In 2005, 5WPR opened a Los Angeles office. It grew its client base from three to about 50 in 2008<ref name="NYT"/>. Its portfolio included a diverse range of customers, including celebrities, health and beauty, corporate, and government, religious and public affairs clients. Revenues grew from $3 million in 2004, to $11.5 million.<ref name=NYT/>. By 2009, O'Dwyers ranked 5WPR as 13th largest agency in the US<ref name=Odwyer2/>. However, in 2010, following a number of critical articles in the general and industry press<ref name=AdAge>Ken Wheaton, [http://adage.com/article/adages/ronn-torossian-poster-child-pr-industry/125607/ "Ronn Torossian: No Poster Child for PR Industry", ''Ad Age'', March 10m 2008</ref><ref name=Gawker>Hamilton Nolan, [http://gawker.com/#!365723/the-story-of-ronn-torossian "The Story Of Ronn Torossian"], ''Gawker'', Mar 10, 2008</ref><ref name=Goldberg>Jeffrey Goldberg, [http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2008/10/the-jewish-extremists- behind-quot-obsession-quot/9006/ "The Jewish Extremists Behind 'Obsession'"], ''The Atlantic'', October 27, 2008</ref><ref name=jta>Ben Harris, [http://www.jta.org/news/article/2008/07/10/109423/engelmayer5wpr "Agriprocessors’ PR firm accused of impersonating rabbi"], ''Jewish Telegraphic Agency'', July 10, 2008</ref>, about 5WPR's tactics and about its founder Torossian, its ranking fell to 24, and revenues were level at $11.3 million<ref name=Odwyer2/>. According to O'Dwyers, 5WPR had 69 employees in 2010<ref name=Odwyer2/>. ==Controversies== 5WPR has come under criticism for its tactics or for the activities of its clients on a number of occasions: ===Agriprocessors=== [[Agriprocessors]], a [[Kosher foods|kosher]] meat processing company that went bankrupt after a federal investigation into worker abuse and hiring illegal immigrants, was a 5W client. In July 2008, a person claiming to be one of the leading critics of Agriprocessors posted comments to several blogsites that seemed to suggest that the critics were operating out of self interest. The comments were traced back to the [[IP address]] of 5WPR's executive responsible for the Agriprocessors account.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jewishberkshires.org/page.aspx?id=179351 |title=Agriprocessors' PR Firm Accused of Impersonating Rabbi |first=Ben |last=Harris |publisher=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/109424.html |title=PR firm faces scrutiny |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |date=2008-07-10}}</ref> 5WPR issued a statement admitting the impersonation, saying that the firm's "IT department investigated accusations which we have now learned to be true," and that "A senior staff member failed to be transparent in dealing with client matters.".<ref name="Forward 7/24">{{cite news |url=http://www.forward.com/articles/13847/ |title=Public Relations Firm Criticized |first=Marissa |last=Brostoff |date=July 24, 2008 |publisher=Forward |accessdate=2008-09-09 }}</ref> ===Girls Gone Wild=== In 2009, 5WPR landed the account of [[Birthright Israel]], a program offering trips to young Jewish Americans to Israel to strengthen their ties to Judaism and to Israel. Several Jewish leaders criticized the program for selecting 5WPR, both because of its involvement in the Agriprocessors affair, and because it represented [[Girls Gone Wild]], a video franchise that made films of women stripping and having sex in public. "You can't hire an unethical person to represent a program that is supposed to inspire people to connect with the Jewish tradition - and all the great things Judaism has to offer," Rabbi Andy Bachman of the US Reform Movement was quoted as saying in the Haaretz newspaper<ref name=Haaretz>Nathaniel Popper, [http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/1108880.html "The right-wing PR firms that make Birthright Israel free"], ''Haaretz'', August 20, 2009</ref>. Dan Sieradski, a Jewish activist and journalist, started an online petition to urge the program to drop 5WPR<ref name=Haaretz/>. ==Clients== 5WPR's portfolio has included consumer and corporate customers. The firm has done work for [[MSN|Microsoft MSN]], [[McDonalds]], [[Evian]], and a number of other big-ticket companies<ref name=5wpr>[http://www.5wpr.com/clients/index.cfm 5WPR website]</ref>. The company has also worked with a number of high-profile personalities, including [[Pamela Anderson]], [[Ice Cube]], and rapper [[Lil' Kim]]. The company also specializes in clients who are Israelis or Israeli supporters, especially of the Israeli right wing. One of its clients is [[Binyamin Elon]], a former member of the Israeli Knesset from the right-wing Moledet party, and a vocal supporter of Israeli settlement in the Occupied West Bank. 5WPR also represents [[Aish Hatorah]], a Jewish orthodox organization whose yeshiva headquarters is in the old Arab walled city of Jerusalem, territory annexed by Israel in the 1967 war, but considered by most of the international community to be occupied. Other clients have included [[Christians United for Israel]], a Christian fundamentalist group of Israel supporters led by TV minister [[John Hagee]]. == Recognition == * ''Boutique Agency of the Year'', 2005 <ref name=Holmes>[http://www.holmesreport.com/agencies/clientsguide.cfm Holmes Report] PR Agency Report Card</ref> * [[Inc]] Magazine, Fastest Growing Companies in the US, 2007 <ref>[http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2007/company-profile.html?id=200701530 5W Public Relations - Advertising & Marketing, inc5000 Article - Inc. Article]</ref> * [[Inc]] Magazine, Fastest Growing Companies in the US, 2008 <ref name="inc.com"/> * [[Ronn Torossian]], 5WPR CEO, Semi-finalist to 2010 [[Ernst & Young]] Entrepreneur of Year <ref>[http://www.eturbonews.com/15795/5w-public-relations-ceo-selected-semi-finalist-ernst-and-young-e Ronn Torossian Named 5W Public Relations CEO selected as semi-finalist for Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 - eTurboNews.com]</ref> ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== * [http://www.5Wpr.com 5W Public Relations] {{DEFAULTSORT:5w Public Relations}} [[Category:Public relations companies of the United States]]'