Staff Reporters
Jan 13, 2020

Burson-Marsteller founder Harold Burson dead at 98

Burson was voted the most influential PR person of the 20th century.

Burson-Marsteller founder Harold Burson dead at 98

Harold Burson, founder of Burson-Marsteller and the man voted the most influential PR person of the 20th century, died on Friday. He was 98.

"Our family is saddened by the loss of our beloved father. We grieve and mourn his passing. And yet our spirits are lifted by the belief that he is now ‘gathered’ with his loving wife and faithful companion of 63 years, Bette Ann. We pray they will now rest together for all of eternity," Burson’s family said in a statement.

WPP CEO Mark Read said via email that "our industry has always drawn its strength from the great people within it, and Harold was one of the greatest."

"He was ahead of his time in so many ways; in our business, if you think you’ve come up with a new idea, there’s a good chance Harold put it into practice 50 years ago," Read said. "He saw the potential for public relations to be a global enterprise, and he did more than anyone to professionalise the discipline."

Read added that Burson "was among the first people I called after becoming CEO of WPP, and he was a generous source of encouragement and support."

"It was a privilege to know him, and his family and friends have our deepest condolences," he said.

Burson’s career stretched back to World War II, when he reported on the Nuremberg war crimes trials that followed the conflict. He founded Burson-Marsteller in 1953 via a partnership with ad executive Bill Marsteller, then built the firm into an industry powerhouse with $4.4 million in revenue by 1969 and then $64 million, with 2,500 employees in 50 offices, a decade and a half later. In 1979, Burson sold the firm to ad agency Young & Rubicam, which was in turn bought by WPP in 2000. He stepped down as Burson’s CEO in 1988. Burson-Marsteller was merged with Cohn & Wolfe into BCW in early 2018.

Even into his ninth decade, Burson was known to keep a schedule packed with meetings from the morning into the evening. He was a member of the inaugural class of PRWeek’s Hall of Fame, installed in 2013. Boston University’s College of Communications established its first academic chair in the field of PR, named for Burson, in late 2003. Burson also blogged about the industry and communications and business issues late into his career.

Burson brushed shoulders with powerful figures around the globe during his career. He enjoyed good relationships with U.S. presidents including Ronald Reagan – with whom he used to have monthly lunches – Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, as well as the late former U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Mark Burson said that donations can be made in his father's memory to the Harold Burson Legacy Scholarship Fund at the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi.

Source:
PRWeek

Related Articles

Just Published

18 hours ago

Chinese media rebate corruption probe widens across ...

EXCLUSIVE: Dentsu Media CEO Tommy Li has stepped down and was reportedly in police custody, as China’s media rebate probe expands with as many as 30 people questioned. Former Wavemaker chief client officer Julep Lin has also been arrested in connection with the investigation.

2 days ago

Agency Report Cards 2024: We grade 25 APAC networks

The grades are in for Campaign Asia's 22nd annual evaluation of APAC agency networks. Subscribe to read our detailed analyses.

2 days ago

Agency Report Card 2024: Initiative

After losing marquee clients Amazon and Lego, Initiative faces an uphill battle to rebuild its reputation, leaning on new tools, a "challenger" mindset, and a focus on e-commerce to stay competitive in a rapidly shifting industry.

2 days ago

Global CEO of WPP Media’s Nexus departs

Bidon has been global chief executive at Nexus since April 2022.