Who are we? Why are we here?
At Porter Novelli, these questions matter deeply. They are the questions we ask ourselves daily—and they are the questions we use to measure the differentiators in the work and service we deliver for our clients.
The answers matter more than ever.
In a world that constantly seeks and demands relevance, you must be able to tell your story quickly, clearly, concisely and consistently. Every aspect must be captivating in the moment of discovery, but also aligned to create the coherence of a broader narrative. That’s the only way to establish the spark of connection and deeper significance that inspires personal and collective action.
Without significance, you become disposable. Without connection, you are impenetrable.
Many brands, and the agencies that cater to them, see this as some sort of emerging trend, a relatively recent outgrowth of the rapid changes initiated by the proliferation of social, digital and mobile. In fact, though, it is a timeless and fundamental human truth. It is how we connect with each other at the deepest levels. And it is what inspired Jack Porter and Bill Novelli to found our agency in 1972.
Successful marketing executives, Jack and Bill could have had as much success as they wanted in traditional advertising. But while working together on a campaign for the Peace Corps, they had a realization that would change—and, quite literally, save—millions of lives.
They saw that the creative techniques of commercial marketing could be used for the greater social good. It was a visionary epiphany, and they founded Porter Novelli to put their ideas into action. Their very first client was the National Institutes of Health. They created the National Blood Pressure Education Program—which remains in place and unchanged today, more than 40 years later, and is credited with reducing the mortality rate from heart disease by 53 percent and the mortality rate from stroke by 59 percent.
That’s the power of deep insight and great execution.
Since then, Porter Novelli has sought out and partnered with clients and causes that matter, taking on adversaries and challenges that many people said couldn’t be beat. We fought Big Tobacco’s $10 billion annual advertising budget and its insidious targeting of young people with our “truth” campaign. And we won, decreasing teen smoking rates by more than 45 percent in less than 10 years.
We have helped people reduce their cholesterol levels, decreased HIV/AIDS infection rates through education about protective behavior and simplified the complexities of good nutrition for families of all shapes and sizes.
We have empowered the world’s most recognized and traditional organizations to reach and inspire the audience segments they thought were beyond reach—unlocking new levels of creativity, brand equity and paths to success. We have grounded startups and challenger brands with the fundamental communications insights they needed to tell their story of innovation on a global stage. Across borders, languages, audiences, platforms and mediums, we carry the principles and best practices of excellent, savvy public relations and communications and deploy them for our clients’ strategic, competitive advantage—whenever, wherever and however they are needed.
We are not intimidated by tough issues; we don’t back down from a fight; and we like causing good trouble. Because from the very beginning, we recognized that if you can inspire one person to make better decisions, you can inspire millions. You can overcome nearly insurmountable odds, and change the world in ways that nobody thought were possible.
We know it can be done, because we have done it—again and again—for more than 40 years. And we continue to do it every day, for clients big and small, public and private. That’s what it means to work with Porter Novelli.