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Last summer, PR giant Edelman became the focus of negative media attention when it became known that the agency was open to representing so-called "climate deniers." A perception of environmental callousness was furthered when an internal email from Edelman somehow reached the Climate Investigations Center, in which the firm's then-CEO and U.S. president Mark Hass said it was not necessary that he comment on the agency's stance on which clients it will or won't take.
Suddenly, a full-scale attack was launched against Edelman by many media outlets, painting the firm as a greedy organization that prioritized profits over principle. The episode sparked a months-long PR crisis for Edelman (no, the irony was not lost) and involved firm chairman Richard Edelman issuing a statement confirming the agency's commitment to climate-change science, and dismissing Hass. Like most crises, this one passed over—but it was not easily forgotten by the agency....
Client or agency driven shake up? Time will tell.