Company type | Private |
---|---|
Founded | 1983 |
Headquarters | Seattle |
Number of locations | 23 cities[1] |
Key people | Melissa Waggener Zorkin, CEO |
Revenue | $126.6 million (2018)[2] |
Number of employees | 1000+ |
Website | https://www.we-worldwide.com |
WE Communications (previously Waggener Edstrom) and commonly known as WE is a global public relations and integrated marketing communications firm often associated with its largest client, Microsoft. The firm was founded in 1983 by Melissa Waggener Zorkin.[3]
The Waggener Group was founded in 1983 by Melissa Waggener Zorkin. In 1984, Pam Edstrom joined the firm, which was renamed Waggener Edstrom.[4] Edstrom previously worked for Microsoft, which became one of the agency's first clients.[5]
The firm acquired PR.com in 2001, Maloney & Fox in 2003, Shout Holdings in 2004, Patzer PR in 2012, Buchan in 2016, Red Bridge Consulting and WATATAWA in 2017.[6] The firm also acquired Indian integrated consultancy Avian Media in 2018 and Codeword in 2019.[7]
In September 2015, the company re-branded as WE Communications.[8]
In 2022, WE acquired Hopscotch Consulting, a social impact and behavior change agency.[9]
WE Communications focuses on three sectors — healthcare, consumer and technology.[10][11] Its services include media relations, corporate and executive communications, digital marketing, creative, social media and content strategy, crisis communications, insights and analytics, corporate social responsibility, brand purpose and reputation.
Notable clients include Microsoft, Volvo, Boehringer Ingelheim, VSP, Honeywell, Tencent, Cisco, McDonald's, Tabula Rasa, Brother, Amgen, Gilead, iRobot, RSA, Lenovo, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AT&T and others. WE Communications is often associated with its work for Microsoft,[12] one of its first clients. In the firm's early years, this relationship led to it working primarily with other technology companies, before expanding into healthcare, consumer and other sectors.[13] For more than a decade, WE Communications supported Mercy Corps on a pro-bono basis after CEO Waggener Zorkin took on the client after visiting the Good Shepherd orphanage in Ghana.[14]
In 2018, WE Communications handled the PR for the McDelivery Day 2.0 and was shortlisted for PRWeek Global Award.[15]