Edelman moves into Japan
By Adnews Staff
Public relations agency Edelman has opened a new operation in Tokyo called Edelman Japan. The division will be led by Bob Pickard, president of Edelman North Asia, and regional president Alan VanderMolen. The senior staff also includes deputy managing director Keizo Kumazawa, director Takako Ushio and senior account executive Go Ichino. According to the company, the Tokyo office is already doing work for a number of clients in the technology, automotive, financial, healthcare and consumer sectors. "Japan is home to approximately 30 percent of the world's top 1000 companies and therefore fundamental to our long-term global strategy," said Richard Edelman, president and CEO of the agency. "With Japan's economy on the rise again and with Japanese stakeholders placing significantly more trust in earned media than advertising, we believe that the domestic advertising industry's domination of communications is waning." Edelman has 42 offices around the world, including a new location in India opened last October.