Burson Marsteller

Megafirm Burson-Marsteller is creating a separate, two-piece agency to approach digital influence two ways, "the creative execution of communications based on research and data to drive superior results for clients" and through "digital reputation management, online experience design, social Media, community development and mobile marketing" according to the press release issued this week by Burson spokesman Paul Cordasco. The former description belongs to Proof Integrated Communications (or Proof IC), the latter to Proof Digital Media.

Here's where it gets really complicated: Proof IC will be formed as a combination of BM's Marsteller advertising division and bits of Burson CEO Mark Penn's other company, Penn Schoen & Berland (PSB). Proof IC's CEO is Jay Leveton, who was SVP at PSB and president of PSBcreative. Matt Lieppe, former creative director at PSBCreative will serve as chief creative officer.

Penn as most people in PR know, earned a ton of ink last summer as Hillary Clinton's controversial chief strategist in her bid to win the democratic nomination for president.

More relevant to the competition for digital PR work and social media consulting is Proof Digital Media. At the helm as CEO is Erin Byrne, who was chief digital strategist at Burson. The Proof segmentation and re-brand is how many firms big and small are currently approaching the hunt for the piece of the social media pie.

Now that you have BM's digital two-step in your grasp, consider that Burson-Marsteller is part of Young & Rubicam's (Y&R) suite of brands, which is a subsidiary of the global company WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY).

Breaking: Former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino has joined Burson-Marsteller as "Chief Issues Counselor" for the U.S. Perino held the post of White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush from 2007- 2009. She will report to B-M Global Executive Vice President Josh Gottheimer as part of the firm's Issues and Crisis Group.

"Dana is the latest addition to an already deep bipartisan bench of former presidential advisers...She has performed one of the most demanding jobs in Washington. We know the skills and judgment she honed in her time at the White House will serve our clients well," said B-M CEO Mark Penn in a statement.

It looks like Burson gave The Wall Street Journal the exclusive, and an interview with Penn. The story "Bush Aide Perino to Join Firm Led by Clinton Adviser" by John D. McKinnon appeared on WSJ.com about one hour before PRNewser received the official release from a B-M spokesperson.

McKinnon reports that Perino, "likely will focus on communications strategies for clients in the looming Washington policy debates over issues such as energy, climate change and health care. She may also develop business among newer defense and technology firms."

Burson Marsteller CEO Mark Penn points out in Monday's Wall Street Journal that the current recession is unique in that there is a loss of "professional jobs," or white collar jobs, as opposed to blue collar jobs.

He writes:

We have safety nets for the chronically unemployed, for the fast-food workers let go (oddly they may be the only ones keeping their jobs in this recession), and for the manufacturing plants that have been shuttered. The stimulus will create construction jobs galore. But we have nothing for the tens of thousands of displaced advertising creatives and newspaper writers and editors that are among the newly unemployed. They can't build roads -- all they learned how to do was to write ads and draft editorials.

Penn goes on to say that the U.S. is "totally unprepared for this new phenomenon." The byline is the latest in his Microtrends column for the WSJ, named after his book, "Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes."

RELATED: Greenberg vs. Penn, Pollster Throwdown

The former communications lead for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Julie Vallese, has joined Burson-Marsteller as Managing Director of the agency's newly formed Product Integrity Practice.

Vallese's previous work includes more than 15 years at CNN, including the position of consumer correspondent. According to the release, "The Product Integrity Practice will be part of B-M's Washington-based Issues and Crisis Group (ICG), led by Global Executive Vice President Josh Gottheimer. The new practice will focus on helping clients develop strategies for product-related crisis planning and management, successful stakeholder engagement and regulatory communications."

B-M is not the only agency bullish on public affairs and government related work. Michael Kehs, head of public affairs at WPP's Hill & Knowlton, recently told Advertising Age, "The whole economy is on the plate here in Washington and people are going to want their seat at the table."

Burson-Marsteller announced a big hire today, naming former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and top aide to George W. Bush, Karen Hughes as Global Vice Chair.

Hughes adds to a team with significant beltway experience, including Don Baer, formerly the White House Communications Director for President Bill Clinton, who joined the firm this past November.

Former top Clinton strategist and Burson CEO Mark Penn said in a statement, "I cannot think of anyone better suited to counsel our clients."

[Image: Hughes at the 2007 PRSA International Conference.]

Full release after the jump.

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That pretty much sums up a memo sent out today by Burson-Marsteller CEO and top Hillary adviser Mark Penn, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The memo can be seen as a response to varied poll results in key states such as Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire. "These races are always roller coasters, with so many different polls and so many different results. So to wrap up - poll reader beware," wrote Penn in the memo.

Meanwhile, we're sure Penn is still fielding calls about the Hillary campaign's decision to send out a press release cricizing Obama's kindergarten ambitions to run for president. Read the full release here.