Editors’ Note

With an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate of law from St. John’s University School of Law, Howard Rubenstein founded Rubenstein Associates, Inc., in 1954. As an attorney, he served as Assistant Counsel to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, and has also served as a consultant to the United States Foreign Claims Settlement Commission. Additionally, Rubenstein sat on the Mayor’s Committee on Business and Economic Development for New York City Mayors Abraham Beame, David Dinkins, and Rudy Giuliani. He serves on the executive committee of the Association for a Better New York, which he helped to found, and is a trustee of the Police Athletic League, the Foundation for the National Archives, and the Inner-City Scholarship Fund of the Archdiocese of New York. In addition, he serves on the boards of the Partnership for New York City and the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, and is a Cofounder and Vice Chairman of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

Company Brief

One of the United States’ largest independent public relations agencies, New York-based Rubenstein Associates, Inc., along with Rubenstein Communications, Inc., and Rubenstein Public Relations, Inc., represent a roster of more than 450 clients, including global corporations, media and entertainment companies, sports teams, financial services organizations, real estate concerns, educational and cultural institutions, law firms, health care providers, and not-for-profit organizations, as well as business executives and other public figures. Current clients include the New York Yankees, NewsCorp., the New York Philharmonic, Pfizer, Museum of Modern Art, Paramount Pictures, Columbia University, Tishman Speyer, and NYC & Company. With a staff of approximately 240 people, Rubenstein is headquartered in New York City.

Has the recent economic downturn had an impact on your business?

I’ve been through many recessions, and during each of those downturns, our business seemed to get a bit stronger, for a couple of reasons: First, many companies, individuals, and nonprofits face crises they didn’t anticipate, and their economics take a negative turn, but they want to maintain their reputation so they call us. Second, some people who are used to wealth and success take inordinate risks and cause problems for themselves and their companies that they should never have caused, and they’ll call us for crisis management. So my business seems to be weatherproofed against the torrential rain of a bad recession. Most PR firms will have to work harder and longer in a recession, and offer more moderate fees. But as far as New York-based PR goes, the need is greater in a downturn than in a vibrant economy. Clients have to think about their good name in good and bad times, or else they run the risk of arrogance damaging them.

Do the three Rubenstein companies operate separately, or is there some overlap and coordination among them?

My son Steven is president of Rubenstein Communications and is also Senior Executive Vice President of my company. My son Richard is quite an independent person and is President of Rubenstein Public Relations. They both learned the business and how to be successful by doing the business. They are both very professional and very good. Richard has 22 years of public relations experience, and Steven has been here for almost 17 years. Each of our reputations is strong, as is the overall reputation of the Rubenstein brand, and we certainly work well together.

How much of a role is there for technology in this business? Is it challenging to make sure it doesn’t detract from the all-important personal touch?

It is challenging, but you must keep up with technology. We have a digital department and we run classes for our entire staff. We’re putting assets and personnel into the digital world because there are no longer deadlines – it’s a 24-hour cycle. In the beginning, it was called “new media,” but it’s not so new anymore. You have to understand how to effectively utilize technology or you will be left behind. However, it’s also important for any service business to build personal relationships on a foundation of real trust. If clients and reporters don’t trust you, you might as well wrap it up.

Do you see opportunities for growth in certain new markets around the world?

Yes, I do. Until this time, we have avoided opening offices in other cities, certainly abroad. With many representatives of foreign media in New York, we can reach every corner of this world, right in New York City. Plus, if we need a personal touch in China, in England, or anywhere else, we know firms in all of those countries and we’ll retain those firms, or the client will at our suggestion. We’ll handle some of the things that need local representation, but if we’re pitching an international story, wire services like Bloomberg, the Associated Press, and Reuters are wonderful to deal with. Additionally, people from different countries have been coming here to talk to us about representing them. So I’m encouraged by the globalization of information.

You represent clients across many industry sectors. Is it important for you to employ people who have industry expertise and can focus on those specific segments?

The company is organized into groups and each has a group head. Each group has at least one area of specialization, but some of them have two or three. For instance, real estate is an enormous practice of ours. We have deep expertise in this area and a wide range of other fields, which allow us to think through broad industry-wide stories, including stories that will move the Richter scale for our clients. It’s difficult for you to mention a field in New York City that we’re not involved in.

Companies do so much good, but their message on corporate responsibility and community involvement doesn’t always get out. Is there more that can be done to get the good news out to the public?

If you look at virtually every publication, you’ll see that they tend to focus on the negative in our society. Scandals sell. Downturns sell. It’s harder to place a positive story than a negative one. So what I urge my staff and my clients to do is look for the human element in a story. Focus on one person who was helped. Focus on one problem that was solved, and then build the story that way and expand it to a broader focus on what that company is doing. It’s a good technique and it works. During this downturn, corporations ought to spend more time talking about the positive things they are contributing to our economy and our society.