It is a sign of the Korean market’s maturity that it can now support niche public relations firms as well as the established full-service agencies that have emerged as market leaders. Strategy Salad is one of the first specialists to enjoy success, focusing on crisis and issues management, online and off, for clients in the private and public sectors.

Chief partner, founder and CEO James Chung was previously an executive vice president with local leader Communications Korea and PR manager of Oriental Brewery, a Korean subsidiary of InBev. He is joined in the senior management ranks by Sean Song, partner, former communication manager of Doosan Liquor, a subsidiary of Doosan Group and SK Networks, and Mark Jang, executive coach, who has worked with more than 50 government and public institutions to develop crisis management manuals and crisis management systems.

The global economic crisis has led to an increase in crisis work, and with the introduction of new services—one focused on helping companies deal with investigative television reporters and another providing social media crisis simulation—Strategy Salad saw revenues increase by close to 75 percent last year. Clients include local companies and government agencies as well as Korean subsidiaries of major multinationals such as WoogjinCoway, Lafarge Hanlla Cement, Lafarge Plasterboard Korea, Thinkware, SK Energy, SK Global, SK Networks, SK Group, Nuskin Korea, Daiso Corp., PernodRicard Korea, Yuhan Kimberly-Clark, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of National Unification.

For its work on WoongjinCoway’s crisis management system, Strategy Salad was awarded the 2010 Excellent Award in Crisis Managementfrom the Korea Public Relations Association in 2010.—PH