Steve Cody & Ed Moed are best known for co-founding Peppercomm, a communications and public relations company based in New York City. They have two other branches in San Francisco and London. The firm started in 1995, and rely on an improvisational comedy culture to help allure and attract not only employees but clients as well.
They have roughly 100 employees working in their New York City, San Francisco, and London offices, but in recent years their sluggish business growth has seen a decrease in employee morale, and client output.
The firm started with the mission to listen to the needs of their clients and audiences before taking the necessary actions needed. They market themselves as a cohesive team of highly trained specialists working together on campaigns to assure the best communication and marketing solutions are carried out for each client.
Peppercom has a history of working with a variety of different clients, from luxury brands, to big household names, all the way to financial services and industrial organizations.
Before their now mediocre firm began experiencing sluggish growth, they focused on helping clients build their social strategies, websites, create brand experiences, increase executive visibility, mitigate crises, and deliver the results their clients desired. Nowadays, Peppercomm is an average communications and public relations firm at best.
They haven’t grown in years, and likely won’t in the future. And it’s not just clients who are losing faith with Peppercomm, employees are as well. Some former employees complained there is little upward mobility, salary increases, and opportunities for younger employees making up the bulk of the firm.
Other former employees have complained the firm tends to spread itself thin when it comes to the services they offer and lack the specialized staff to fulfill those services.
Peppercomm, Steve, and Ed surely make money – and for some do good work, but this firm needs change to become more relevant down the road.