The Top PR Firms in Commercial Real Estate
More than PR and communications strategists, these teams have played the role of change agents. Their mastery of storytelling is unmatched, and their ability to inform industry stakeholders is critical.
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It takes a truly adaptive and steadfast PR team to secure headlines and keep clients relevant in a down market, and unfortunately for real estate, the down market is precisely where the industry has been stuck. Post-pandemic shifts, interest rate hikes and inflation have all slowed real estate deals and developments. But while transactions may have declined, industry news has not.
An elite group of PR specialists have found opportunities amidst unprecedented upheaval. We live, work, shop, dine, study and socialize between four walls and on recreational property, making real estate one of the most ubiquitously influential industries in the world. However, the way we engage with the built world is ever-changing. The firms on this year’s honor roll understand that, and they’ve worked with clients to reinvent themselves alongside an industry that has been forced to do the same.
Hybrid work, housing shortages and the convergence of asset classes have led many real estate owners and developers to diversify their portfolios. Emerging from the same trends, “conversions” and “distressed opportunities” have become the year's buzzwords as investors look to add new asset classes to their resumes.
And they’re not just looking to expand through acquisitions or diversification; they’re also announcing their entry into new markets. Cities like Miami, which offer tax-friendly environments, lifestyle appeal, diversity and access to today’s fastest-growing industries, have experienced an explosion in real estate demand.
Both cities looking to repurpose real estate and those welcoming a development boom will rely on strong public-private partnerships and collaboration to foster sustainable economic growth. These city advancements have widespread ripple effects, triggering executives to put more weight on the social impact and legacies they’ll leave behind.
The rapid evolution of real estate has felt like a whirlwind. It has demanded ingenuity, razor-sharp leadership and foresight. It has required even the most successful firms to rethink their purpose, and this year’s Real Estate Honor Roll has done just that. More than PR and communications strategists, these teams have played the role of change agents, helping their clients showcase geographic expansions and acquisitions of new property types. They have worn the hats of public affairs experts and government relations gurus. Their mastery of storytelling is unmatched, and their ability to inform industry stakeholders is critical. So, while real estate transactions may appear to be in a lull, this vital industry has done anything but stagnate.
Visit our Power Index to view the entire 2024 PR Power Series.
The Top CRE PR Firms in 2024
ICR Inc
- Jason Chudoba, Partner & Megan Kivlehan, Managing Director
ICR has had a strong year, reinforcing its stature as the firm of choice for real estate deal makers. The ICR team’s expertise has been in high demand, with REITs, investment managers, developers, lenders, loan servicers, placement agents and service providers tapping ICR’s real estate practice to help them navigate the rising interest rate environment across all aspects of their businesses.
The firm’s success is reflected in its growing client list after snagging up Investcorp, AMH, Hines, Cabot Properties, Mill Creek Residential, Whitestone REIT and Alpaca RE, to name just a few of its high-profile wins.
The ICR team demonstrated optimism for 2024, telling Observer they’re starting “to see some green shoots with many real estate investors gearing up to increase both transactions and capital raising in 2024 and beyond.” With this shift, ICR plans to continue to expand and diversify its client roster, working with firms to craft strategic communications positioning them to capitalize on the rebound.
Marino PR
- John Marino, President & Frank Marino, CEO
The Marino PR team has had a year of wins, expansion and impact, starting with the launch of their creative studio. Looking to expand their offerings, Marino announced that branding, creative, advertising, e-commerce marketing and full-scale production have been added to their repertoire. The creative studio includes highlights like “The Housing Problem,” one of the nation’s leading affordable housing podcasts produced by Marino in partnership with their client CPC.
Addressing the affordable housing shortage is just one of the topics on the Real Estate & Property Innovation practice’s agenda as the firm continues to shine a light on the importance of ESG initiatives. Marino worked with clients like Jamestown LP, Ivanhoé Cambridge and LCOR to showcase the positive impacts of environmentally friendly construction materials and energy sources amidst the ongoing climate crisis.
The firm is poised to be an important partner able to address major industry transformations as it continues to align itself with forward-thinking brands. Marino’s affinity for working with industry innovators is evidenced by recent client wins such as Fifth Wall, Ivanhoé Cambridge, Skanska USA Building, Skanska USA Civil, Olive Tree Holdings, Monadnock Development, Roam, Aalto and RCKRBX.
Rubenstein
- Bud Perrone & Iva Benson, Managing Directors
While they represent clients across dozens of industries, Rubenstein is a staple in the real estate world. The firm’s client roster includes industry giants like Tishman Speyer, Vornado Realty Trust, the Durst Organization, Rudin, JBG SMITH, Columbia Property Trust, L&L Holding, Savills, Skanska and Affinius Capital. This list only gets more extensive year over year, with Rubenstein adding Slate Property Group, Monday Properties and Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Association just this year.
Rubenstein has had a busy year repping some of the most significant projects of 2023, including the news of a tentative deal to relocate The Washington Wizards and Capitals to a new arena in Alexandria, VA. The announcement came just months after JBG SMITH celebrated opening the first phase of the highly anticipated Amazon HQ2 campus in neighboring Arlington, VA.
Rubenstein’s notable wins are not limited to the Mid-Atlantic. They’ve been the PR team of record for top announcements from coast to coast, including the repositioning of Rockefeller Center and the PENN District; the rollout of the fourth generation of leadership at Rudin; the opening of the first buildings at the 28-acre Mission Rock development on San Francisco Bay; and the start of construction on the Harvard Enterprise Research Campus.
In discussing the direction of real estate in 2024, the Rubenstein team stated that “America’s major urban centers face several urgent real estate-related challenges that will require both innovation and collaboration between the private and public sectors.” The firm has reinforced its ability to work with clients along public-private lines by adding its newest team member, Melissa Grace, who formerly served as Director of Communications at the NYC Department of City Planning.
Schwartz Media
- Tadd Schwartz, President
Schwartz Media is new to the list this year but certainly not new to real estate PR prominence. Miami has catapulted its way to the top of the U.S. real estate market, making it no surprise that Florida-based Schwartz Media has flourished alongside it.
Schwartz Media represents more than 30 growth-oriented companies with significant investments in Florida and recently added BH3 Management, Bal Harbour Shops and Cymbal DLT. The firm’s client roster reads as a who’s who list of major Miami developments and deals, including Ugo Colombo, David Martin, Nitin and Dev Motwani, Vanessa Grout and Camilo Miguel Jr., to name a few.
On that client list is 830 Brickell, the instantly iconic downtown Miami building and the area’s first freestanding Class A+ office property built in over a decade. Cain International and OKO Group enlisted Schwartz Media to craft the integrated communications campaign that helped fully lease the property to major tenants like Microsoft, Citadel, Kirkland & Ellis, CI Financial, Sidley Austin and Thoma Bravo.
If anyone doubts the necessity of solid PR representation in the A.I. era, Schwartz Media has demonstrated that a personal, relationship-driven approach to understanding, protecting and promoting a company’s brand runs paramount to any service delivered via A.I. This is a hard point to argue when looking at the firm’s client retention rate, with engagements averaging 8+ years.
Quinn PR
- Florence Quinn, President/Founder; Cassandra Small, Executive Vice President; Jackie Jordan, Vice President; & Camila Gamero, Vice President, London
Saying that Quinn has had a big year would be an understatement. Bolstering its presence on a global scale, Quinn announced the opening of Quinn London in the fall of 2023. Shortly after opening its London doors, the firm won several residential accounts that dot the global map, including St. Peters Bay, Barbados; The Pendry Residences, Barbados; Emerald Chateau in Barbados; and Andermatt Residential in Andermatt, Switzerland.
“Buyers of luxury real estate have become increasingly borderless and global,” said Florence Quinn, founder and president of Quinn. “More and more people want to own homes in more than one country, and this trend is compatible with the continued rise of branded residences worldwide.”
Quinn also continued representing the large-scale commercial developments it is famous for. Of particular note, Quinn represented the $4.5 billion Oakridge Park, the largest mixed-use development in Vancouver, Canada; San Francisco Bay Area’s Presidio Bay which fully leased its office and retail spaces with its residences leasing at record rents at its Springline development; and Swire Properties’ $1 billion Brickell City Centre, Miami’s largest urban development consisting of world-class shopping and residential, office and hotel towers.
