SHADOW’s Post

A step by step guide to competing in a already competitive market. Read this article by my friend Sarah Jenkins. Inspiring stuff.

In the competitive terrain of the Windy City, #Chicago #PRfirms excel at crafting unique stories for businesses. This article dives into how these agencies leverage Chicago’s economic diversity to create impactful narratives and robust brand presence. Get ready to explore the agencies at the heart of Chicago PR, shaping the futures of businesses across the city’s key industries.

It’s safe to say that a LOT has happened this year in pop culture and the business world alike. From Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce to layoff messes, Clarity SVP Christine Reilly is taking us through some of the biggest PR moments of 2023 and sharing what we can learn from them as marketing communications professionals in this article from PRNEWS. What lessons will you be taking into the new year? https://lnkd.in/eVBekjyJ

If Finding the right PR team is akin to finding the perfect partner because it involves a harmonious blend of qualities and chemistry. Just as in a relationship, compatibility and shared values are paramount; a PR team must align with your brand's vision, mission, and goals. Trust and effective communication are fundamental, as you rely on them to convey your message to the world. Like a partner who complements your strengths and compensates for your weaknesses, a PR team should possess a diverse skill set to navigate the ever-evolving media landscape. Ultimately, the right PR team becomes your advocate, working tirelessly to build your reputation and ensure your voice is heard, just as a perfect partner supports your dreams and aspirations. The search for both requires patience, due diligence, and, once found, can lead to mutual success and growth. I am so honored to announce that after a years long struggle of trying to find a PR partner that the wait paid off, First Round's On Me has partnered with Sarah Nazzal and Felicia Crane Maison Eleven and we couldn’t be happier. #startupstory #press #teambuilding

Choosing a standout #NYC #PRagency can be crucial for your brand’s reputation and growth. What makes an agency truly influential in New York’s fast-paced media scene? We take a closer look at NYC’s PR elite, shedding light on the fusion of creativity, technological savvy, and media acumen that these agencies use to drive success. Whether you’re aiming to launch, rebrand, or simply boost your visibility, find out how the right agency can make a difference.

This was a fun one! From what brands can learn from the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's partnership, to remembering arguably one of your most important stakeholders (your employees!), see my lessons learned from 2023's biggest PR moments in PRNEWS https://lnkd.in/gShC7j5b

I owned one of Chicago’s most respected, successful and likely most profitable hospitality pr & marketing agencies representing over 350 clients for 13 years, 2011-2024. I can tell you PR firm have zero power and zero influence. The word “POWER” is just silly when talking about marketing. Agencies actually can and do make substantially more money than their clients and have much better profit margins than the average hospitality client significantly. The owners of the agency make most of the money not the employees. Let’s just say it’s like a law firm, 30-50% of billables can be owners income or margin. There is a lot of money in pr and marketing if you are the principal. What power do think a publicist has? Zero. It’s not about “POWER” like all success it is about the execution. This feature is like the articles celebrating restaurant “empires” that have 25 restaurants is a false narrative. Sorry friends, Rome was an empire, not your small business and none of these agencies have power. It’s all marketing and the clients buy it. Agencies have banner clients who pay a lot less than the others clients. The banner clients drive the marketing for the firm. The truth is that 40% of retainer is actually profit if you know how run the business, the other 60% of the retainer goes to training the junior level staff working on your account. The banner clients have the “ POWER “ not the firms. This all propaganda at best. If you know, you know. If you don’t know, your likely over paying your agency by 60%. This why we changed our model. This is also why all our clients paid the same rate almost since day one no matter the brand. It’s better to pay a C-Suite level publicist who takes 100% of the retainer and is solely dedicated to your efforts. The pr marketing agency model like so many other industries is now broken and due for a massive disruption. The truth is when you have an A+ banner client with a serious brand and is on trend, the agency representing that brand is spending the majority of time fielding media inquiries and responding. They aren’t proactively pitching usually. #goodluck #power #fakenews #mediarelations #pr #chicago #miami #newyork #publicrelations #marketing

"Mummyyyy, what do you dooooo?" 💕 My little man (3.75yrs old) asks me this all the time, and it cracks me up - as he won't take my first answer, I have to whittle it down to make sense to him in his world. Quick recap for the adults… *Scroll to the bottom for the 3 year old version ⭐️ I'm your in-house-out-house PR person, I work with a lot of organisations and people as their PR go-to, I develop and deliver comms and PR strategies and campaigns. ⭐️ Companies pick me up and put me down (in the nicest possible way) to come in and work on campaigns that have a specific brand awareness goal. ⭐️ I develop social media strategies, to help people make sense of social media - and to get the most out of it. ⭐️ I help out when things go wrong - with crisis comms ⭐️ I do brand comms - I help people to better understand their purpose, by reviewing their comms and tweaking it to make it current. And here is the 3 year old version that has made the cut for now... "I tell stories REALLY loudly, so that lots of people can hear them to encourage good behaviour." Try it! 🤣👌🏻

Al Smedley was a legend in PR, serving as the right-hand man to Harold Burson (read Burson's book, it's in there). When I was at Ogilvy, and just starting off in the industry, I was lucky enough to work with Al, pick his brain and learn things I still use to this day. For this I'll be forever grateful. He understood how to tell a client's story, how to react (and not overreact) to a crisis and how to be strategic. Why do I say this? Al was 70 when I worked with him, which, in today's PR market, would make him unemployable. And it's not much different today for people in their 50s and 60s. This is to the detriment of employers, clients and young PR pros alike. It's shortsighted vision to save a couple bucks and hope jr. staffers can carry the load at the expense of your future. We've all seen the post from Parry Headrick about how there's no one over 50 in PR. When I saw it, all I could think of was Al and the impact he had on clients not to mention on my career and so many others who were lucky enough to work with him. For anyone who has ever watched a football game, when they speak of veteran quarterbacks, they say "the game slows down," meaning they can see things happening before they do and they react with the level of urgency the situation mandates. PR is very much the same way. As you become more experienced, things "slow down" and you know what to do, how to act and how to react. Here's hoping that agencies and employers alike will recognize the value of experience and not simply focus on the cost of experience.

Today I had lunch with Boston PR legend, Jack Agnew, and Nancy McGee, a life-long friend I made when we both worked at Jack's PR agency: Agnew, Carter, McCarthy (ACM). We met 28 years ago. Jack, Lew Carter and Terry McCarthy (RIP) ran one of the marquee agencies in the region, representing brands such as Ocean Spray, Polaroid, Hasbro, The Boston Globe and its eponymous Jazz Festival, Gorton's (of Gloucester), Ronzoni (the Tri-State Area's favorite pasta once upon a time), Feld Entertainment / Ringling Brothers, and the Women's Tennis Association. Doors opened for Jack. ACM was sold to MSL (Global) in 1998, when Jack was then a spry 58-years-old. He's now 88. NOTE: The beard is part of his preparation for appearances as Santa Claus at events this winter 🤷🏼♂️ I've never seen him unshaven before today. Jack, Lew and Terry gave me two opportunities that set the course of my career and life: 1. A senior role managing PR for multiple Polaroid lines of business; 2. The chance to start a tech practice; then an emerging specialty. That was a risk for a consumer agency to take on a 20-something me. And I learned so much from them and the process of starting a technology PR practice. For that, I thank you, Messrs. Agnew and Carter. Nancy and I bonded over a shared appreciation for the importance of punctual, accurate time sheets (she was the No. 2 in the Finance Department) - a homemade sign above my desk read "Billing is Being" - and jazz. Plus, we just gel. Long gaps go by when we don't see one another, sadly. But when we get together, it's as though we were never apart. So...this post isn't about insight, innovation, market drivers and such. It's acknowledgement of good people who matter. Good, genuine people who more than make up for the scads of schmucks out there. #publicrelations #pr #pragency #marketingcommunication #corporatecommunications #techmarketing #techpr #workfriends #mentoring #mentorship #mentor #agencylife #careergrowth #careerreflection #careerreflections #techmarketing #agencylife #bostonbusiness