Most PR pros are bullish on their business prospects for 2025, according to a new survey.
Tech companies must adapt their PR strategies and adopt an integrated approach.
THE TRADESHOW NOISE
How to stand out as an exhibitor in a crowded tech landscape.
SUSTAINABILITY GUIDE FOR TECHNOLOGY BRANDS
The role of sustainability comms. goes beyond mere marketing or public relations. 12
PR WITH AI-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS
Advancements in AI have redefined how ad and PR agencies engage audiences.
TO APPROACH AI … AND HOW NOT TO Tips on how agencies can improve their AI game.
HOW COMMUNICATIONS CAN WIN BACK BUDGET
AI can arm PR pros with the insights they need to secure budgets and executive support.
ADVANCING AI FOR MARKETING AND PR
Leveraging AI should focuses on helping people have meaningful interactions and experiences.
AI DIDN’T TAKE OUR JOBS, IT MADE THEM MORE IMPORTANT
AI has been a game-changer for PR, but it has also made PR pros’ roles more valuable than ever.
PR & IR ALIGNMENT CRUCIAL AS IPO MARKET REBOUNDS
Where we stand in the current IPO downturn.
IMPROVING PROCESSES TO CREATE NEW VALUE
In-house communications teams are strapped. Here’s how vendors can add more value than ever before.
TECH BYLINE ARTICLES: REMEMBER THOSE?
Bylined articles is one of the best tools for establishing credibility with a target audience.
COMMUNICATING AI’S VALUE DURING A HYPE CYCLE
Things to consider when communicating the benefits of AI to potential clients.
AI wildly popular among PR pros
The arrival of ChatGPT nearly two years ago was followed immediately by anxieties that artificial intelligence would replace humans in the workforce—particularly among those working in the communications sector.
But according to a new survey released by WE Communications and the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, most communicators now generally have a positive view of Generative AI and utilize the technology frequently in their daily work, claiming that AI drives their engagement efforts and allows them to produce better work more efficiently.
The survey, which sought to gauge how AI is transforming the communications landscape, found that PR pros have adopted AI by wide margins. Two-thirds (66 percent) of communicators said they now use AI frequently. Additionally, 95 percent of the communicators surveyed said they have a positive outlook on AI, with 70 percent reporting that it improves their work quality and 73 percent claiming it helps them work more quickly.
Communicators who use AI frequently are also 93 percent more likely to say they feel valued for the work they do, according to the report.
The survey found that the most popular current uses of AI among communications professionals involve content creation (54 percent), data analysis (40 percent) and background/ landscape research (37 percent). Other common AI applications include media relations (24 percent), coverage reporting (20 percent) and measuring PR impact (16 percent).
The study suggests that whatever skepticism industry pros may have once had toward AI appears to have subsided. Nearly half of communicators surveyed (44 percent) said they’re less concerned about algorithmic bias in AI now than they were in the past, and more than a third (36 percent) said they’re similarly less concerned about algorithmic transparency. More than a quarter (27 percent) also said they’re similarly less concerned about issues like factual errors and misinformation, and 25 percent said they’re less concerned about disinformation.
Familiarity with the technology may be at least somewhat responsible for this evolution in mindset: Overall, more than three-quarters of communications professionals (76 percent) said they’re more knowledgeable about AI now than they were just a year ago. And, of course, the widespread adoption of AI across the industry plays no small role in this, considering that agencies now widely encourage employees to work with AI tools. In fact, many agencies have integrated AI into their tech stacks and protocols and overall company culture. Half of respondents said they now even have AI-related performance goals, including 56 percent of those whose titles are below that of Director. However, 67 percent of those below Director-level reported having the autonomy to choose how AI supports their work.
The study also found that our waning skepticism toward AI now seems to have been followed by a similar evaporation of AI-related hype. Many PR pros seem to be waking up to the fact that the technology isn’t the panacea that some had envisioned. According to the report, half as many PR pros now think AI will remove monotony from their work compared to a prior version of the same study last year. In addition, concerns about the financial burden of AI are up 73 percent since last year.
Another barrier, it appears, is AI technology’s habit of evolving at a rapid pace. Despite being more knowledge about AI than they were a year ago, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of the PR pros surveyed admitted that it’s hard to keep up with the constant influx of new AI tools, updates and regulatory changes. In fact, when asked to name their biggest challenge in working with AI, nearly half of respondents (45 percent) cited “keeping up with new developments” as their top challenge.
As a result, most of the communicators surveyed expressed a desire for continued AI training. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of respondents said they want their agencies to offer more AI training opportunities, highlighting the need for industries that rely on AI to support continued employee education efforts if they want to leverage AI’s potential.
The report, “Energized by AI: How Technology Is Changing Communicators’ Relationship to Work,” surveyed more than 600 communications professionals in August. The survey was conducted using research company Qualtrics.
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PR pros are bullish on ’25
Most PR pros are bullish on their business prospects for 2025, according to a new Davis + Gilbert survey.
By Steve Barnes
Public relations firms remain optimistic about their business for next year, even if they’re finding it harder to increase profits, according to a new survey from law firm Davis + Gilbert.
According to the firm’s 12th annual Public Relations Industry Trends Report, 70 percent of the 188 firms surveyed said they were “cautiously optimistic” about their outlook for the coming year. That’s a big jump from the 53 percent who said the same in last year’s survey.
When it comes to this year’s revenues, more than half (57 percent) predict that results for 2024 will outpace those seen in 2023—up from 53 percent from the year before. Only 22 are anticipating a revenue drop (vs. 35 percent last year).
The overall picture for profits is just slightly less rosy, with 50 percent forecasting a profit jump for full-year 2024 (up from 47 percent in 2023), and 25 percent anticipating a profit drop (down from 40 percent). Big firms (those with over 200 employees) are doing the best on the revenue front, with 71 predicting a rise from 2023, followed by
firms with 50-99 staffers (68 percent) and those with 100-200 employees (64 percent).
Profitwise, mid-sized firms are the big gainers, with 60 percent of those with 3049 employees anticipating a profit boost once 2024’s numbers are all in. Out of those with 50-99 employees, 55 percent expect to see profits rise, and the same holds for firms with 100-200 employees. Big firms lag slightly behind, at 48 percent.
What client services are driving the most revenue? Among respondents’ top choices are media relations, content strategy & development, digital & social media, and reputation & crisis management.
The M&A market is on an upswing, respondents say. Through Oct. 15, 79 consummated M&A deals were reported—a jump of six from the same period in 2023.
In addition to gauging the economic outlook, Davis + Gilbert’s survey takes a look at two trends that are shaping the field: artificial intelligence and diversity, equity & inclusion.
Not surprisingly, AI is on a dramatic upswing in all areas. While 45 percent used AI
for written content creation in 2023, that number spiked to 69 percent this year. Other big gainers include note taking (up from 28 percent to 62 percent), ideation (up from 37 percent to 57 percent) and social listening (37 percent in 2023 vs. 49 percent in 2024), Perhaps even more indicative of AI’s rise: 22 percent of firms said they were not using AI in 2023, a number that slid to just four percent in 2024.
The most popular AI platform? ChatGPT, which was listed by 73 percent of respondents, far outpacing the rest of the pack.
The field is falling behind in DEI, however. Less than a third of respondents (31 percent) said their firms have increased the number of employees from historically represented group in 2024. That’s a big drop from 42 percent in 2023 and 60 percent in 2022.
Although close to half (43 percent) said they had made no changes in their DEI initiatives this year, the most prevalent choices for those who did make changes were hiring from a wider set of schools, universities or schools (33 percent); setting up or continuing a DEI committee to shape policy (31 percent) and offering additional trainings (26 percent).
Making integrated communications a reality
Tech companies can no longer have marketing communications operate in a silo; the key to building brand visibility and engaging audiences today means integrating resources, messages and channels to deliver greater impact.
Effective communications programs for technology companies in 2024 look dramatically different than they did just a few years ago. The primary reason being is that audiences are relying on a broader suite of channels to get their information—looking to their peers on LinkedIn, searching the latest AI tool or the depths of Reddit, receiving topical newsletters and, in dwindling numbers, consuming traditional news sources online and in print. This shifting landscape means that traditional methods of reaching key stakeholders are no longer sufficient, particularly as the media industry faces unprecedented challenges. In 2023 alone, the media sector lost more than 20,000 jobs, underscoring the urgency for tech companies—whether in cybersecurity, AI, infrastructure or various other vertical markets—to adapt their communications strategies quickly.
Tech companies today must leverage new formats and channels to consistently trumpet their key messages and build brand visibility, employing an integrated approach that harmonizes paid, earned and owned media. While realizing a fully integrated communications strategy might seem daunting, especially given the numerous silos that often still exist within organizations, it’s essential in a world where numerous voices compete for limited attention. And the good news is that it’s achievable.
Executing integrated campaigns strategically—start with desired outcomes
Integrated campaigns necessitate a clear understanding of campaign goals and target audiences to select the most effective channels for maximizing ROI.
Only when you understand the business and marketing goals can an integrated campaign truly come together with the right mix to achieve the desired outcomes. For instance, news moments may be best served through earned media, while significant sales pushes or employer branding campaigns might find greater success through owned channels. Teams uncertain about where to start with integrated communications should consider starting with product launches. These milestones naturally involve multiple stakeholders and can provide a perfect opportunity to apply integrated strategies, even when earned media attention is limited.
Alignment on messaging—the foundation of integrated communications
At the heart of any successful integrated communications program lies strong, consistent brand messaging. Disparate messaging can create confusion in the marketplace and dilute brand identity. Organizations must craft messages that clearly articulate and connect their vision, solutions and impact in a compelling manner. This foundational step can sometimes be overlooked amid the excitement of launching a new product or marketing campaign but is critical to ensure that the overarching story remains consistent across all channels and formats.
Internal alignment on messaging must happen before any external communication occurs. Crafting or refining messaging involves a multi-step process that includes assessing current messages, developing new ones and ensuring all stakeholders— from leadership to various departments— are aligned on who the messaging targets. While often centered on sales goals, it’s equally important to consider messaging for other key audiences such as investors, partners and employees.
Structuring a team to make integrated work
Aligning goals and messaging provides a strong start, but broader change management is also necessary; organizations must rethink how their teams operate and collaborate to break down silos that can exist across different marketing functions—an issue regularly seen not only in very large or geographically distributed organizations but also in fast-paced startups. Various functions supporting an integrated strategy might fall under external communications, partner marketing, corporate communications or demand generation. Under an integrated model, these teams must work closely together to align on messaging and communication priorities, as well as executing each element based on functional best practices and measuring performance, not only by channel or function but as a collective.
The specific structure of collaboration may vary by organization, but there should be accountability for executing integrated campaigns consistently. This could mean defining clear goals for each function, planning collaboratively and iteratively, designating campaign leads based on the focus and objectives of the initiative and partnering with agencies that can facilitate cohe-
By Kristen Leathers
sion across teams. Establishing open lines of communication and systems for aligning on communications priorities will foster the collaboration that’s needed to make integrated programs work.
Advocating for integrated programming
Transitioning to an integrated approach requires significant changes in how communications and marketing teams collaborate and allocate resources. This shift involves rethinking budget allocations from solely enhancing demand generation or corporate communications to a model where all these efforts support one another, creating a “surround sound” effect across channels.
Data plays a crucial role in making the case for integrated campaigns to executive teams and proving ROI. Fortunately, many integrated tactics come equipped with measurable metrics—like views, click-throughs or qualified leads—that illustrate campaign reach and effectiveness. Plus, this data can be used to help communications teams understand which tactics are working in which campaigns, and use that to inform future integrated efforts.
At V2 Communications, this integrated approach comes to life for clients in our B2B tech portfolio through our Vantage Methodology. This three-pronged approach was designed after seeing what it takes to make integrated work: a combination of strategic insights, data-driven decision-making and a holistic view of communications to maximize impact. With it, V2 helps organizations more effectively coordinate their communications efforts, optimize resource allocation and ultimately achieve their communications and business objectives.
Brands that cling to traditional approaches risk falling behind competitors that leverage integrated communications to engage audiences more effectively and measure their impact. But don’t allow changing times discourage or scare you. By embracing an integrated approach and following the steps outlined above, you can drive—and prove— real business value from communications. Kristen Leathers is Executive Vice President, B2B Technology at V2 Communications.
Kristen Leathers
Navigating the trade-show noise
How to stand out as an exhibitor in a crowded tech landscape.
By Christine Azzolino
The consumer electronics industry is booming and with it comes fierce competition at major trade shows like CES. With thousands of brands all vying for attention, exhibitors face the same challenge: How do you cut through the noise and leave a lasting impression?
In today’s crowded landscape, it’s not enough to rely on traditional PR tactics. To truly stand out, you need a fresh approach that not only captures media attention but also creates memorable experiences for attendees. Here’s how you can evolve your PR strategy to make the most of your next trade show.
Start strong: craft a compelling preshow story
Standing out at a trade show begins long before the event. It’s all about building excitement before the show doors open. You need a story that makes people sit up and take notice. Whether it’s a groundbreaking product launch, an exclusive partnership or a game-changing innovation, your story should be timely, relevant and, most importantly, it has to be newsworthy.
Without a fresh angle or exclusive updates to offer, your company risks getting lost in the sea of exhibitors. So, what makes your brand a “must-see” at the show? Perhaps you’re teasing a new product feature or announcing a collaboration that’s never been seen before. These types of exclusive updates create a buzz that draws media attention even before the event kicks off.
Additionally, building relationships with journalists ahead of time is crucial. Offering limited product demos or early access to select media can help you get the ball rolling, setting you up for stronger media coverage once the show begins. Pre-show storytelling is not just about announcing your participation—it’s about making your presence impossible to ignore.
Let AI be your secret weapon
AI tools have become game-changers for PR teams, streamlining every aspect of trade show preparation. Platforms like Cision and Muckrack allow you to zero in on the journalists most likely to cover your story. By analyzing their past articles and coverage history, you can craft more personalized pitches, increasing the chances of media pickup.
AI also takes the headache out of content creation. Tools like ChatGPT can assist in the drafting of press releases, social posts
and other materials quickly, leaving your team free to focus on high-level strategy. These tools don’t just help generate content—they ensure that it’s polished, optimized and tailored to different platforms, maximizing reach and engagement.
On top of content creation, predictive analytics powered by AI can forecast trends and suggest messaging adjustments based on the topics gaining traction in the leadup to the show. This data-driven insight helps align your narrative with what’s likely to resonate with media and attendees.
Moreover, AI-enhanced social listening tools allow you to track real-time conversations about your brand and industry. This can provide invaluable insight into attendee sentiment, helping you adjust your strategy on the fly to meet evolving expectations.
Balance paid and earned media opportunities
A well-rounded PR strategy blends both paid and earned media to amplify your brand’s visibility. Many trade shows offer paid options such as sponsorships, on-site ads, or visibility packages that help put your brand front and center. For example, sponsoring lounges, lanyards, Wi-Fi passwords, charging stations or interactive booths in high-traffic areas ensures your brand gets in front of the right people.
Paid media, however, is only part of the equation. You can also leverage earned media opportunities by participating in press tours, media briefings and exclusive interviews. Building relationships through one-on-one interactions with journalists or influencers at your booth can lead to organic, authentic coverage that resonates long after the event ends.
Another effective tactic is to prepare and distribute press kits digitally via QR codes at your booth. This not only simplifies the process for attending media but also ensures that your materials are easily shareable, extending your reach beyond the physical show floor.
Design a booth that’s a PR magnet
Your booth isn’t just a display—it’s an opportunity to create buzz. To grab attention, make sure your booth reflects your brand’s identity in a bold and interactive way. Whether it’s live product demos, hands-on experiences, or AR/VR technologies, these elements turn passive visitors into engaged participants.
Consider adding photo-worthy moments like branded photo walls or eye-catching product displays. By doing this, you’ll encourage attendees to snap photos and share them online, giving your brand more exposure. Creating a space where media and influencers can capture content effortlessly will only increase your visibility on social media.
Bring influencers and thought leaders into the mix
Influencers and thought leaders can take your brand’s story and extend its reach to an entirely new audience, and in a crazy turn of events, some tech influencers may yield more power than traditional journalists. Inviting key influencers to your booth for demos or interviews gives them a reason to share your brand’s message with their followers. Offering them early access to product launches or behind-the-scenes content can deepen their connection to your brand, increasing the chances they’ll help spread the word.
Paid influencer integrations are another effective way to ensure your message reaches a larger, highly engaged audience. Collaborating on sponsored content or exclusive product unveilings allows you to guide the narrative while leveraging the influencer’s credibility and reach. These paid partnerships ensure your brand remains top-of-mind across multiple platforms, amplifying your presence during and after the event.
Beyond influencers, collaborating with industry thought leaders who speak to larger trends can position your brand within broader conversations, making your PR strategy even more powerful.
Amplify your message in real-time
During the show, remember the power of social media to amplify your presence. Live posting, Instagram stories and LinkedIn updates can give your followers a behindthe-scenes look at what’s happening in real time. Use branded hashtags and encourage attendees to share their experiences at your booth.
Partnering with media outlets for live coverage can further increase your reach. Also, having a dedicated social media team monitoring event hashtags and engaging
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Christine Azzolino
A sustainability guide for technology brands
For technology companies, the role of sustainability communications goes beyond public relations or marketing. It’s articulating a brand’s vision while demonstrating transparency and building trust among stakeholders.
By Amy Fisher
Environmental consciousness has experienced a roller coaster of acceptance and denial over the last decade. For a while, it seemed like every brand was prioritizing pushing environmental, sustainability and governance efforts as a way to connect with younger generations. And why not?
More than 60 percent of Millennial and Gen Z buyers are willing to pay more for products that demonstrate environmental sustainability or come from a brand that’s climate-conscious.
However, as investors and analysts questioned the legitimacy of broad-based sustainability claims and flagged potential greenwashing, many brands started to roll back or pause proactive ESG communications. Large financial firms pulled out of climate-related investment efforts and companies quietly reduced their market-facing messaging in order to avoid scrutiny.
So, what’s a technology brand to do? With environmental and climate concerns still at the forefront of business and consumer agendas, it’s more important than ever to balance actions with words. Without communications, important efforts that are helping protect the planet, boost brand reputation, create a stronger internal culture and even lead to financial benefits can go unnoticed and unrewarded. However, planning is key to ensure that communications lead to credibility and not skepticism.
The role of sustainability communications
Sustainability communications isn’t just about public relations or marketing; it’s about building trust with stakeholders and demonstrating transparency and accountability. For technology companies—which often have significant environmental footprints due to energy consumption, electronic waste and resource extraction—clear communications can enhance brand reputation, foster customer loyalty and attract the right investors who prioritize ESG criteria.
Similarly, technologies have emerged that directly address sustainability—identifying and reducing PFAS, managing ESG across supply chain partners, tracking emissions data, renewable energy efforts and more. These companies have an opportunity to demonstrate their role in sustainability and climate protection, acting as thought leaders in technology innovations that drive real change and real results.
Building sustainability programs
Develop a Clear Narrative. Like any other brand narrative, having a clear, easy-to-understand story is critical. Companies should put in the work to first understand their audiences and the messages that are important to them. This isn’t a one-sizefits-all situation. B2B and consumer buyers, partners and investors all have different priorities and brands may need unique narratives for each.
A narrative should articulate the brand’s vision, goals and the steps it is taking to achieve them. It should be authentic, reflecting core values and mission. For instance, a company might focus on reducing carbon emissions through energy-efficient data centers or promoting circular economy principles through technology that helps recycle used cooking oil into biofuels.
Set measurable goals and report progress. Transparency in sustainability communications is necessary. Companies should set clear, measurable sustainability and climate goals and regularly report on progress. This could involve publishing annual sustainability reports or newsletters that detail achievements, barriers to success and future plans.
Metrics such as carbon footprint reduction, emissions and waste management statistics provide tangible evidence of an organization’s commitment to ESG. For those brands serving the sustainability market, recapping the role you play in helping reduce energy consumption and waste or helping customers document change is equally important.
Choose the right channels. Like customizing narratives, the channels used to communicate ESG efforts should be unique to the stakeholder groups. For investors, earnings calls or newsletters to private equity or venture capital partners can be effective channels.
Additionally, define areas of public-facing channels like websites and include sustainability messaging in the About Us or Investor section. Depending on the ESG initiatives, consider a dedicated landing page with goals, metrics and progress reports and highlight any partners you work with and share real-world examples of impact.
Press coverage, social media, blogs and digital content can also reach a wide au-
dience quickly and effectively. Interactive content, such as videos or virtual tours of sustainable projects and efforts, can engage stakeholders in deeper ways.
Collaborate with industry partners. When possible, partnering with other companies, industry groups or non-governmental organizations can enhance a brand’s credibility when it comes to communicating sustainability programs. Joint initiatives or certifications, such as those from the Global Reporting Initiative or the Carbon Trust, can provide third-party validation of sustainability claims and mitigate concerns about investor community blowback. Encourage partners to include your brand in their own communications to amplify your messages.
Educate and involve employees. Employees can be some of the strongest drivers of—and ambassadors for—sustainability efforts. Educating them about goals and involving them in company initiatives is an important step in creating a sustainability-focused workplace culture. Some companies have ESG or sustainability leaders, while others create employee working groups that are tasked with identifying areas of the organization that can benefit from improvements or change. For example, a freight company might switch to a retread program to reduce the environmental impact of tire production, with shareable metrics on savings to show both the sustainability and cost benefits.
Lead by example
When an organization has clear, metrics-backed programs in place, share the initiatives and results widely. This can add credibility to the program and ensure that it helps build your brand reputation in the market. Several companies have set benchmarks in sustainability efforts and communications:
Apple: Its Daisy robot—and other prior versions—disassembles electronic devices to recover valuable components and materials to reduce the company’s environmen-
_ Continued on page 17
Amy Fisher
Revolutionizing marketing with AI-driven solutions
Recent advancements in artificial intelligence have redefined how PR agencies engage audiences, at a time when businesses are looking for new ways to optimize their communication strategies.
The world of public relations is undergoing a transformative evolution driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and natural language processing. LLYC, a global communications consultancy, has found itself at the perfect juncture to expand its presence in the United States, focusing on providing automation-driven PR solutions that will significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of communication strategies. With years of research behind integrating NLP into marketing and PR, LLYC is ready to offer cutting-edge solutions to streamline communication, from creative content generation and adaptation to reputational crisis management. This expansion, from Michigan and Florida, into key markets across the U.S., including New York and Silicon Valley, is part of an ambitious plan to tap into North America’s economic hubs.
The power of AI in advertising, marketing and PR
AI has changed the landscape for industries worldwide and PR is no exception. The ability to leverage AI, mainly through advancements in NLP, redefines how ad and PR agencies engage audiences, measure impact and deliver value to clients. LLYC’s years-long focus on exploring the integration of NLP in the marketing and PR sector has culminated in innovative solutions that promise to revolutionize advertising and PR workflows.
Traditionally, these industries have been labor-intensive, requiring significant human effort for content creation, adaptation and strategic decision-making. The deployment of NLP-driven solutions has opened new avenues for automating these activities, allowing agencies like LLYC to refocus human resources on higher-value tasks. With recent AI advancements, LLYC offers solutions that automate mundane tasks and empower advertising and PR professionals to be more creative, agile and data-driven.
LLYC’s AI-powered PR suite: a game-changer
LLYC’s new suite of AI-powered solutions spans the entire marketing and PR value chain. It begins with generating and adapting creative pieces—a cornerstone of advertising and public relations that requires finesse, creativity and the ability to connect with diverse audiences. LLYC’s use of AI and NLP allows for rapid content generation that maintains a high level of
personalization, ensuring that every message resonates with the intended audience.
Whether crafting a creative piece (or press release), developing social media content or tailoring a brand message to different audiences, LLYC’s AI tools can produce drafts that human experts can quickly refine. The technology can also adapt content to different cultural and linguistic nuances, which is particularly important in a multicultural market like the United States.
Crisis management is another area where LLYC is leveraging AI to deliver superior results. In today’s fast-paced media landscape, a company’s reputation can be significantly impacted within minutes of a crisis emerging. LLYC’s AI-powered solutions can monitor public sentiment in real time, detect early signs of a potential crisis and provide actionable insights. This allows clients to respond more swiftly, minimizing the damage and potentially turning crises into opportunities.
A strategic push into the U.S. market
LLYC’s commitment to the U.S. market comes at a time when American businesses are increasingly looking for new ways to optimize their communication strategies. The United States represents one of the world’s most dynamic and competitive ad and PR markets, with strong demand for innovation and efficiency.
LLYC has strategically chosen to expand its footprint in key states and cities across the U.S., targeting some of the country’s most influential economic centers. Michigan and Florida, with their diverse and growing economies, provide LLYC with a foundation for establishing its brand and building local relationships. Meanwhile, the emphasis on New York and other financial and economic hubs ensures that LLYC can connect with the headquarters of some of the world’s largest corporations and influential brands.
The company’s presence in Silicon Valley, the epicenter of technological innovation, is also a crucial part of its strategy. In a region leading the development of AI, big data and other groundbreaking technologies, LLYC has the opportunity to collaborate with some of the leading minds in tech, keeping its solutions at the cutting edge of innovation.
The competitive edge: efficiency and effectiveness
In the crowded and highly competitive
By Mike Johnson
U.S. PR market, LLYC’s AI-driven approach is a significant differentiator. The automation of repetitive tasks, such as media monitoring, content generation and analytics, saves both time and resources for clients, allowing them to focus on creative and strategic activities that require a human touch. This balance of human expertise and AI-powered automation results in more impactful campaigns and more efficient use of budgets.
Mike Johnson
LLYC’s new solutions don’t replace the human aspect of public relations; instead, they amplify the capabilities of PR professionals, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and respond to challenges faster. By deploying these solutions, LLYC aims to position itself as a partner that provides value beyond traditional PR activities—helping clients to proactively manage their brand reputation and maintain a competitive edge.
Building stronger client relationships through data-driven insights
Data-driven decision-making is at the heart of LLYC’s AI-powered offerings. By utilizing AI to collect, analyze and interpret data from multiple sources, LLYC provides clients with deeper insights into their audience’s behaviors and preferences. These insights are invaluable for crafting targeted campaigns that truly resonate, driving higher engagement rates and achieving measurable results.
For example, LLYC’s solutions can analyze the success of a campaign in real-time, offering immediate feedback on what’s working and what could be improved. This allows clients to make adjustments on the fly, optimizing their messaging for maximum impact. Additionally, AI tools can identify emerging trends and audience sentiment shifts, providing clients with the foresight to adjust their strategies proactively.
A vision for the future: the integration of AI in PR
LLYC’s investment in AI and NLP isn’t just about short-term gains; it’s a long-term commitment to the transformation of the PR industry. As AI technology continues to
Continued on page 17
How PR should approach AI … and how it shouldn’t
Tips on how agencies can improve their AI game.
An epiphany struck me during an unusual meeting. I was hosting a Zoom call, not as the Principal of my PR agency, but as the San Francisco Press Club President. In one box, the top reporter from VentureBeat. In another, the head of communications from one of Silicon Valley’s most important AI companies.
Also on the call: his PR person.
As we started making introductions, I felt giddy with anticipation; I was about to hear another PR person introduce herself! And as she did so, I discovered that she led her agency’s center of AI excellence. It was quite a litany of accomplishments.
But the VentureBeat reporter bottom-lined it: “Does that PR ‘Jedi mind trick’ stuff work?” he asked me. “She talked about AI, but did she really know what she was talking about? If you took out ‘AI,’ it could be any other tech she was going on about.”
The epiphany struck me! Cue the trumpets!
If PR merely talks about AI like any other technology, we’re not genuinely credible about it. Going further, if we treat AI like any other technology, we’re cheating ourselves and our clients from truly transforming.
But there’s a challenge.
Tech PR people are inundated with companies promising disruptive tech all the time. That’s what we sell. So, when we’re genuinely confronted with something that can change our lives, our muscle memory is to treat this innovative technology like other offerings we’ve used before. Think SaaS, the cloud, data lakes, etc. They may have changed our lives, but they haven’t changed how we work, think, ideate or perform, from the very tactical to the very strategic. However, AI has that potential.
This was a eureka moment to seize AI and change how I approached doing PR around it. While I had written pieces on LinkedIn about my experiments, I had not rolled up my metaphorical sleeves enough. I looked to other PR people for inspiration.
Media company Golin impressed me with its efforts to embrace AI in its campaign for Grubhub. The food delivery service offered new moms their first post-delivery meal during August, which is the peak month for births in the U.S. Golin’s PR team members were encouraged to keep an AI diary to chronicle how they used this new technology to improve this PR campaign. For example, one person revealed they used AI to
By Curtis Sparrer
vet influencers over the course of 10 years.
During a PRWeek panel discussion featuring Unilever, Pernod and Samsung, I asked the marketing and PR teams about their favorite AI tools. I jotted down an alphabet of recommendations, which included AppleKart, Blackbird AI, ChatGPT, CoPilot, Gemini and Google Image Search. However, the more the team talked, the more they zeroed in on Google’s NotebookLM. Google claims you can upload a variety of content, from websites to videos, and NotebookLM will “summarize them and make interesting connections between topics.”
I’ll let you in on a trade secret of my own: NotebookLM was transformative in regards to how I approached award entries. NotebookLM ingested all of my agency’s activities from last year and helped me condense our accomplishments into a 320word digest. From a person-power aspect, that was revolutionary. What had taken me weeks—really, hours—to write was served up in moments.
The only challenge was the writing. It was written in that AI style of prose that’s meandering and passive, which tools like ZeroGPT can identify instantly.
“It’s like AI is going through puberty,” I later complained to Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media, in a webcast interview this past August. “What you get might look polished, but it lacks the depth that human input provides.”
Doug then turned to my client, Tomás Puig, Founder and CEO of Alembic, asking, “Can we trust AI content to be truthful?”
Tomás was the perfect person to answer this question. Companies like Nvidia are trusting Tomás and Alembic to use AI to uncover “never-before-seen insights” with PR and other marketing material that can have demonstrable ROI. The challenge is many AI tools are prone to hallucination, where they extrapolate information that doesn’t exist.
“The term we use in AI and the technical world is ‘extrapolation’—when you try to predict something that you don’t know yet,” Tomás said about AI’s potential to hallucinate. “It doesn’t actually reason and think. When you actually ask it to extrapolate, everything falls to the wayside.”
Tomás’ point about the “wayside” made me realize we needed to better acquaint ourselves with the pratfalls AI posed. As PR pros, we—and every tech communicator—
need to do more than simply use AI tools. We need to build them.
Many agencies had already carved out a space for building internal AI tools. So, if our AI offering was going to matter, we would need to do something different.
We noticed that no one was offering an external AI solution surrounding PR. While this would be an industry first, it could’ve also been an industry worst if we didn’t solve AI’s tendency to hallucinate.
After listening to our clients’ most technical explanations on hallucinations, we had a plan of attack: We would limit prompts to strictly PR and marketing questions, while only letting our AI tool source from Bospar’s award entries, case studies and published work.
In September, O’Dwyer’s reported on our new AI offering, Push*E, saying, “Push*E is intended to bridge the gap between PR, CMOs and CEOs by providing tailored, instant answers to urgent questions about PR and marketing.”
So, what should you take away? I asked ChatGPT to summarize my article for PR and marketing professionals, and then I edited it for further clarity:
Don’t treat AI like any other technology. If PR professionals treat AI like SaaS or cloud technology, they miss out on its deeper potential to revolutionize how they work and strategize.
Understand and use AI tools strategically. PR teams should embrace AI tools that enhance efficiency while remaining aware of the limitations of AI-generated content. Build AI tools tailored to your specific needs. Rather than only relying on generic AI tools, agencies should consider developing AI tools customized to their industries.
Maintain human oversight for quality. While AI can help produce content quickly, human oversight ensures that AI-generated content is polished and meaningful. Innovate by integrating AI into campaigns. Successful PR teams—like those working on campaigns for Grubhub—used AI to vet influencers and enhance their PR strategies.
And I’ll leave you with one last tip: Always disclose when you use AI!
Curtis Sparrer is Principal of Bospar.
Curtis Sparrer
How communications can win back budget
AI can arm communicators with the data and insights they need to gain an edge in securing the budgets and executive support that have gone to marketing in recent years.
For more than two decades, we’ve seen a massive shift in how companies allocate their budgets.
Marketing has benefited enormously from the rise of digital channels like social media and online advertising, with budgets increasing year after year. Companies are spending more on paid advertising, especially on platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, where they see clear, measurable returns on their investment.
As a result, marketing budgets have expanded, while communications and PR budgets have largely stayed the same.
Having spent time in both PR and marketing, I’ve witnessed this gap firsthand. It’s not that communications have become any less important—in fact, it’s more complex than ever.
PR professionals today are dealing with far more than they did two decades ago, managing a company’s reputation across countless online channels and navigating the rapid world of social media. Yet, PR is still often seen as reactive, stepping in only when there’s a problem. And that’s reflected in the budgets, which have remained flat even as the challenges we face have grown.
So, why does marketing get the lion’s share of the budget? It comes down to one simple thing: measurable results. Marketing has an easier time showing the direct impact of its efforts, thanks to performance marketing and advertising technology. You can measure sales, customer acquisition costs and the exact return on each dollar spent. That’s hard to compete with.
In contrast, communications struggles to show the same level of concrete evidence, making it difficult to justify bigger budgets. It’s tough to measure the direct value of a great story or an earned media placement.
But here’s the good news: that’s changing.
AI is providing PR professionals with the tools to prove value in measurable ways. AI helps us scale our efforts, gather real-time insights and make data-driven decisions— giving communications a new edge to compete for a bigger share of the budget.
Let’s break it down.
AI-powered media monitoring and analysis
One of the biggest benefits AI brings to PR is media monitoring and analysis. Today, brands are constantly being discussed across various online platforms, from news articles and social media to blogs and fo-
rums. AI can scan through all this content, delivering real-time insights into how our brand is perceived.
With AI, we can get a clearer understanding of public sentiment and how our messages resonate with different audiences. This helps us identify potential issues early before they grow into bigger problems. Being able to address concerns quickly is essential for protecting a brand’s reputation.
AI also allows us to measure the impact of our campaigns with precision. We can track things like media reach, audience engagement and changes in sentiment. This level of data not only improves our decision-making but also gives us solid proof of the value we’re delivering.
When it comes to justifying PR spend, this data is gold. We can show stakeholders real, measurable results, which is crucial in an environment where marketing budgets often take priority.
AI-driven content generation and personalization
Another area where AI truly revolutionizes PR is in content generation. For many PR teams with tight budgets, producing high-quality content at scale can be a real challenge. Often, the demands for content can far exceed the resources available, leading to compromises in quality or frequency. This is where AI steps in as a game-changer.
AI can efficiently generate various types of content—be it press releases, blog posts or social media updates—allowing us to meet the increasing demand without sacrificing quality. According to a recent report, 77 percent of respondents feel AI speeds up content creation and nearly two-thirds (64 percent) believe AI improves PR’s ability to tell stories.
AI enables PR teams to focus on strategy and storytelling rather than getting slowed down in content creation. This means we can stay active and responsive to current events, trends and opportunities, which is crucial in today’s fast-paced media environment.
What’s particularly powerful about AI is its ability to personalize content based on audience behavior and preferences. By analyzing data on how different segments engage with our content, AI can help us tailor messages that resonate on a deeper level. This means we’re not just pushing out generic information; we’re crafting targeted communications that speak directly to the
By Adam Christensen
interests and needs of our audience.
Whether it’s adjusting the tone, style or even the medium of delivery, AI ensures we deliver the right content to the right people at precisely the right time.
Moreover, this level of personalization enhances engagement and drives better results.
When our audience feels that the content is relevant to them, they’re more likely to interact with it, share it and act based on it.
This not only strengthens our relationships with stakeholders but also amplifies our overall message and brand presence.
By leveraging AI for content generation, PR teams can increase their output while ensuring that each piece of content is strategically aligned with our goals. This not only streamlines our operations but also positions us as more effective communicators, ultimately driving greater impact and value for the organization.
In a landscape where content is king, the ability to produce high-quality, relevant and timely communications is invaluable, and AI is key to making that happen.
AI-enabled influencer identification and engagement
Influencer marketing has also become a cornerstone of modern PR strategy, but one of the most challenging aspects is identifying the right influencers to engage. Traditionally, it involves extensive research and outreach to ensure that an influencer aligns with our brand values and resonates with our target audience. However, AI has the potential to radically simplify and enhance this process.
With AI, we can analyze vast amounts of social media activity and engagement data in real-time. Instead of manually filtering through posts and follower counts, AI can evaluate key factors such as an influencer’s content style, audience demographics and overall engagement metrics. This allows us to pinpoint influencers who not only have a large following but also resonate with the specific audiences we want to reach.
The real advantage here is precision. AI helps us go beyond surface-level metrics to
Continued on next page
Adam Christensen
WINNING BACK BUDGET
Continued from page 16
identify influencers who genuinely fit our brand goals. These partnerships aren’t just about reach—they’re about authenticity. When we collaborate with influencers who truly align with our values, the results are more impactful and credible. Audiences are far more likely to engage with content that feels genuine, and this trust is crucial in building long-term relationships.
AI also opens up the door to discovering more micro-influencers—those who may have smaller followings but possess highly engaged, targeted audiences. These influencers can be incredibly valuable in
AI-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS
Continued from page 14
advance, the potential applications for PR are endless. LLYC envisions a future where AI plays an even more significant role in content strategy, influencer identification, audience segmentation and predictive analytics.
For clients, this means access to smarter, more strategic PR solutions that drive tangible business outcomes. LLYC’s role is not just as a service provider but as a strategic partner that helps clients navigate the com-
SUSTAINABILITY GUIDE FOR TECH
Continued from page 12
tal impact and waste. The company does regular updates on Daisy, including videos to show how it works. They encourage consumers to trade in phones that can “feed” Daisy and have launched past promotions around Earth Day, where Apple makes donations to sustainability-focused organizations based on the number of phones turned in for recycling.
helping us reach new segments we might otherwise overlook. By focusing on engagement rather than just follower count, we can ensure that our campaigns are connecting with the right people, driving better results and increasing our brand’s visibility.
Incorporating AI into influencer identification allows us to work smarter, not harder. It helps us build stronger, more meaningful relationships with the right voices in the market, ultimately strengthening our PR efforts and expanding our reach in ways we couldn’t before.
The time is now for communications to reclaim its standing
As marketing ROI becomes harder to achieve and the cost of customer acquisition continues to rise, the door is opening for communications to reclaim its role as a
plexities of modern communication and stay ahead of the competition. The company’s expertise in both AI technology and traditional PR practices makes it uniquely positioned to lead this transformation.
The expansion of LLYC into the U.S. market marks an exciting chapter for the company and for the industry as a whole. By leveraging its years of experience in NLP and AI, LLYC is bringing a new set of tools to PR professionals that will redefine how communication strategies are executed. From automating creative content generation to providing real-time crisis management and delivering deep, data-driven insights, LLYC’s AI-powered solutions of-
Restaurant Technologies, Chevron and Sheetz: These three companies banded together to create a circular economy and reduce waste from restaurant cooking oil while offering more sustainable fuels to drivers. Together, they’re solving a complex problem and it shows the power of partnership to achieve success for the greater good.
When it comes to communicating about sustainability, there isn’t one common playbook. Brand leadership teams must consider their company’s own strengths and how sustainability achievements have
NAVIGATNG TRADE SHOWS
Continued from page 10
with attendees reactively keeps your brand front and center, helping you stand out as relevant and approachable.
Standing out in today’s trade show environment is more challenging now than it’s ever been. By crafting a compelling pre-show narrative, leveraging AI tools, blending paid and earned media and designing an interactive booth experience, you’ll make sure your brand rises above
strategic asset.
We’ve always been experts at understanding how to shape perceptions and build trust. Now, with the help of AI, we can prove it. We can show how our efforts are driving real results—whether that’s boosting brand reputation, managing crises or building long-term relationships with key stakeholders.
In the past, PR may have been seen as reactive, but that’s no longer the case. By adopting AI and taking a data-driven approach, we can move beyond traditional earned media to a more proactive, integrated strategy.
This not only strengthens our position within the organization but also makes a compelling case for increasing our budgets.
Adam Christensen is CMO of Notified.
fer a holistic approach to PR that is both efficient and effective.
As LLYC continues to grow its presence across major U.S. economic hubs—from Michigan and Florida to New York and Silicon Valley—the company isn’t only expanding geographically but also pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in public relations. For businesses looking to stay competitive in an increasingly complex media landscape, LLYC’s innovative solutions represent a powerful opportunity to enhance their communication strategies and achieve greater impact. The future of PR is here and LLYC is leading the way.
Mike Johnson is U.S. CEO of LLYC.
the potential to impact their employees, investors, partners, buyers and other stakeholders. Brands that lead with transparency and authenticity—rather than marketing lingo—can stand out from the crowd and gain the trust of those around them. Communicating about sustainability should—and can—be rewarding, but only if communications professionals and leaders put the work in upfront to build a program that makes an impact and tells a story that resonates.
Amy Fisher is Senior Vice President of Technology at Padilla.
the noise. The goal? To not only make an impact leading up to and at the show but also keep your brand in the spotlight long after it’s over.
Christine Azzolino is Assistant Vice President and Consumer Technology Lead at Coyne.
The human side of AI marketing and communications
Where artificial intelligence enhances meaningful brand connections.
By Heather Craft
Artificial intelligence is causing a profound shift in how we live and work, as highlighted in studies like the “2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report” by Microsoft and LinkedIn, which reveals that 75 percent of knowledge workers are already leveraging generative AI in their roles and 79 percent of business leaders believe their companies must adopt AI to remain competitive. As the preeminent global technology communications and marketing consultancy, Hotwire works with clients to help them cut through the noise and data to navigate and activate the potential of AI.
For us, AI isn’t just about creating efficiencies but a game changer in how customers, employees and the general population will engage with companies. This mindset informs how we’re harnessing AI within our business to not only drive efficiency but to fundamentally advance how we deliver marketing and communications for our clients.
Harnessing AI solutions
We know that AI chatbots are rapidly becoming the first place that people look for research. In fact, technology outlet The Information found that 77 percent of its readers are now using AI tools instead of traditional search engines. So, in May 2024, we introduced our first AI tool, GAIO.tech, which provides visibility into what GenAI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini or Perplexity are saying about brands and products. This allows our clients to take an “outside-in” look at the impact that AI chatbots may have on their brand and use this knowledge to develop more effective brand and campaign strategies with AI usage in mind.
For example, our client Sam’s Club was announcing its use of AI technology in stores to enhance experiences for members and associates across 600 clubs. We used GAIO.tech to better understand what questions their customers are asking about Sam’s Club in AI chatbots like ChatGPT and see how their AI technology is being discussed. To do this, we identified the most frequently asked questions about Sam’s Club on ChatGPT and then analyzed the answers that ChatGPT gave to understand the key themes in the questions, most shared topics within the answers and where ChatGPT had sourced this information from. The results gave real-time
insights into the conversations, potential new media outlets to reach and insights to shape future communications programs.
We’re also collaborating with a tier-1 publisher to use GAIO.tech to explore where the AI chatbots are sourcing their information for non-branded keywords and topics that this publisher wants to be known for. This analysis will allow the publisher to evaluate how often they’re cited compared to other publications and what content is cited the most. This will allow them to understand their current influence and reach within chatbots, as well as inform plans to influence visibility in the future.
Leveraging AI in creative ways
We aren’t just using AI for insights though: We can also see how it can be used to bring to life creative expression. For example, with client OpenText, we’re developing a modern art gallery for its annual customer conference, OpenText World Las Vegas, using AI tools to create line and color block-style art representations of OpenText’s customer personas and datasets. The goal is to bring to life OpenText’s key position of information management at scale and engage attendees in a novel way by transforming complex data into visually compelling art. Attendees will engage with this art gallery onsite and be prompted to share their reactions on social media, further amplifying OpenText’s presence and brand messaging.
Keeping a pulse on AI trends
AI’s rapid advancements and evolving conversations can make it challenging for marketing and communications professionals to stay up to date. To address this need, we launched an AI Monthly Monitor to provide a monthly analysis of the latest AI advancements and trends, tracking trending AI conversations in media, social platforms and brands with deep topic analysis from various sources, including social listening, media monitoring and GAIO. tech.
Along with the monthly report, we also use this analysis to understand key cultural moments, such as Oprah’s AI special, Salesforce Dreamforce and Advertising Week, as they happen, understanding in real-time the news and discussion around AI. For example, our Dreamforce edition provided a quick and timely recount of pre-event buzz around the marquee announcement of the event: AI agents. It highlighted which spe-
cific topics were getting the most media and social buzz each day—with the onstage signing of AI-bills by the Governor of California and Salesforce’s Agentforce platform being the solution to “oversold” or piecemeal AI solutions generating the most significant interest. This timely information to understand the shifting conversations on AI, helping our clients update their own messaging and strategies accordingly.
Delivering a tech-forward vision
Hotwire has more than 20 years of experience working in the technology industry, both with technology-focused clients and staying ahead of technology developments by investments in our own tech stack. We create a tech-forward attitude across our team with company-wide initiatives, challenges and hackathons so our teams feel empowered to use AI in the right way to benefit our own work, along with effective governance built in.
Looking ahead, we’re excited about the prospects that AI presents—not just for us, but for our team, clients and end audiences. We will continue to leverage technology to drive innovation and effectiveness within our work, ensuring our clients thrive in a rapidly changing landscape. Through strategic investments, the development of proprietary AI solutions and collaborative projects with leading tech brands, Hotwire aims to redefine what’s possible in communications and marketing, fostering deeper connections and driving meaningful engagements with our clients.
Heather Craft is the North American CEO for Hotwire.
PR news brief BODEN to help Microsoft reach Hispanic market
Microsoft signs on BODEN Agency to serve as PR agency of record for Hispanic communications.
The independent, minority- and female-owned Miami shop will handle media relations, creator engagement and digital content development, as well as executing Microsoft’s long-term communications strategy.
It will also work to enhance the digital presence and reach of Conexiones, Microsoft’s storytelling hub, developed to inform and inspire the community.
Heather Craft
AI didn’t take our jobs—it made them more important
Generative Artificial Intelligence has been a game-changer for our industry, but it has also made the role that communications pros play more valuable than ever.
By Gerard LaFond
Roughly two years after the launch of ChatGPT, the world of PR has both changed and remains largely the same, even with the growth of Generative Artificial Intelligence.
Contrary to the fears of many, AI hasn’t swooped in and stolen all of our jobs. Instead, it has made human roles more significant and impactful and has underscored the critical role humans play—and will continue to play—in the AI future.
Let’s dive into how AI, the ultimate disruptor, is reshaping industries and, more importantly, shaping the future of the PR industry.
The great disruptor
GenAI is undeniably a great disruptor of our time, on the tier of electricity or the Internet in terms of impact. AI is transforming every industry it touches, from healthcare to finance and, yes, even PR and communications. The capabilities of GenAI are vast and varied, making it a powerful tool in the hands of professionals across the entire business landscape.
In healthcare, AI is revolutionizing diagnostics and streamlining patient care. In finance, it’s optimizing trading strategies and improving fraud detection. And in PR, AI is helping us streamline our processes, allowing us to focus on what truly matters— crafting compelling stories and building strong relationships.
And this is the grand promise of AI, easing the burden of rote, repetitive tasks to free humans to do more of what we do best: creative thinking. As AI continues to rise, the role of human creativity will take on an even more important focus in the work we all do.
PR professionals, rejoice!
If you work for a PR firm that has been around for a while—like The Hoffman Agency, which is celebrating its 37th anniversary this year—you’ll know that technology has always played a role in evolving how we do our work. Fax machines, computers, email and the Internet all brought significant changes, but they didn’t “replace” anyone. Instead, these tools allowed us to be better at what we do, to get things done faster and simply make our work lives easier.
Take a moment to ask around your office, and you’ll hear stories of how each technological advancement was met with a mix of
excitement and apprehension. Yet, in every instance, these tools ultimately enhanced our capabilities and allowed us to deliver better results for our clients.
For PR professionals, GenAI tools are proving to be a game-changer. These tools are designed to take over the mundane, repetitive tasks that used to consume our time, freeing us up to engage in more strategic and creative activities, actions AI still has a very difficult time performing. After all, every AI output begins with a human prompt.
I’m going to age myself, but remember the days of “clippings?” If you’ve worked in PR long enough, you probably remember the tedious process of cutting out articles from newspapers, photocopying them and organizing them into three-ring binders. It was a time-consuming task that, in hindsight, could have been better spent on more important work.
Fast forward to now, and AI has started to take over “busy work.” From reporting and sentiment analysis to copyediting and generating visuals, AI tools enable us to do more, faster. This efficiency means we can dedicate more time to what our clients need most—earning their brands the attention they deserve.
The future is bright
With AI handling the more routine aspects of our work, we can focus on the elements that require a human touch: story mining, engaging with reporters and coming up with creative new ideas and story angles.
Imagine having more time to dive deep into research, uncovering unique insights that can shape a compelling narrative. How about building stronger relationships with journalists and understanding their interests and needs better than ever before? Envision the extra time you could use to craft more innovative story angles that capture the attention of your audience and leave a lasting impact.
In the modern world of AI, the role of PR professionals has never been more crucial. Not only do they protect clients’ reputations, but they also bring a vital layer of common sense to AI’s application in the workplace. PR is a highly contextual, shifting work environment and knowing nuances, such as a reporter’s workload, headline-dominating news moments and
other factors that are difficult for AI to consider, means a human touch is invaluable. As AI continues to evolve, PR pros ensure that its use aligns with ethical standards and public expectations, safeguarding both the technology’s integrity and the clients being represented.
What’s clear today is that AI is here to stay. Fears of mass job loss have not been realized; if anything, it’s making our jobs more valuable than ever. It’s not about replacing human roles but enhancing them, allowing us to focus on the strategic and creative aspects of our work. As we celebrate another year of technological advancements, let’s embrace the opportunities that AI brings and continue to elevate our profession.
Here’s to another year of technology making our people and services even more valuable. Cheers to the future of PR, where AI and human ingenuity work hand in hand to achieve remarkable results.
Gerard LaFond is Managing Director, North America, at The Hoffman Agency.
PR news brief
Kekst CNC works True Value Chapter 11
Kekst CNC is handling True Value Company as the hardware wholesaler declares Chapter 11 and agrees to sell its operations to home improvement company competitor, Do it Best Corp.
The transaction does not impact True Value’s network of 4,500 independently owed retailers.
Chris Kempa, True Value CEO, said after completing a strategic review, the company determined bankruptcy and an asset sale was the best way to maximize value and to best serve its retail partners and other stakeholders into the future.
Do it Best “has a similar decades-long history in the home improvement space and also operates with a focus on supporting members and helping them grow, associates, customers and vendor partners,” he said.
Dan Starr, CEO of Do it Best, said the acquisition of True Value’s assets marks a strategic milestone for his company and home improvement retailers around the world.
Chicago-based True Value, which has been in business for more than 75 years, expects to wrap up the Do it Best deal by the end of the year.
Kekst CNC has Sherri Toub and Wendi Kopsick representing True Value.
Publicis Groupe owns Kekst CNC.
Gerard LaFond
PR and IR alignment crucial as IPO market rebounds
Where we stand in the current IPO downturn.
The current IPO drought began in 2022 with a sharp downturn in activity in which global proceeds declined by more than 70 percent year-on-year, according to PwC. That slowdown is now nearing completion of its third year. Amidst high interest rates and an uneven macro environment, many potential issuers have sought alternatives and delayed their plans to go public, joining an increasingly crowded pool of companies that face uncertain futures.
While obstacles persist, there finally appears to be cautious optimism for a revival of capital markets activity. Encouragingly, the global stock market rally has proven resilient, and economic indicators such as inflation and jobs data are steadily improving. Interest rates are set to decline materially and an election overhang that has given many investors pause is only days away from being in the rearview. Debate remains on whether an IPO resurgence will be a 2025 or 2026 event, and if it will be exhibited as a window slowly cracking open or a dam bursting all at once. Regardless of your view on timing and scale, pressure is mounting behind an IPO backlog that continues to swell, with listings slowly starting to rise as investors and founders patiently seek monetization and exits.
What does any of this have to do with IR and PR?
While strong financial metrics are the tent poles of a successful IPO, company reputation is another core tenet of any effective PR or comms campaign. Likewise, healthy engagement and trust with the investor community are key components of an effective IR program, which can increase the risk profile of a potential deal if not executed properly.
Aside from the most well-funded startups, budgets for PR and comms are often much lower spending priorities than non-negotiable expenditures. For its part, IR is often absent altogether or it falls under the purview of an already overwhelmed CFO. In addition, there is a deep perception, particularly among private companies that don’t have near-term visibility into a transaction, that it’s just “too early” to think about IR. Many think that until an IPO process is formally underway, there is minimal upside to investing in this resource. Similarly, PR is often folded into the marketing team, underrepresented and overlooked as a standalone function. As a result, IR and
By Ryan Flanagan
PR often find themselves categorized as “nice to haves” but not “must haves” for many private companies.
The lesson from IPO activity over the last several years is that the window for new issuers can close as quickly as it opens, with no guarantees around the length of the cycle. As such, core IPO readiness items like auditors, underwriters, and a board must be in place. Attention must also be paid to developing the “muscle memory” to consistently deliver your company narrative and having a developed playbook to anticipate investor feedback. These are core competencies of IR and PR that cannot be sped up or developed overnight.
Integration of PR and IR as an effective solution
The most immediately identifiable benefit of breaking down the siloes between IR and PR is the cost-effectiveness of shared resources and content. Cost-sharing substantially alleviates the budget burden that disproportionally impacts private companies, which may be years removed from their last capital infusion.
That said, intertwining IR and PR resources requires a thoughtful approach with many considerations. Foremost is establishing trust between teams, and striking a balance by identifying swim lanes while recognizing shared goals. The sooner teams realize they can leverage each other’s skill sets and develop confidence in their respective capabilities, the more transparent they will be with each other.
As trust is built, collaboration follows, with IR and PR teams co-shaping a narrative and delivering a much more consistent message. For private companies in particular, the opportunity for earned media by a premier outlet, or securing a meeting with a top-tier fund manager, can be infrequent. This challenge raises the stakes for delivering a message that both resonates and stands out, but most importantly doesn’t differ materially between the two audiences for IR and PR.
Unlike public companies whose storylines take years to develop and evolve more slowly as they mature, private company narratives often pivot at breakneck speed as management teams are continuously iterating on product and market fit. This fast-paced approach further drives the need for IR and PR to coalesce around a unified message.
While these challenges greatly impact
private companies, it’s also important to note that as public issuers scale, expanding their product portfolios and growing in headcount and market cap, their gulf and connectivity between IR and PR can often widen too. This gap can further heighten the risk of misaligned messaging between audiences, or worse, running afoul of regulatory compliance. That is why it’s equally important to leverage synergies between IR and PR at more established publicly traded companies that may lose their focus on the benefits of collaboration over time.
Ultimately, the goal of aligning IR and PR at private companies is to create a narrative that stays consistent across investor and customer audiences, minimizing risk while broadening awareness and increasing the valuation. With a healthy backlog and IPO window that can’t stay closed forever, it’s never too early for potential issuers to establish a team mentality across the PR and IR functions.
Ryan Flanagan is a Managing Director in ICR’s Technology Group.
PR news brief
Edelman launches counter disinformation unit
Edelman has launched its Counter Disinformation Unit, a dedicated global team intended to help organizations navigate and protect themselves from mis- and disinformation.
Simon Paterson has been named U.S. head of the unit. With operational experience in information warfare and psychological operations, Paterson has analyzed and countered sophisticated disinformation attacks. The unit will also be working with external partners to ensure clients have the most up to date intelligence and analysis to understand how the threat is evolving.
The launch coincides with the release of the 2024 Edelman Connected Crisis Study, which identifies the rise of artificial intelligence as the fastest-growing area of concern for communications executives due to its potential to cause significant reputational damage. The study finds that while eight in 10 executives are concerned about these threats, fewer than one in two are prepared to anticipate, identify and manage them. “Whilst AI offers huge opportunities for business and society, it has also created a new era of reputational challenges that are unpredictable, sophisticated and fast,” said Edelman Global Chair, Crisis and Risk Julian Payne. “The launch of Edelman’s Counter Disinformation Unit ensures our clients can take the necessary steps to protect their license to operate and can sustain trust in this fast-evolving environment.”
Ryan Flanagan
Improving processes to create new value
In-house communications teams are strapped. Here’s how vendors can add more value than ever before.
Years of recession fears have kept many companies from expanding too deeply into marketing and branding. This has forced in-house communications teams to create more value with slimmer teams and smaller budgets and has resulted in many consultancies seeing fewer clients and achieving slower growth.
Some agencies seem to have accepted this as their business model’s reality. But others have decided to create new value for customers that goes well beyond hard deliverables.
“Many vendors can do the work we need,” said Ellen Bjork, Marketing and Communications Director for security nonprofit Riverside Research. “But great vendors also understand the importance of effective communication. Being approachable makes it easy to ask questions, get the right answers and maintain transparency. Having one point of contact during a campaign ensures a deep understanding of the project’s nuances and history. And swift responsiveness is key to addressing obstacles to keep the project on course.”
Achieving this value means agencies must improve their communication processes. Otherwise, we risk in-house teams replacing tailored graphics with generic images, swapping high-quality media coverage for poorly written press releases and rejecting a digital strategist for an intern who knows how to post on social media.
And worst of all, you’ll watch the competition get paid to secure media that also serves as marketing, business development and sales collateral for the agency.
Here’s how to enhance your client relationships to achieve better results, be proactive without being annoying and create the upsell without even bringing it up.
Set onboarding expectations
The most reassuring thing in-house teams can hear is that they won’t have to pay an external adviser and hold the account executive’s hand—spending money twice and wasting time they don’t have. And the advisers must know the in-house team isn’t expecting to sit back and watch the results come in—that everyone is dedicated to spending the necessary time and expertise to create maximum results.
Otherwise, instead of creating solutions, the adviser will create new pain points on top of the ones the company was supposed to resolve.
By Dustin Siggins
For example, we ask our earned media clients to help us help them by spending a few weeks:
• Showing us their in-depth goals and processes.
• Building relationships with spokespeople and other key individuals.
• Understanding stakeholders and the core mission.
In return, we show our processes, develop fine-tuned messaging and determine the media outlets where those messages will best resonate with target audiences.
Dan Ring is a communications consultant who previously led global communications for companies such as ACI Worldwide and Sophos. He told me consultant partners should prioritize relationships with client spokespeople in product marketing and product management. “These individuals have extensive product, customer, industry and competitive knowledge, making them ideal resources,” he said. “The primary client contact should proactively request access to them for deep-dive briefs to understand their particular expertise, geographic locations, strengths and weaknesses and more.”
All of this is a lot of upfront work, but it’s an ounce of prevention against chaos and miscommunication later down the road.
Just as proper cooking makes for good digestion, a few extra hours now create the approachability and responsiveness required to perform high-quality work on deadline with minimal need for the client’s valuable time.
Streamline the client’s involvement
Now that you’ve set expectations, you have to meet them with great results, on time and with minimal client involvement.
As an earned media company, we take pride in delivering great content on schedule. But as our quality of clients improved, we discovered that our processes also needed to scale. One client, for example, appreciated our speed, overall content quality and where we secured placements. But the inhouse team lead also noticed critical technical issues that created reasonable concerns about how involved she would need to be in the editing process.
And like any content vendor, if a client has to stay on top of quality—in this case for op-eds, press releases and statements—then we aren’t delivering the streamlined results they need.
So, we upgraded by dedicating personnel
to fact-check all claims made and sources used. We also added a quality control editor whose job is to scrutinize for small but devastating mistakes and to ensure content was structurally sound from beginning to end. These clients were satisfied, their worries evaporated and we were given much more trust to generate content on our own initiation.
There’s a cost to hire extra staff and seek staffers with the skills to ensure this level of client detachment (or, some might say, client comfort). But that initial investment brings a bonus of greater profitability because there’s less time being put into each piece of media coverage, and when the client wants to invest more in the kind of content you provide, there’s nobody else to whom they will go. Build trust today to create value tomorrow Companies will come to you because your product or your service is valuable. But if your value stops there, you won’t have clients for long. If a great product is worth $X, then a great product delivered ahead of schedule with streamlined in-house involvement could be worth $2X. And if the in-house team lead can see himself having a beer with you after work, it could be worth $5X! It all goes back to approachability, communicativeness and transparency— qualities that may not have much to do with the particular thing you’re selling, but they have the world to do with you … and your profits.
That’s why I’ve become an advocate of offering free tips to a client that create real value but also fit within the margins of the existing contract. These tips avoid scope creep and dodge the annoying upsell e-mail that raises questions about whether the client or his checkbook is your top priority. They can be offered organically in weekly meetings or the monthly report. And best of all, they become the upsell because the in-house team will see that the “free” suggestions led to good results.
That’s the moment when your smart work gets your partners to convince themselves that it’s worth their while to pay for more of you. And it’s when you go from being a vendor to a full partner with the in-house team, because any company worth working with knows a gold mine when it sees one.
Dustin Siggins is the Founder of Proven Media Solutions.
Dustin Siggins
Tech byline articles: remember those?
A bylined article is one of the most effective tools available for establishing credibility with a target audience because it showcases you as a thought leader in your field.
Before social media, technology byline articles were a main tool in the PR pro’s quiver. Trade press publications were then and are now eager to receive and publish good quality tech byline pieces for their readership. Byline pieces provide tech companies with the right vehicle to build market awareness and customer credibility and help get technology and product stories to their customer base.
Entrepreneur magazine endorsed that by saying in it’s The Art of the Bylined Article:
“A bylined article is one of the most effective tools available for establishing credibility with a target audience because it showcases you as a thought leader in your field. And in doing so, the article draws attention to the stature and strength of your company and helps differentiate it from competitors.”
A number of Silicon Valley giants earlier built their powerful technology brands thanks in large part to publishing sustained programs of byline articles in the trade press.
But, these days, tech PR interest in byline articles is waning. Many tech PR pros entering the field don’t understand their value and think of byline articles solely as highly technical papers without PR value. Instead, they focus primarily on news release and social media routes.
Plus, some are intimidated by technology and stay away from considering byline articles as much as possible. Instead, considerable attention is given to social media as an easier way to publicize tech products.
However, experienced PR pros know that published byline articles and social media can complement each other to create a powerful strategy and achieve greater marketing results.
They’re fully aware that published byline article content can be leveraged for social media stories. The major and strategic benefit is furthering the main storylines from the byline pieces.
However, it’s the steady cadence of byline articles that drives the PR engine and the strategy. Why? Because there are several inherent benefits associated with published byline articles. First off, tech companies running those byline pieces get a third-party tacit endorsement from the trade press publishing them. What could be better?
The reader fully knows he or she is reading valuable information in a highly credible and leading industry magazine. Im-
mediately, the byline piece is useful and answers critical questions about technology products or systems their companies are developing.
Other benefits include company credibility and customer trust. Tech companies’ reputations are significantly improved. Those companies also create a perception of industry authority and technology leadership. Plus, those published byline pieces have a high probability of going viral via search engines and providing the business press and market analysts much-needed up-to-date technology trends data.
But it must be the right article
Simply put, tech byline articles have to be editorially acceptable. That means they have to be free of product or company promotion and hyperbole. In short, they cannot be advertisements. Otherwise, they’re immediately rejected and, in turn, the submitting PR pro figuratively gets a black eye from an editorial staff for doing so.
So-called “shopping” a byline article is also considered poor practice among trade press editors. This means a PR pro distributes a byline piece among various competitive trade publications to see which one takes it. Again, editors loathe this type of PR because a submitted byline piece isn’t tailored to meet a given magazine’s editorial needs.
Conversely, the trade press seeks out experts whose byline articles can elaborate on issues and solutions that its readerships find valuable. Types of acceptable articles fall into the how-to, problem/solution and tutorial categories.
But it’s always wise to check out a publication’s latest issues and editorial calendars to determine the topics of utmost importance. Then, the PR pro can begin to plan the topics he or she can pursue with their marketing and engineering people to start crafting those byline pieces.
Most trade magazines suggest creating a short article outline with about three bullet points and then submitting it as a proposed byline article to the editor.
Getting started and working with SMEs
For the PR pro ghostwriter, selecting and organizing technology SMEs plays a critical role in the success or failure of a byline article program.
These are the individuals you interview so that you get the critical content needed for ghostwriting your byline articles. Here, you should carefully work with each select-
By Dan Garza
ed SME so that you’re confident you’re getting the correct content.
However, there are certain types to avoid and or be wary of. For example, there’s the product promoter, who knows little of the technology, but only knows to hype the product, which editors deplore in a submitted byline article.
Another is never happy with your ghostwriting and worries about the copy to the point the article is never returned—in effect, going into a black hole.
A third is the SME who is unsure of his or her technology know-how. During the approval cycle, that SME passes his or her ghostwritten article around to colleagues to critique it and/or get a consensus on certain portions. However, in effect, they’re delaying the article and possibly damaging it with technology-inaccurate or extraneous content.
A fourth one is the classic researcher, who is steeped in his or her company projects. The best SME is one who provides you both technology and customer issues information. The classic researcher, on the other hand, lives in the research world and focuses solely on certain in-house technology projects.
Taking the right steps
It’s best to take a strategic approach, rather than adopting random topics as the basis for your byline article program. This means collaborating with marketing, sales and even with executives to map out strategic topics to formulate your plan.
At this point, you’ll be getting a number of opinions about which products and technologies to prioritize and which to dismiss. This is especially true at larger tech companies, which produce a number of different products and technologies.
In instances like these, it’s always a great idea to partner closely with your chief marketing officer or marketing vice president. Let them play a big hand in refereeing and deciding which products and technologies take priority.
Not only can they help you this way, but
_ Continued on next page
Dan Garza
Communicating AI’s value during a hype cycle
Things to consider when communicating the benefits of artificial intelligence to potential clients.
By Erica McDonald
2024 has certainly been all artificial intelligence all the time, as adopting AI has become synonymous with staying ahead of the curve.
However, effectively communicating the benefits of AI to prospects today requires more than simply adding AI to your messaging and marketing efforts. It requires a strategic approach that highlights your AI capabilities and distinguishes your solutions so that you don’t become another metoo AI tech provider.
So, what should tech companies consider when flexing their latest AI solutions and services? Remember that AI isn’t new. While we’ve heard much about AI this past year, generative AI has been the real star. The odds are that if you’ve been using machine learning tied to your solutions, you’ve likely already been using some form of AI. That said, generative AI has been grouped in the more significant AI bucket and should be clarified in your communications. While there are many considerations when communicating AI benefits to enterprise prospects and what brands should consider, the three below are essential: Tailoring solutions to customer pain points
The first step in effectively communicating AI benefits to prospects is understanding their pain points and providing solutions and verifiable results for addressing their business challenges. This requires a deep understanding of the industry landscape, business objectives and operational inefficiencies that potential clients face. And there are great ways to achieve this.
For example, a recent article on EY’s website cited that 83 percent of organizations now view their supply chains and operations as a strategic advantage. It should then come as no surprise that AI-powered supply chain optimization solutions have emerged as a game-changer for enterprises seeking to streamline operations and reduce costs.
In a case study featured on its website, IBM highlights how its AI-powered supply chain optimization solution helped a global retailer reduce inventory holding costs by 20 percent while improving order fulfillment rates by 30 percent. By understanding the retailer’s pain points, such as inventory management and demand forecasting, IBM
tailored its solutions and results, thereby demonstrating the value of its AI solution in addressing specific business challenges.
This is particularly important when you look at the growth rate of AI and implementation timelines of about five years. For businesses to act now and invest in AI solutions, they must know that your solution/service works and has a track record of success. This brings me to my next point: building trust through AI.
Building trust through transparency and ethical practices
With data being the backbone of AI, in an era marked by growing concerns about data privacy, regulation and algorithmic bias, building trust with an AI service or solution is essential. To do this, transparency in your communications about your organization’s data usage, algorithmic processes and ethical practices is key to fostering trust and credibility.
When speaking with prospects, you may also consider bringing in your Chief Privacy or Chief Data Officer to reinforce your company’s commitment to data compliance and ethical data usage and share the steps your company takes to remain at the forefront of these practices and changes.
As companies consider new AI solutions, they’re paying close attention to this as they can’t afford to partner with businesses that don’t have strong ethical and compliant data practices at the forefront of their AI strategies.
This will only grow in importance over time as they grow and innovate, which brings me to my final point: scalability and long-term value.
TECH BYLINE ARTICLES
Continued from page 26
they can also be SMEs for a robust thought leadership byline article to get your program underway.
Once a consensus is reached on the right topics, the next step is assigning your selected SME to each topic and conducting individual meetings with those SMEs. During those discussions, the PR pro briefs
Demonstrating scalability and longterm value
As enterprises look at AI solutions, they assess whether AI capabilities can scale and evolve as their business needs change. Communicating your AI solutions’ scalability and long-term value is crucial for gaining buy-in from enterprise prospects and securing lasting partnerships.
They must understand how you would be an excellent partner to them and their clients as they grow their business—be it flexible integrations, enhanced insights, etc.—understanding your value, reach, partnership strategy, innovation plans and focus will be essential to demonstrate where and how your AI solutions and services will support their near and long-term goals.
Effectively communicating your business’s AI value is critical to cut through the hype since so many companies claim to be AI solutions providers. Leading with the business challenges you help customers solve demonstrates your understanding of the AI ecosystem and showcases your capabilities to scale alongside your customer’s business as it grows. This approach will prove advantageous when distinguishing your AI solutions and services from others in your space.
Erica McDonald is a Partner in FINN Partners’ Technology Practice.
each one on what is expected and how to proceed in providing the right level of information for each byline article.
From this point onward, you are on your way toward driving your PR engine with successive byline articles being published. That’s when you’ll receive plaudits from your marketing and top management, as well as encouragement to further build your successful PR work.
Dan Garza is a marketing PR professional and veteran observer of Silicon Valley PR.
Erica McDonald
TECHNOLOGY COMMUNICATIONS
5WPR
3 Park Ave., 19th Fl.
New York, NY 10016
212/999-5585
www.5wpr.com
Lori Ruggiero, Managing Partner & EVP, Corporate & Technology
Matt Caiola, North America CEO
Michael O’Brien, Global CEO
5W has the reach of a large agency, with the expertise of a specialist boutique tech firm. With leaders who have lived and breathed life in a tech company, from Series A through to IPO, our strategies ensure that the media results garnered move the needle for our clients. We also employ media powerhouses—storytellers—who live and breathe different verticals. Our HR Tech, Ad Tech, MarTech, Cyber Security, SaaS and Emerging Technology practice areas are staffed with media gurus who know the reporters, companies, and trends that are making news. Our tech clients see our teams as an extension of their own, and our staff enjoy being partners to some of the world’s most pioneering brands.
5WPR is a full-service PR agency in NYC known for cutting-edge programs that engage with businesses, issues, and ideas. Founded 20 years ago, 5W has been named a top US and NYC PR Agency by leading industry publication O’Dwyer’s, as well as awarded Agency of the Year in the 2023 American Business Awards®, and continuously brings leading businesses a resourceful, bold, and results-driven approach to communication. The agency has more than 300 professionals serving clients in B2C, B2B, Public Affairs, Crisis Communications, and Digital Marketing. In addition to its business accolades, 5W was named to Inc. magazine’s Best Workplaces 2022 list.
360PR+
60 Charlton Street
New York, NY 10013
212/729-5833
www.360pr.plus
Locations: Boston, New York, Philadelphia
Stacey Clement, SVP, Entertainment & Electronics
Practice
Mike Rush, EVP & Partner
Laura Tomasetti, CEO
Technology brands and a host of others powered by today’s advanced technologies must continually evolve their communications and marketing to build and sustain relevance for customers, rising above and differentiating their solutions from others in the marketplace. 360PR+ can help. With roots in tech PR that extend to our founding more than 20 years ago, our team is passionate and expert in cutting through the complexities to create narratives that connect and position brands and their products as integral to today’s consumer lifestyles and as best-inclass b2b solutions. We specialize in consumer electronics, connected cars, connected fitness, edtech, digital entertainment, digital marketplaces, entertainment technologies, smart home technology and other sectors, and we have the relationships with tech journalists, analysts, influencers, awards and conferences that come as a result of being on the front lines of innovation storytelling for clients like Amazon, Aukey, CarGurus, Cobra, Code Wiz, Honeywell, Jabra, Nintendo, Trek e-bikes, Xperi’s DTS sound and TiVo entertainment technology solutions, and more. 360PR+ services span analyst and media relations, awards programs, corporate communications, experiential events, influencer activations, social media strategy, thought leadership and the full range of content production. Learn more at www.360PR.plus.
BEANTOWN MEDIA VENTURES
75 State Street, Suite 100 Boston, MA 02109 www.beantownmv.com
Locations: Boston, Los Angeles
Kyle Austin, Founder and Managing Partner KYLE@BEANTOWNMV.COM
John Eidson, EVP and Partner
With deep roots in the startup ecosystem, Beantown Media Ventures (BMV) has evolved into a trusted PR & Content Marketing Agency for B2B Tech brands of all
sizes that are disrupting a diverse range of industries. For over a decade, we’ve partnered with some of the world’s most innovative companies to create and execute public relations and content marketing programs that help achieve their unique business goals and objectives. Increasingly, that includes supporting AI-powered clients such as Greyparrot, which is on the 2024 CB Insights AI 100 List of Most Innovative Artificial Intelligence Startups.
BIG VALLEY MARKETING
333 W. San Carlos St., #600 San Jose, CA 95110 415/999-2006 www.bigvalley.co hireus@bigvalley.co workwithus@bigvalley.co
Tim Marklein, Principal, Founder & CEO
Katie Huang Shin, President Christine Kerst, Head of Talent and Culture
At Big Valley Marketing, we help technology companies grow, win and lead through effective, integrated, expert-driven marketing and communications. We believe brand, demand and culture are interdependent. They require focused leadership and sustained investment across channels and disciplines.
We work with clients from startups to Fortune 500s across highgrowth markets including software-as-a-service (SaaS), artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, cloud and mobile infrastructure, e-commerce and supply chain, and digital health.
Clients select Big Valley Marketing based on our deep B2B technology marketing and communications experience—across strategic planning, marketing analytics, content marketing, public relations, and digital and social media storytelling—and our team of experts’ operating model that produces a highly effective balance of strategic partnership and getthings-done execution.
Since its inception, the team has provided marketing and communications services to more than 100 clients and helped more than 20 clients to achieve exits worth $32.3 billion in valuation.
BOB GOLD & ASSOCIATES
1640 S. PCH Redondo Beach, CA 90277 310/320-2010 hello@bobgoldpr.com www.bobgoldpr.com
Bob Gold, Founder & President
Chris Huppertz, VP/GM
Bob Gold & Associates (BG&A), a nationally acclaimed, award-winning public relations and marketing agency, is celebrated for its data-driven, cutting-edge strategies that elevate brands across the technology, media, and telecommunications sectors. Since its founding in 1997, BG&A has become synonymous with creativity and results, earning accolades for turning complex narratives into powerful, industry-leading stories. Founder Bob Gold, named PRSA-LA’s 2019 Communications Professional of the Year and a proud inductee as a Cable TV Pioneer, has built BG&A into one of the top 100 Elite PR Agencies in the U.S., according to PRNews. BG&A’s success lies in its ability to seamlessly blend traditional PR expertise with advanced AI and digital tools to meet the evolving demands of today’s media landscape. The agency specializes in strategic communications that resonate with audiences, leveraging its deep knowledge of the technology and telecom industries to create lasting impact. With offices in Los Angeles and New York City, and as co-founder of the WIN PR Group—a global network of hightech PR firms—BG&A offers global reach with a personalized touch. At the heart of the agency’s approach is BG&A InsightTM, a proprietary methodology that uses data and analytics to craft bespoke strategies for clients. This commitment to intelligence-driven communication enables BG&A clients to thrive in an increasingly digital and AI-focused world.
BOSPAR
Serving 15 locations, including: San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Austin. 415/913-7528 results@bospar.com @BosparPR
www.bospar.com vimeo.com/571954519
Chris Boehlke, Curtis Sparrer, Tom Carpenter, Principals
Denyse Dabrowski, SVP
Paula Bernier, Chief Content Officer
Bospar is the “Politely Pushy” PR and Marketing agency.
For tech. For healthcare. For banking and fintech.
Person-per-person we are the most awarded agency in the United States.
Why?
Because we create innovative campaigns that cut through the noise and drive the desired results.
From AI, data and cloud to hardware, IoT and mobile, from IaaS to SaaS and every -aaS in between, from Web3, gaming and open source to cybersecurity and verticals across HealthTech, FinTech, EdTech, HR Tech, PropTech and MarTech, Bospar is your full-stack agency.
The AI and data landscape is expanding and shifting at an extraordinary pace and your PR partner should be deep diving into every corner of the conversation to find compelling angles that elevate your brand and differentiation.
Our expertise spans media relations, thought leadership, IR and analyst relations, social/digital media, influencer engagement, crisis management, and integrated marketing and messaging.
We work with seed-round startups, SMBs, unicorns valued at over a billion dollars, and publicly traded companies.
Any business building GenAI needs a PR partner who gets it. That’s why Bospar launched
Push*E. Not a substitute for our humans, but “the first-ever PR counsel at scale,” said Josh Constine, venture partner at SignalFire and former editor-at-large at TechCrunch.
CLARITY GLOBAL, INC.
26 Broadway New York, NY 10004 contactus@clarity.global 646/934-6924
Cornwall: Malins Hall, 38 High Street, Falmouth, TR11 2AF, UK California: 7083 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Clarity Global is a leading technology-focused public relations firm renowned for its strategic communication and navigation of the digital landscape. Founded in 2015, the firm emerged with the vision to bridge tech innovators and their audiences through impactful storytelling, digital engagement and creative brand management.
Offering a wide range of services, we specialize in media relations, brand strategy, crisis communication, and digital marketing. We serve a diverse clientele, from smaller companies to established tech giants, across sectors like AI, fintech, cleantech, consumer electronics, and SaaS. Our senior-led, tailored approach ensures each client’s distinct goals drive campaigns that garner significant re-
sults.
At the core of Clarity Global’s success is its commitment to innovation. By utilizing analytics and tools, the firm stays ahead of industry trends, ensuring clients remain at the forefront of the competitive tech environment. This forward-thinking approach not only enhances campaign effectiveness but also solidifies the firm’s reputation as an industry leader.
Our culture emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and a genuine passion for technology. Our team of diverse professionals are united by a shared commitment to transparency, integrity, and excellence. As the tech landscape evolves, we’re ready to expand our reach, shaping the narratives that define the future of technology.
For more information, visit the Clarity website at https://clarity. global/.
COYNE PUBLIC RELATIONS
5 Wood Hollow Road Parsippany, NJ 07054
973/588-2000 www.coynepr.com
501 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10018
212/938-0166
Thomas F. Coyne, CEO
Rich Lukis, President
Joe Gargiulo, Executive Vice President
Brian Murphy, Senior Vice President
Christine Azzolino, Assistant Vice President
In a world where artificial intelligence can now write music, autonomous vehicles are hitting the roads, and augmented reality is enhancing everything from shopping to healthcare, the pace of technological innovation is staggering. Just a year ago, few could have predicted the transformative developments we’ve seen across industries.
At Coyne PR, we don’t just respond to technology trends; we shape the narratives that drive them. Our channel-agnostic strategies focus on unlocking the true potential of technology by bridging the gap between innovation and consumer understanding. From startups to global brands, our campaigns resonate because they don’t just inform; they inspire and engage, driving tangible results for our clients.
Coyne has represented many of the world’s most prominent and successful consumer technology brands, including AccuWeather, Casio, Engadget, Eureka, HARMAN, IMAX, KEF, littleBits, Midea, Signify, and VTech. From product launches and breakthrough campaigns to navigating industry challenges, our hands-on approach has consistently delivered success. We thrive on technology, making us an extension of our clients’ teams and helping them stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape. As technology continues to transform the world, Coyne PR is committed to staying at the forefront of innovation, ready to help brands navigate the next generation of technological breakthroughs.
Bospar Principal Curtis Sparrer launches Bospar’s AI assistant Push*E with business reporter Jane King at the NASDAQ.
Chosen by visionary companies worldwide, Clarity Global enhances reputation, creates impact and drives growth.
DIFFUSION PR
211 E. 43rd Street, #1800
New York, NY 10017
hello@diffusionpr.com diffusionpr.com/us
Daljit Bhurji, CEO and Co-
Founder Ivan Ristic, President and Co-
Founder Kate Ryan, US Managing Director
Ivana Farthing, UK Managing Dir.
Diffusion is an independent, global communications agency founded in 2008. We enable innovators to take on the status quo and transform the future faster. We help scaleups to master the new mainstream, challenger brands to grasp the mantle of leadership, and innovative incumbents to reinvent their legacy.
Diffusion offers creative public relations services to clients spanning consumer lifestyle, travel and leisure, enterprise and consumer technology, retail and business services, including GoPro, Ghostery, Rakuten Kobo, Wysa, and more.
The Diffusion team is built of early adopters with a deep understanding of technology and how it applies to our everyday lives. Our consumer tech expertise covers everything from gadgets and gizmos to drones and other personal electronics. We fight the relentless battle for market and mindshare in the crowded enterprise tech space, and our passion and expertise spans software, cloud computing, cybersecurity, AI, IT consulting and beyond to overcome barriers to progress, inspire movements that power growth and to defend hard-won advances by protecting reputation.
EDELMAN
250 Hudson St., 16th Floor New York, NY 10013
212/768-0550
Fax: 212/704-0117
www.edelman.com
Edelman is a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. Our 6,000 people in more than 60 offices deliver communications strategies that give our clients the confidence to lead and act with certainty, earning the trust of their stakeholders. Our honors include the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for PR; Advertising Age’s 2019 A-List; the Holmes Report’s 2018 Global Digital Agency of the Year; and, five times, Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work. Since our founding in 1952, we have re-
mained an independent, family-run business. Edelman owns specialty companies Edelman Intelligence (research) and United Entertainment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle).
Marty McDonald, President marty.mcdonald@fahlgren.com 614/383-1621
Fahlgren Mortine helps business-to-business brands get to precisely what matters by combining data, design and creativity to build, deploy and measure integrated communications campaigns. Our buyer-centric approach delivers impact-centered strategies and tactics demonstrating a deep understanding of our clients and their customers, and the business triggers that create demand for our clients’ products and services. Fahlgren Mortine provides clients with deep knowledge and versatile resources to deliver across a full range of services including branding, public and analyst relations, media planning and buying, content marketing, social media strategy and management, advertising and digital development. Core areas of technology experience: industrial and manufacturing, lo-
gistics, data center, software and building products.
FEED MEDIA
1430 Larimer St., #300 Denver, CO 80202 303/388-8460 contact@feedmedia.com feedmedia.com
Feed Media’s technology practice is powered by high-level expertise and long-standing industry connections. With a strategic mix of specialized media relations, targeted thought leadership campaigns, LinkedIn executive management, and high-profile awards programs, we position brands for success in the fast-moving digital world.
From startups to Fortune 500s, and everything in between, the Denver-based firm is a trusted, full-service partner for tech businesses nationwide.
Henry Feintuch, President Doug Wright, Vice President
Tech PR is in our DNA and our senior, hands-on team is proud to have played a critical role in introducing technologies which continue to shape the market, as well as new, cutting-edge breakthroughs which will define tomorrow’s marketplace.
Yesterday’s bag phones are today’s bendable smartphones. Proprietary and luggable Commodore 64 and Kaypros have been displaced by light as a feather iPads, PCs and MacBooks. Noise cancelling headphones? We introduced them for NCT. Power over Ethernet? We partnered with Israel’s PowerDsine to establish the IEEE PoE standard.
The pace of change is quickening and not every new product enhancement is market changing. But as story tellers, marketers and advocates for our clients, we know how to position, launch and build market awareness in a cluttered market.
Current tech clients include HDMI Licensing Administrator, NCSolutions (ad/marketing tech), BlueRock TMS (enterprise logistics platform), Checkin (identity verification), SurgePays (fintech & telecom) and Kramer ZeeVee (AV signal distribution).
Preparing to launch a green technology to help fight global warming? Or introduce a new enterprise platform? Looking to gain industry analyst coverage or determine how
Feed Media’s team of seasoned executives with deep industry expertise is dedicated to elevating tech clients’ brands.
to tell shareholders why a security technology, biotech development, retail tech enhancement or fintech algorithm may change the world? Let’s talk!
FINN PARTNERS
1675 Broadway New York, NY 10019 212/715-1600
www.finnpartners.com
Brian Sinderson, Mng. Partner, NY/East Coast, Brian.Sinderson@ finnpartners.com
Casy Jones, Mng. Partner, Supply Chain, casy.jones@finnpartners. com
Karli Barokas, Mng. Partner, Seattle, karli.barokas@ finnpartners.com
Margaret Hoerster, Mng. Partner, Chicago/Midwest, Margaret. Hoerster@finnpartners.com
Jeff Seedman, Mng. Partner, San Francisco/West Coast, Jeff. Seedman@finnpartners.com
FINN is a global, independent and full-service communications and marketing agency. We help clients navigate business complexity, crafting tailored solutions that are strategic, integrated and designed for business impact.
We are experts at translating the business and operational impact of technology, from AI, machine learning and cybersecurity, to mobility, transportation, supply chain and sustainability. Our team exposes the real-world implications of your technology, and showcases the genius and passion of the peo-
ple and teams who bring them to market.
FIRECRACKER PR
1800 E. Lambert Rd., Suite 106 Brea, CA 92821 888/317-4687 www.firecrackerpr.com info@firecrackerpr.com
Edward M. Yang, Founder and Managing Partner
Firecracker PR helps you get known, period. Our proven 5-step process—“Ignites”—has helped companies rapidly scale their awareness from Day 1. Industries include technology, consumer electronics, education, healthcare and more.
Companies we have worked with include Fujitsu, SRI International, Boeing, HP, Microsoft, D-Link, TP-LINK, Beyond Limits, Baylor University, the American Heart Association and many others.
FRENCH/WEST/ VAUGHAN
112 East Hargett St. Raleigh, NC 27601 919/832-6300 www.fwv-us.com
Rick French, Chairman & CEO
David Gwyn, President / Principal
Natalie Best, Chief Operating Officer / Principal
French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is the Southeast’s leading public relations, public affairs, advertising and digital media agency, a distinction it has held since 2001. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and founded in April 1997, FWV
of fashion and lifestyle PR firm
AMP3 (New York City); mobility and transportation-focused agency TMG (Detroit); pet and animal health practice Fetching and feature film development imprint Prix Productions. FWV employs more than 140 public relations, public affairs, social media, advertising and digital marketing experts between its Raleigh, N.C., headquarters and offices around the country.
THE HOFFMAN AGENCY
746 The Alameda, Suite 20 San Jose, CA 95126 408/286-2611
has received 35 Global or National Agency of the Year honors over the past 27 years. Its professional services practice area is ranked 12th in the country.
FWV has developed countless PR campaigns and communications strategies to help brands and innovative start-ups stand out in a complex marketplace. From using data to insert clients into conversations about the Internet of Things (IoT), creating media events to demonstrate their expertise or developing clear messaging around a complex product or issue, our work is often the foundation on which category leadership is built.
FWV’s tech PR experience includes work done on behalf of 3Flow, A4 Health Systems, ABB, Airwayz, AutoFi, Dunn Solutions Group, Eaton, Epsilon Advanced Materials, Foresight Corporation, Freedom Solar Power, Hercules Electric Mobility, Kalyani, Lear Corporation, Lenovo, LG Energy Solutions, Lumos, MDeverywhere, Natrx, Neopatents, Net Virta, Reflexion, Saft, SAS, SunCom, Time Warner Cable and Wolfspeed. In addition to these more traditional tech brands, the agency also has experience with sports-tech clients such as CapTech and Skytrak, as well as entertainment/lifestyle tech clients including Fliptix and ReverbNation.
In addition to its diverse range of technology clients, FWV’s passionate team of expert storytellers works with many of the world’s leading companies and brands, including Wrangler, ABB, Proximo, Melitta, Teen Cancer America and the N.C. Department of Transportation, just to name a few.
FWV is the parent company
Caroline Hsu, Global Technology Officer
Gerard LaFond, Managing Director, North America
Kymra Knuth, Chief Client Officer, North America
Steve Jursa, EVP, North America
Jenny Fieldgate, Managing Director, Europe
Lydia Lau, CFO / EVP of Global Operations
Defining communications broadly to include digital, content marketing, thought leadership as well as traditional PR, The Hoffman Agency knows how to differentiate brands and deliver air cover for sales. With its heritage in the technology sector, the firm specializes in multi-market programs which leverage content and thinking
Continued on page 32
Feintuch Communications’ senior tech team (L to R): Henry Feintuch, President, and Doug Wright, Vice President.
Edward M. Yang, Founder and Managing Partner of Firecracker PR.
THE HOFFMAN AGENCY
Continued from page 31
across geographies. While campaigns vary by client and industry, all share one theme: the creation of content that reflects the tenets of storytelling. This means developing narratives (www.storytelling-techniques.com) that prompt journalists to write and target audiences to read—a far cry from the “corporate speak” that satisfies internal stakeholders. Toward this end, the firm conducts storytelling workshops for internal communicators, executives, and employees.
HOTWIRE
655 Montgomery Street, Suite 850 San Francisco, CA 94111 415/840-2790 www.hotwireglobal.com
200 Broadway, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10038 646/974-9490
323 N Washington Ave., 2nd Floor Minneapolis, MN 55401 218/288-4402
Heather Kernahan, Global CEO
Heather Craft, CEO, North America
Jeremy Lucas, CEO, United Kingdom
Ute Hildebrandt, CEO, Continental Europe
Anol Bhattacharya, Managing Director of Marketing, Asia Pacific
Melissa Cullen, Managing Director of Communications, Asia Pacific Martin Opercan, Managing Director, Germany
Laura Macdonald, Chief Growth Officer, North America Will Hutchinson, Chief Financial & Strategy Officer (global remitbased in US)
Matt Oakley, Global Head of Data
& Analytics
Robert Stank, VP, Global Technology
Alex Wares, EVP of Marketing
Services & ABM
Natalia Sandin, SVP, Consumer
Hotwire is a tech PR, communications, and marketing consultancy. Globally, top technology brands partner with us for expert consultancy to scale and support their businesses. Found at the intersection of technology and humanity, our 400+ people in 11 countries weave global experience and local expertise to define, measure, and repeat success across reputation, relationship, and revenue campaigns.
Follow us to see how 20+ years at the forefront of communications and marketing help Hotwire make the technical, irresistible: www. hotwireglobal.com.
ICR TECHNOLOGY
685 Third Ave. New York, NY 10017
646/277-1200
Bo.Park@icrinc.com www.icrinc.com
Bo Park, Managing Partner & Head of ICR Technology PR
Matt Lindberg, Partner
Mike Gallo, Partner
John Kreuzer, Partner
Katie Creaser, Managing Director
Dan Brennan, Managing Director
ICR Technology brings equal parts business acumen, technology expertise and media savvy to clients spanning all business stages—from startups seeking to increase market share or raise additional capital, growth companies with an IPO or acquisition on the horizon, organizations investing in M&A, businesses in the throws of
digital transformation, and public companies seeking to elevate their brands. Comprised of former Wall Street analysts working alongside seasoned PR experts, ICR offers a unique combination of sector experience, media and industry relationships and creativity that helps technology companies generate the types of stories that both capture mind share and grow market share.
The firm’s Technology practice is one of its largest sector groups, representing organizations across Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Digital Payments & Ecommerce, Fintech, Martech & Adtech, Data & Analytics, EV & eVTOL, and IoT. In May 2023, ICR acquired Lumina Communications, an award-winning B2B technology-focused PR firm specializing in Cybersecurity, Enterprise Software and IT Infrastructure, doubling its Technology PR practice size in both revenue and headcount and broadening its service offerings. Embracing a roll-up your sleeves approach from senior members to associates, the team delivers results across media, content, social, event speaking, awards and more. ICR maintains offices in New York, Connecticut, Boston, Baltimore, San Diego, San Jose and Beijing.
1299 East 4500 South Salt Lake City, UT 84117 www.ingearpr.com
Peter Schuyler, President
Chris Lesieutre, Partner, CFO Caryn Cohen, Founding Partner Bob Decker, Partner
InGear is a full-service content marketing agency focused on helping AV technology companies stand out in a crowded industry. With over 20 years of experience in the pro AV, broadcast, and consumer technology markets, InGear delivers tailored strategies to enhance brand visibility and drive growth. Our services include content creation, media relations, marketing strategy, and brand development, all designed to tell our clients’ story to the right audience. From press releases and case studies to blogs, social media, and trade show media management, InGear’s team brings industry knowledge and creativity to every project. We understand the unique challenges and trends in AV technology and leverage strong
media relationships to amplify your message. Whether our clients are looking to build awareness or achieve specific marketing goals, InGear provides the expertise and insight needed to create real impact.
INK COMMUNICATIONS CO.
2717 South Lamar Blvd. #1087 Austin, TX 78704 3459 Ringsby Ct. #306 Denver, CO 80216 www.ink-co.com
Contact e-mail: kari@ink-co.com
Starr Million Baker, CEO + CoFounder
Kari Hernandez, CSO + CoFounder
Blair Poloskey, Principal + Partner
INK Communications Co. is an award-winning communications agency at the intersection of tech and energy innovation, specializing in integrated programs that combine brand strategy, PR, content, digital, and creative services.
INK helps B2B tech and energy companies harness communications as a competitive advantage and accelerant for growth and impact. We thrive on the complexity that defines these sectors and help brands show up and stand out. With 20+ years of expertise and relationships across the spectrum of tech and energy solutions and audiences—cybersecurity, AI, cloud, fintech, insurtech, renewables, storage, e-mobility, distributed energy resources, various low-carbon solutions—we can hit the ground running with a communications program that fits your business priorities and balances quick wins with long-term success.
Our trademarked “Be There Before” approach is a methodology that helps us anticipate industry trends, identifying opportunities and challenges before they arise. This is how we consistently deliver proactive ideas and client service, resulting in long-lasting partnerships and market-leading programs. Check out our data-driven BTB reports for analysis of tech and energy sector media.
Let’s explore how our communications strategies can support your next phase of growth. KARBO
601 Fourth St., Suite 204 San Francisco, CA 94107 info@karbocom.com
Karbo maximizes the value clients realize at conferences.
Kiterocket’s team of dynamic, engaged professionals drives impactful tech PR and marketing solutions, creating meaningful results for its clients.
www.karbocom.com
Providing global reach via teams in San Francisco, California, New York, New York, Los Angeles, California, and Athens, Greece.
Julie Karbo, Founder & CEO
Karbo is a top-rated integrated Tech PR, content, and digital marketing agency dedicated to powering rapid results and lasting impact for technology companies. From emerging startups to billion dollar brands, Karbo’s senior-led teams have contributed to the success of some of the world’s most innovative companies, including Apple, Hootsuite, Nutanix, Juniper Networks, Nvidia, Oracle, Rocket Lawyer, AppDynamics, Nerdwallet, Snowflake, GoDaddy, Penguin Solutions, Intel, Georgiamune and Equinix.
Karbo’s Rapid Results Method is driven by data analytics and delivers unmatched visibility, credibility, authority and measurable ROI. With Karbo Com, you don’t get bench players. You get the industry’s top marketing and PR teams working with you every day, whether it’s delivering sales, elevating brand identity, scoring top tier media recognition, attracting funding and staffing, deploying content marketing strategies, driving traffic, building communities, or strengthening partnerships. This relentless drive for speed and tangible outcomes allows us to turn high-stakes business pressure into growth opportunities
The Karbo team has pioneered
tech PR, content and digital marketing efforts across categories and industries, such as cloud/SaaS, data/analytics, AI/machine learning, High Performance Computing (HPC), security, infrastructure, the IIoT/IoT, social communities, consumer apps, semiconductor, data center, and virtual and augmented reality. Our teams are experts in virtually every vertical market, including fintech, healthcare, greentech, e-commerce, CRM, Web3/ crypto, ed tech, smart cars and cities, energy, supply chain/logistics, legal, telecom, manufacturing, pharma, government, HR, retail, gaming and more.
KITEROCKET
45 W. Jefferson St. Phoenix, AZ 85003 602/443-0030 info@kiterocket.com www.kiterocket.com
Founded in October 2004 celebrating its 20th anniversary, Kiter-
Jen Holmes, SVP, B2B (Austin) Matt Calderone, SVP, Climate (New
LaunchSquad is an award-winning creative communications and public relations agency with offices in New York, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago and employees working flexibly across 20+ states and three continents. We are a group of 110+ dynamic storytellers specializing in creating and sharing the stories of fast-growing, changethe-world companies.
ocket is a PR-forward communications agency for transformative, high growth companies. Focusing on market innovators within the semiconductor and emerging technology, renewable energy, and sustainability sectors, Kiterocket’s category expertise and purpose-driven marketing approach advances brands advancing the world. With offices in Phoenix and Seattle, and a growing remote team across the U.S., the agency’s integrated services span brand strategy, media and influencer relations, digital marketing, social media, events, editorial, design, and content production. www.kiterocket.com.
333 Bush Street San Francisco, CA 94104 415/370-7811
Brett Weiner, Partner
373 Park Ave. South, 4th Floor New York, NY 10016 212/564-3665
Mike Schroeder, SVP, New Business
Amy Arthur, SVP, Finance & Ops. (Boston)
Lisa Picasso, SVP, Consumer (Chicago)
Over the past 24 years, we’ve helped clients raise billions in funding, fuel IPOs, and achieve multi-billion dollar exits. We’ve also transformed countless upstarts from unknowns to market leaders and driven growth for large, established brands. LaunchSquad takes a holistic approach to storytelling through earned, owned and paid media for consumer and B2B brands across diverse industries, including climate/energy, AI, healthcare, transportation, consumer and enterprise technology, entertainment and media, e-commerce, finance, retail and more.
Clients include: Airtable, Climeworks, Chomps, Cohere, General Catalyst, ICF, iHeart Media, Netflix, On Running, Precision Neuroscience and Uber.
LLYC
1420 Broadway Street Detroit, MI 48226 313/309-9500
www.llyc.global mike.houston@llyc.global
Mike Houston, US CEO Federico Isuani, Marketing Solutions Americas Lead Yndira Marin, U.S. Chief Operating Officer
Adolfo Corujo, Partner and CEO of Marketing Solutions
LLYC (BME:LLYC) is a global Corporate Affairs and Marketing consulting firm that partners with its clients in creativity, influence, and innovation to enhance and protect the value of their businesses, turning every day into an opportunity to grow their brands. Founded in 1995, LLYC is present in the United States (Miami, New York, San Diego, Washington, DC, Grand Rapids, Detroit, St. Louis and Phoenix), Argentina, Brazil (São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), Brussels, Colombia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Portugal and Spain (Madrid and Barcelona).
In 2023, LLYC’s operating revenues exceeded 83.1 million euros
York)
and LLYC is consistently ranked as one of the 35 largest communications companies worldwide.
MONTIETH & COMPANY
685 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017
646/437-7602
www.montiethco.com
Montieth M. Illingworth, CEO & Global Managing Partner
Perry Goldman, Global Senior Director, Financial & Professional Services, Issues and Crisis Management and Litigation PR
Katarina Matic, Global Senior Director, Marketing Communications, Issues and Crisis Management and Public Affairs, Branding and Website Development
Cameron Penny, Global Director, EMEA, Marketing Communications, Issues and Crisis Management
Montieth & Company is a global specialist communications consultancy that provides fully integrated communications services and solutions that deliver high-value, measurable outcomes for organizations across sectors and global money and media markets. Montieth & Company’s flexible, integrated, and budget-efficient cross-border business model enables us to reach into over 25 media markets via our global hubs in New York, London and Hong Kong, and our affiliates around the globe.
Our clients include companies for whom advancing innovation by harnessing the power and impact of emerging technologies is central to achieving sustained growth across markets. We serve clients in professional services, industrial, real estate, renewable energy, retail investing, fintech, proptech, insurtech, regtech, blockchain, and AI sectors, among others. We also advise clients in asset management, investment research, risk-focused data and analytics, business intelligence/knowledge process outsourcing, cyber and physical security, compliance, law, and corporate shareholder services.
Montieth & Company helps clients achieve influence, realize their ambitions and solve their most critical problems. Central to our value-add is supporting clients’ key corporate initiatives, from leadership transitions, corporate finance, M&A, restructurings, and moving into new global markets to expand profitable market share.
The firm offers a full suite of PR services, including marketing communications, corporate and financial communications, media relations, issues management and crisis communications, litigation PR, and public affairs and government relations. M&Co also provides branding and website design and development, multi-media marketing, influencer strategies, as well as video and podcast production.
PADILLA
1101 West River Parkway Suite 400 (Headquarters) Minneapolis, MN 55415 612/455-1700
PadillaCo.com
Amy Fisher, Senior Vice President
Danielle Engholm, Senior Vice President
Padilla’s Technology Practice helps complex B2B technology brands reach and influence prospective buyers and customers, partners, investors and employees through targeted, compelling brand stories. Clients include enterprise hardware, software and services, AI, cloud, big data/analytics, mobility, engineering and materials science organizations. Padilla’s Technology team consists of experts helping tech companies sell into verticals such as retail, hospitality and CX, health care, education, finance, marketing, industrial, agriculture and transportation.
We service technology brands of all sizes including Assent, Belden, Neogen, Rockwell Automation, R3 Continuum, SullivanCotter, Talan and Wesco.
Padilla is a full-service public relations agency that transforms brands and organizations through strategically creative communications. Our work across deep areas of sector expertise in agriculture and environmental sciences, food, beverage and nutrition, health, technology and financial services, is consistently recognized by industry partners such as PRWeek, PRovoke and PRSA, among others. Padilla operates in seven cities in the U.S. through its family of brands which includes, SHIFT (performance communications), FoodMinds (food and nutrition affairs), and Joe Smith (brand strategy). As an AVENIR GLOBAL company and a founding member of the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the agency provides services to clients through 115 offices worldwide. Transform with purpose at PadillaCo.com.
PAN
125 High St., 2nd Flr. Boston, MA 02110 617/502-4300 info@pancomm.com
Philip A. Nardone, President & CEO
Mark Nardone, Chief Marketing Officer
Elizabeth Famiglietti, Chief People and Culture Officer
Darlene Doyle, Chief Client Officer
Megan Kessler, Chief of Integrated Marketing & Strategy
Gary Torpey, Chief Financial Officer
Dan Martin, EVP, Healthcare Nia Evans, Managing Dir., UK
PAN is the brand-to-demand agency that empowers possibility for B2B tech and healthcare companies worldwide. Forged from PR, we are storytellers at heart with deep industry experience and a strategic, data-driven mindset. We move ideas across media, people to action, campaigns to results, and brands to the next stage of their journey. Our mix of dedicated senior leaders, creative makers, everyday superstars, and analytical minds turn data intelligence into key insights and outcomes.
Our industry legacy doesn’t stop us from pushing the limits. We are specialists in the art of telling brand stories, and experts in the science of marketing and driving awareness. Recognized as a 2x Tech Agency of the Year and recent Data-Driven Agency of the Year, we thrive at the forefront of disruption and help brands at all stages of growth navigate their most critical transformational moments.
David Herman, President Danielle Ruckert, VP, Healthcare Practice Lead
John Raffetto and David Herman founded Raffetto Herman Strategic Communications (RH Strategic) in 2008 with the belief that tying great work to business objectives drives results and transforms innovative companies into industry leaders. We pride ourselves on elevating the stories of next-generation innovators—the visionaries, game-changing brands, and hands-on architects of a better future. We deliver creative, integrated communications across the healthcare, technology, sustainability, education, and government sectors—and, importantly, the powerful intersections between them.
As the forces of change in healthcare drive innovation, RH Strategic has elevated the voices of visionary leaders and transformative brands through strategic communications. Our healthcare practice mirrors the healthcare landscape itself, spanning Fortune 100 players to Series A disrupters, including providers, insurers, health IT innovators, medical device companies, life sciences, educators, advocates, and digital health platforms. With a presence in Washington, D.C., RH Strategic is uniquely positioned at the intersection of industry and policy.
Our approach is based on a deep understanding of our clients, our up-to-the-minute vertical expertise, our experience navigating the regulatory and policy landscape, and our ability to articulate and amplify stories that build brands and thought leaders. We design award-winning strategies that introduce, inform, influence, and inspire. We execute those plans with a commitment to precision and adaptability. We work smart and hard.
RH Strategic is more than the sum of its parts. We are our people, our clients, and our relationships— collectively focused on ensuring tomorrow is better (and healthier) than today.
SOURCECODE COMMUNICATIONS
153 W 27th St. Suite 505
New York, NY 10001
352/246-5532
www.sourcecodecommunications. com
Greg Mondshein, CEO and Managing Partner
Rebecca Honeyman, CEO and Managing Partner
Kevin Dulaney, EVP, Head of Technology and Innovation
Kristen Stippich, Managing Director, US
Giles Peddy, Managing Director, UK
Christa Conte, EVP, Head of Client Services
Katie McGovern, Vice President, AdTech & MarTech
Cori Cagide, Vice President, Consumer
Meghan Matheny, Vice President, Enterprise
SourceCode is an award-winning, international integrated communications and marketing agency that helps brands changing the world grow. We’re focused on bringing brains and hustle, humanity and technology, creativity and business intelligence back to public relations and marketing. When it comes to AI, staying ahead of the curve isn’t just a goal; it’s a necessity. We believe that we can harness AI to enhance our work and bring more value to our clients. As PR professionals, embracing AI doesn’t mean replacing the human touch that is invaluable to our work. Instead, it’s about augmenting our capabilities and making our strategies more impactful. While AI in PR is still budding, it brings a host of advantages that we can’t ignore. SourceCode is now offering new services where we integrate AI into our PR services that can offload more than just operational efficiencies across teams but also implement strategic thinking and creative execution to ensure you’re meeting business goals and a leader in the industry. For more information, please visit www.sourcecodecommunications.com or reach out to hello@sourcecodecomms.com.
SPARK PUBLIC RELATIONS
548 Market St., Suite #44541 San Francisco, CA 94105 650/888-1850 www.sparkpr.com
For over 25 years, Spark Public Relations has been a trusted PR and Marketing partner to startups, enterprises, and visionary leaders who have transformed industries and created new technology categories. From navigating the rise of smartphones and apps to redefining how consumers interact with fintech and blockchain platforms, and leading the charge in AI, Spark has been at the forefront of technological revolutions shaping our world. In addition to traditional PR and marketing, Spark harnesses the power of social media to amplify stories and drive meaningful engagement across digital platforms, connecting clients with their audiences in dynamic ways.
In today’s increasingly connected and complex world, Spark thrives by telling dynamic stories that drive change. Our team of over 50 professionals is passionate about creating and sharing the narratives of fast-growing, industry-defining companies. By partnering with some of the world’s top innovators, we explain how their groundbreaking work is transforming the future.
Sparkpr’s expertise spans a wide range of industries includ-
ing Adtech, AI (Artificial Intelligence), AR/VR (Augmented & Virtual Reality), Blockchain, Clean Energy Tech, Cloud, Consumer Apps, Consumer Electronics, Consumer Tech, CRM, Crypto Cybersecurity, Data & Analytics, Digital Payments & Ecommerce, Ed Tech, E-commerce, Enterprise Software, EV & eVTOL, Fintech, Food Tech, Gaming, Green Tech, Health Tech, High Performance Computing (HPC), HR, IIoT/IoT, Infrastructure, Machine Learning, Manufacturing, Martech, Mobile, Pharma, SaaS, Security, Semiconductor, Smart Cars, Smart Cities, Smart Homes, Social Communities, Supply Chain/Logistics, Sustainability, Telecom, Transportation & Mobility Tech, and more.
With teams based in San Francisco and New York, as well as key U.S. hubs like Austin, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, along with international locations, Spark combines flexibility with collaboration to drive results. Consistently recognized by Forbes, INC., and Newsweek as one of America’s Best PR Agencies, Spark is the partner of choice for technology companies—from disruptive startups to Fortune 1000 leaders—that are reshaping industries and the world.
SUPERIOR PR
Chicago, IL 312/952-1528
aimee@superior-pr.com www.superior-pr.com
Aimee Eichelberger, Founder & CEO
Superior Public Relations offers comprehensive strategic public relations support including messaging, creative campaign development/execution, media relations, executive media training, analyst/ influencer relations, content development, thought leadership and social media engagement. We spe-
cialize in supporting high-growth businesses, particularly those raising funding and/or approaching new markets.
The firm provides strategic communications for growing businesses. As seasoned tech PR pros, the team approaches each engagement with passion and persistence to deliver superior results through consistent, strategic communications. The agency is 10 years strong backed by a distributed workforce model with team members across all U.S. time zones. Superior PR offers a full suite of services to help businesses develop and tell their stories in the right way to the right audiences.
Clients include Ancera, The Arbinger Institute, Arvo Tech, Bellwether Coffee, Casebook PBC, Delfi Diagnostics, First Tech Federal Credit Union, HARTING Americas, Incognia, Rev1 Ventures, and Volley.
THE SWAY EFFECT
Chrysler Building 405 Lexington Ave., Floor 8 New York, NY 10174 inquiries@theswayeffect.com www.theswayeffect.com/
Jennifer Risi, Founder and President
The Sway Effect is an award-winning global network of independent marketing and communications agencies. Headquartered in New York City, our network is made up of over 50+ agencies in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. At the heart of our work, we are focused on “swaying” opinion on behalf of our clients and putting diversity, equity, and inclusion, at the heart of everything that we do. Notably, our team has deep PR expertise and specializes in corporate com-
Continued on page
Donna Burke, Co-Founder of Spark Public Relations.
Appian CEO Matt Calkins (R) on CNBC. Appian is a client of The Sway Effect.
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munications, global media relations, investor relations and issues management. Current technology clients include Appian, Collibra, and 10X Genomics.
The agency has also been awarded most recently:
• PRovoke Media 2024 North American Boutique Agency of the Year
• PRovoke Media 2024 North American Capital Markets Campaign of the Year
• PRovoke Media 2024 North American Diamond Award Winner – Superior Achievement in Reputation Management
• PRNews 2024 Agency Elite Top 100
• PRNews 2023 Women Owned Agency of the Year
• PRovoke Media 2023 North American Executive Communications Campaign of the Year
TIER ONE PARTNERS
129 South Street Boston, MA 02111
617/918-7060
209 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60606
708/421-0083
www.tieronepr.com
Marian Hughes, Co-Founder, Managing Partner—Chicago
Kathy Wilson, Co-Founder, Managing Partner—Boston
Tier One Partners is an award-winning integrated marketing agency. We offer a comprehensive range of PR, content, and digital marketing services to propel B2B and B2C companies in AI and other disruptive technologies, dig-
ital healthcare, financial services, and energy tech into category leadership.
Recognizing that modern organizations require communications partners offering services beyond traditional PR, we’ve strategically built our agency around complementary practice areas. This integrated approach ensures all aspects of a client’s marketing strategy work in harmony, positioning us as a valuable, long-term partner for brands seeking sector leadership.
Our Content Studio serves as a one-stop shop for content and digital marketing needs. Our talented team comprises copywriters, editors, digital marketers, and graphic and UX/UI designers who collaborate to help clients think and act like powerhouse publishers.
Our differentiator is that we keep our clients one step ahead—a critical success factor in today’s fast-moving technology landscape. Our Agile Insights & Analytics practice uses proprietary methodologies and advanced listening tools to predict emerging business and cultural trends. Armed with these insights, we help clients cut through noise, connect dots, and share meaningful viewpoints that resonate with target audiences.
In an industry where churn is common, we pride ourselves on the longevity of our client relationships. This endurance testifies to our creativity, results, and passion we bring to every client engagement.
Co-headquartered in Boston and Chicago, Tier One is a certified women-owned business. We’ve successfully built awareness and category domination for technology leaders including 24M, Altair, 3Pillar, the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard, iProov, Collibra, GHX, Reveleer, Tango, Prophix Software, and many others.
UPRAISE MARKETING + PUBLIC RELATIONS, INC.
268 Bush Street #4203 San Francisco, CA 94104 team@upraisepr.com upraisepr.com
Tim Johnson, President Victoria Guimarin, Vice President Katie Jewett, Vice President
UPRAISE Marketing + Public Relations is a full-service, integrated communications agency with a reputation for delivering exceptional results through a combination of innovative strategy, creative execution, and deep industry expertise. With a focus on accelerating growth for B2B technology companies, UPRAISE leverages imaginative communication strategies, aggressive media and analyst relations, and inventive content development to build client visibility and leadership profiles.
The agency’s team, known for being “Smart, Savvy, Scrappy,” includes leaders with an average of 12+ years of experience, and a senior strategy team boasting more than 60 years in the field, offering unparalleled expertise. UPRAISE serves a wide range of clients, from early-stage startups to established Fortune 500 companies, with a concentration on B2B tech and financial services.
As the marketing partner for Plug and Play, the world’s largest accelerator and incubator, UPRAISE has played a pivotal role in launching hundreds of companies and products, many of which are now household names. Through relentless execution and strategic insights, UPRAISE helps innovators
500 Harrison Ave., Suite 4R Boston, MA 02118
617/426-2222 www.v2comms.com X: @v2comms
Jean Serra, CEO and Co-Founder
Katelyn Holbrook, Chief Client Officer
Shannon Murphy, Exec. VP, Healthcare Lead
Melissa Mahoney, Exec. VP, Crisis, Corporate Comms. and Climate Tech Lead
Kristen Leathers, Exec. VP, B2B Tech Lead
Jen Plimpton, COO
V2 Communications is an integrated communications firm that works exclusively with technology companies focused on the B2B, healthcare, and climate sectors— from upstarts to publicly traded companies. V2’s roots are in B2B technology, and the firm partners with enterprise and emerging tech brands across AI and automation, supply chain manufacturing, enterprise IT, cybersecurity, martech and adtech, and fintech. V2 designs and executes integrated communications strategies across earned, owned, and paid channels that help clients shape their markets and make them market leaders. V2’s proven process ensures clients benefit from thorough program planning, increased speed, flexibility, and efficiency of program execution, and ongoing strategic counsel to maximize market shifts and refine programs to deliver consistent high levels of business success. Clients include CalypsoAI, Cloudera, OneTrust, Rocket Software, and UiPath.
V2 Communications Founder and CEO Jean Serra.
Tier One, founded and led by Managing Partners Marian Hughes and Kathy Wilson, is an award-winning integrated marketing agency serving B2B and B2C technology leaders.
RANKINGS
TOP TECHNOLOGY PR FIRMS
Tax proposals overview: Trump vs. Harris
By Dominic Rovano
Note: By the time this issue prints, the nation will have chosen between either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
Though neither candidate has outlined an official tax proposal, both Harris and Trump have offered vastly different prospective tax policies and have communicated aspects of their plan in various campaign speeches, rallies and interviews. A breakdown of both candidates’ plans will be the subject of this month’s column.
Dominic Rovano, CPA, is a Partner at Armanino LLP with significant experience serving professional services firms. He focuses on delivering excellent client service as he helps clients satisfy their financial reporting requirements by providing tax, assurance and other advisory services
The following article is what is currently known about each candidate, and we will focus on the aspects of their plans that are relevant to the owners and operators of PR and marketing agencies.
The table below compares what each candidate has revealed about their respective tax plans.
Proposal: individual tax rates
Kamala Harris:
• Increase top marginal tax rate to 39.6 percent.
• Expand earned income tax credit.
• Exempt tips from tax.
• Tax capital gains as ordinary income.
• Impose a 4 percent income-based premium on households making over $100,000.
Donald Trump:
• Make TCJA rate cuts permanent.
• Introduce 10 percent middle-class tax cut.
• Reduce 22 percent tax bracket to 15 percent.
• Exempt tips from tax.
• Exclude Social Security from income tax.
• Reinstate the SALT deduction.
Proposal: corporate tax rate
Kamala Harris:
• Increase corporate tax rate to 28 percent.
• Raise the corporate minimum tax to 21 percent for large corporations with 3-year average net income over $1billion.
Donald Trump:
• Reduce corporate tax rate to 20 percent for C-corporations.
• Make 20 percent QBI pass-through deduction permanent for flow-through businesses.
Proposal: capital gains
Kamala Harris:
• Tax capital gains as ordinary income at 39.6 percent on income above $1 million.
• Limit deferral on gains for like-kind exchanges of real property to $500,000.
Donald Trump:
• Index capital gains for inflation, reducing rates.
Proposal: tax cuts for businesses
Kamala Harris:
• Expand New Market Tax Credits.
• Expand Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
• Incentivize energy-efficient upgrades.
• Incentivize the construction of starter homes and affordable rental units.
$50,000 deduction for small business startups.
Donald Trump:
• Make 100 percent bonus depreciation permanent.
• Introduce “Made in America” tax credits.
• Expand TCJA Opportunity Zones.
Proposal: tax increases for businesses
Kamala Harris:
• Revise Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income to 21 percent minimum tax.
• Impose tax penalty on corporations moving jobs offshore.
Donald Trump:
• Impose an additional 60 percent tariff on goods imported from China.
Proposal: estate tax
Kamala Harris:
• Eliminate stepped-up basis for inherited capital assets.
• Restore estate tax rates to historic norms.
Donald Trump:
• Make TCJA estate tax provisions permanent.
• Cap estate and gift tax rates at 20 percent.
Proposal: energy
Kamala Harris:
• Restore full electric vehicle credit.
• Reform and extend tax incentives for clean energy.
• Make the Child Tax Credit fully refundable on a permanent basis.
• Increase the Child Tax Credit to $6,000 for children under age 1, $3,600 for children 2–5, and $3,000 for older children.
Donald Trump:
• Consider expanding the Child Tax Credit to a $5,000 universal credit.
• Restore $5,000 personal exemption.
Proposal: payroll taxes
Kamala Harris:
• Impose 12.4 percent Social Security payroll tax (split evenly between employers and employees).
Donald Trump:
• No new payroll taxes proposed.
Proposal: tariffs and trade
Kamala Harris:
• No new tariffs proposed.
Donald Trump:
• Impose 20 percent tariff on every foreign import coming into the U.S.
The Harris plan summary
Harris aims to boost the corporate income tax rate to 28 percent, penalize companies for offshoring domestic jobs and raise the minimum corporate tax. Her proposals also include a new payroll tax on wages above $400,000, paid by both employers and employees. However, Harris’s plan to expand tax credits for new markets could lower tax liability for some businesses, while developers would appreciate her proposed expansion of affordable housing credits.
Also worth mentioning is Harris’s goal of boosting middle-class income via expanded earned income and child tax credits, along with tax assistance for first-time homebuyers. More money in consumers’ pockets could spur economic activity, helping businesses such as retailers, home builders and restaurants.
The Trump plan summary
Trump has suggested reducing the corporate rate to 20 percent and floated the idea of dropping income tax entirely in favor of a tariff-based taxation system. Many economists believe that’s not feasible, but it suggests that Trump is open to the idea of major shakeups to the tax code. He’s repeatedly signaled his intent to impose tariffs on all imports and make the 20 percent Qualified Business Income deduction for passthrough businesses permanent. He also wants to expand current Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Opportunity Zones, introduce “Made in America” tax credits and codify a permanent 100 percent bonus depreciation rate. While Trump’s tax cuts for businesses
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Debasing society, one ‘f@#%- you’ at a time
By Fraser P. Seitel
The top show on Netflix for a brief moment in October was “Nobody Wants This,” a smartly written romcom about a young rabbi who falls in love with a non-Jewish podcaster.
The show was entertaining enough, well-acted and, for the most part, inoffensive except for one Bar Mitzvah scene, where the rabbi’s older brother spots a notorious 12-year-old boy drinking at the bar.
“God, Stuart,” the brother exclaims, “Gimme that. Oh, it’s water. Good job; I trust you.”
To which the 12-year-old retorts, “Nice try, you f-ing narc.”
Cut. Wrap. Onto the next scene. And therein lies a dilemma—at least in the mind of one old gent—that has subtly insinuated itself into proper society over the past decade. Swear words that used to be taboo in public discourse and had to be disguised in print—e.g. “f*@#, sh#&, b#*ch, etc.—are no longer verboten in conversation, business, politics and especially enter-
TAX
POLICY: HARRIS VS. TRUMP
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and high earners hold appeal, economists have warned that his proposed tariff strategy could raise prices, curtail consumer spending and negatively impact economic activity.
Impact on PR and marketing agencies
Potential changes to various tax rates and treatment of capital gains are the biggest issues for PR and marketing agencies to monitor as the election approaches:
Agencies structured as C-corporations should consider the possibility of changes to the corporate tax rate, either higher or lower. Higher rates might reduce profit margins, lower shareholder returns and make U.S. companies less competitive globally. A lower rate could boost profit
tainment and social media.
Where even a decade ago, when somebody—usually a man—used the F word in a meeting, it was considered shocking; today it’s commonplace usage for both men and women. It’s almost expected because expletives are everywhere. The days of George Carlin’s “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” are but hoary memories of a bygone, more puritanical era. In today’s society:
• Music, from country to rap, is flooded with cursing.
• Movies and TV shows rarely forego an opportunity to swear.
• Celebrities and politicians, right and left-wing alike, from precinct captains to presidential candidates, toss around vulgarities with impunity.
It used to be that children were taught that cursing was inappropriate and revealed a limited vocabulary and more limited upbringing. Today, Instagram parents proudly share videos of their cute little toddler’s first curse words.
So, people curse, you say. Big whoop. People are simply expressing and not bottling up their strong emotions. And that’s good. Besides, they’re only words. It’s the 21st century. Don’t be so stuffy, you old coot. Cursing is no big deal.
Maybe. But then why is the New York Times—no shrinking violet when it comes to supporting progressive causes—so squeamish about opening the F-word floodgates? Here’s how standards editor Phil Corbett explains the Times’ policy on obscenities:
margins, enhance shareholder value and make these companies more attractive to foreign investment. A lower corporate tax rate scenario could also include the possibility of wage increases for employees and competitive pricing for tech products.
The election could also decide the fate of the 20 percent pass-through deduction for partnerships, LLCs and S-corporations. Owners and partners in these types of entities should anticipate what could be a significant increase in tax liability after 2025 if it expires.
The disparity in the treatment of capital gains is another wild card. A higher capital gains rate could reduce venture capital investment and slow down the pace of M&A. However, a reduction in the capital gains rate would likely increase investment in capital ventures and boost overall M&A activity.
What will happen with bonus depreci-
“In an age of ubiquitous vulgarity, it’s not very persuasive to argue that someone’s use of, say, the F word is deeply revealing.
“You may have seen an obscenity in the pages, digital or print, of the New York Times. But this should be rare. We maintain a steep threshold for vulgar words.
“The Times differentiates itself by taking a stand for civility in public discourse, sometimes at an acknowledged cost in the vividness of an article or two, and sometimes at the price of submitting to gibes.”
Now, there are plenty of things offensive about the New York Times, but its policy on using offensive language isn’t one of them. In fact, in a media environment where everything from disputing that children were murdered at Sandy Hook to publishing images of Liam Payne’s freshly dead body is fair game, defaulting to “civility” seems like a pretty decent goal.
And if you’re a professional communicator, you’ve got to ask yourself, “If the New York Times, the sacred bastion of journalistic standards, is reluctant to curse in public, shouldn’t I be, too?” As a public relations practitioner, you’ve got a responsibility to communicate more sensitively and skillfully than others; not to mention the responsibility to yourself—in terms of worth, awareness and respect.
In other words, just because everybody does it, doesn’t make it right. And if you, in your job and your social interactions and the example you set for your children, want to distinguish yourself by setting a higher standard, then watch your freaking language.
ation is yet another unknown. Depending on who wins, we could see a permanent 100 percent bonus depreciation rate.
Harris’s proposal includes an additional payroll tax on wages above $400,000, which could be a factor for PR and marketing agencies with high income earners.
How to prepare
With the candidates’ tax proposals heading in such different directions and so much being still unclear, how should PR and marketing agencies and their leaders prepare for the next four years? For now, your best option is to stay flexible, so you can adapt your business practices to save on taxes under either future administration. Nothing is certain and things are destined to evolve. In the meantime, stay aware of potential tax changes that could affect your agency and be prepared to respond if any of these proposals become a reality.
Fraser P. Seitel has been a communications consultant, author and teacher for more than 30 years. He is the author of the Prentice-Hall text, The Practice of Public Relations.
Finance trade groups earn high marks on Capitol Hill
Trade associations representing the U.S. financial sector were repeatedly ranked among Washington, D.C., policy leaders as the most effective industry advocates on Capitol Hill, according to a new survey released by APCO Worldwide.
The survey, which quizzed 330 policy leaders on what public-policy characteristics make associations effective in achieving their policy goals, asked Washington insiders to rank 50 specific trade sectors to identify which ones they believe are the most effective in delivering policy results for their members. Groups representing the financial services sector were collectively ranked as the most effective. The retail/general business sector came in second place, followed by healthcare, energy and extraction, technology, manufacturing, transportation and food and beverage.
Financial services, retail and general business, healthcare and food and beverage all posted higher effectiveness ratings this year compared to 2023, according to the survey.
Respondents were also asked to name the specific associations that best exemplify the characteristics needed to support their members. Once again, trade groups representing the U.S. financial sector were top performers in this year’s study, followed by trade groups representing retail, manufacturing and health groups.
The top-rated group for the most categories was the American Bankers Association, which topped the list for lobbying, multilateral impact and local impact. Retail group the National Retail Federation also earned three top mentions: for events, media relations and grassroots capabilities. The Bank Policy Institute earned the top spot for social media as well as for providing a unified voice. The International Franchise Association was viewed as a top player for bipartisanship and coalition building. The National Federation of Independent Businesses was listed as a top information resource, the American Dental Association earned a top spot for self-regulation and the American Hotel and Lodging Association topped the list for member representation.
When it comes to what characteristics policy leaders believe today’s trade groups must excel at to achieve results for their members, lobbying topped the list, followed by membership mobilization, multilateral impact and providing a unified voice. Other top-performing characteristics included being an industry reputation steward, social media, events, media relations, and serving as an information resource, while local impact, bipartisanship, self-regulation, coalition building, grassroots and member representation bottomed out the list.
According to APCO’s survey, Washington, D.C., policy leaders view trade groups as generally more effective advocates in 2024 than in previous years. The 50 trade associations ranked in the year’s survey earned an aggregate score of 68.3, compared to 67.7 last year.
Climate advocate Skelton advises DGA Group
DGA Group has named climate advocate Karen Skelton as a Senior Advisor to help clients navigate the evolving energy transition landscape.
Most recently, Skelton served as Senior Policy Advisor to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and John Podesta, who is President Biden’s top climate diplomat.
She co-led the establishment of the Interagency Working Group on Coal & Power Plant Communities & Economic Revitalization, which is responsible for delivering more than $170 billion in federal resources aimed at revitalizing America’s energy communities.
Skelton also organized public and private sector engagement to support passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s clean energy initiative.
Previously, Skelton ran a Sacramento-based policy and political consulting firm focused on climate, energy, technology, economic justice and women’s health matters for a dozen years. She was equity partner at D.C.-based PA firm Dewey Square Group, managing its 25-member California outpost during a ten-year run.
Skelton also was President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore’s Special Deputy Assistant for Political Affairs for seven years.
At DGA, Skelton will help clients deal with the rapidly shifting dynamics in artificial intelligence, transportation, infrastructure and energy, as well as handling complex litigation.
Obama alum Semaan joins FP
Jillian Semaan has joined Finn Partners as a Partner in its Purpose & Social Impact practice.
During the Obama administration, she was Chief of Staff for the Office of Civil Rights at the Dept. of Agriculture.
Semaan oversaw programs that advanced equity, purpose-driven leadership and social impact across global food and agriculture systems. She also led sustainable agriculture initiatives that increased healthy food choices in underserved communities. Most recently, Semaan worked at Ketchum as VP-Sustainability.
At Finn, Semaan reports to Amy Terpeluk, who heads the global global impact group.
Avenue Z launches PA unit
Avenue Z has launched its Public Affairs Group, which is designed to shape client outcomes in public and private advocacy, shareholder activism and ESG, philanthropy and civil society, and regulatory environments.
The new offering leverages a blend of communications, media, creative and technology to help clients achieve consensus and desired outcomes. It’s tailored to serve a diverse range of clients, including public figures, trade and industry groups, charities and philanthropies, as well as private and public sector organizations.
Karen Skelton
Jillian Semaan
Edelman works UAE climate fund
ALTERRA Management Ltd, which is the United Arab Emirates’ $30 billion climate-focused investment fund, has handed digital duties and website design work to Edelman.
The No. 1 independent firm inked a one-year $45,000 per-month strategic communications and event management contract with ALTERRA in May.
Edelman is now in line for an additional $195,000 fee for digital work during the period from August 5 to Dec. 24.
The website rework project is driven by the need to enhance user experience, improve functionality, and align with ALTERRA’s overarching business strategy, according to the contract.
The revamped digital presence must position ALTERRA as a “leading entity committed to redefining climate finance with unprecedented scale, targeted scope, and agile structure.”
The Abu Dhabi-based firm believes its current website “faces limitations in SEO, performance, navigation, and usability, hindering its ability to effectively communicate with its target audience, which includes investors, partners, and stakeholders in the climate finance sector.”
Venn Strategies pushes for Kazakhstan trade
Venn Strategies is representing Kazakhstan in its effort to gain most-favored nation trading status with the U.S.
The energy-rich Central Asian nation is a major producer of uranium & gold. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai visited Kazakhstan in June. She was the first-ever trade rep to visit the country.
Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Todd Young (R-IN) have introduced legislation to grant permanent normal trade relations status
FARA News
for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Venn Strategies President Erik Olson and VP Doug MacGillivray handle the Kazakhstan effort. Olson was Chief of Staff for Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), while MacGillivray served as lobbyist for the American Public Gas Assn. and American Energy Alliance.
Venn Strategies does not have a formal representation agreement with Kazakhstan.
Squire Patton Boggs signs Colombia
Squire Patton Boggs has signed a one-year $720,000 pact to provide government relations and strategic political consulting services to Colombia’s Washington embassy.
The contract calls for SPB to conduct educational and awareness activities to promote understanding and support for Colombia’s interest in implementing an ambitious program of transformation in key aspects of its society.
The firm will provide strategic counsel on global warming, drug policies and migration patterns, as well as Colombia’s free trade agreement.
SPG will also conduct outreach to media and relevant third parties on Colombia’s behalf.
Principals Rodney Emery and David Schnittger handle the account. Emery served in the Obama administration as director of Congressional affairs at the International Trade Administration while Schnittger was deputy chief of staff for House Speaker John Boehner.
SPG’s contract began Oct. 1 and also includes representation of Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Office of the Presidency.
The firm has enlisted WP Group as a subcontractor on the Colombian effort.
It receives a $25,000 per-month fee.
NEW FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT FILINGS
Below is a list of select companies that have registered with the U.S. Department of Justice, FARA Registration Unit, Washington, D.C., in order to comply with the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, regarding their consulting and communications work on behalf of foreign principals, including governments, political parties, organizations, and individuals. For a complete list of filings, visit www.fara.gov.
APCO Worldwide LLC, Washington, D.C., registered Sept. 25, 2024 for Republic of Benin, Cotonou, Benin, concerning providing strategic communications services and stakeholder engagement services within the United States to promote economic and financial developments by the country
Brunswick Group LLC, New York, N.Y., registered Oct. 9, 2024 for University College of London, London, U.K., regarding providing communications support aimed at raising the profile of East Bank with key stakeholders and audiences nationally and internationally. University College of London is a founding member of East Bank, a cultural quarter located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Story Squad Media, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered Oct. 17, 2024 for IBF Connect SA, Brussels, Belgium, regarding producing two short videos on the effects of the Jones Act (Merchant Marine Act of 1920).
Lobbying News
NEW LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT FILINGS
Below is a list of select companies that have registered with the Secretary of the Senate, Office of Public Records, and the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Legislative Resource Center, Washington, D.C., in order to comply with the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. For a complete list of filings, visit www.senate.gov.
1607 Strategies, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered Oct. 7, 2024 for Ameriprise Financial, Washington, D.C., regarding issues related to brokered deposits.
The Daschle Group, Washington, D.C., registered Oct. 16, 2024 for National Association of Convenience Stores, Alexandria, Va., regarding financial issues impacting convenience stores, generally and S.1838 – Credit Card Competition Act of 2023.
The Smith-Free Group, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered Oct. 7, 2024 for Project on Predatory Student Lending, Boston, Ma., concerning addressing fraudulent practices in higher education.
Watershed Results LLC, Washington, D.C., registered Oct. 21, 2024 for Big Bend Conservancy, Big Bend National Park, Texas, regarding S.1059|H.R.1544 Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act.
Talking AI with 5W PR’s Ronn Torossian
By John O’Dwyer
The PR industry plays a vital role in fostering trust in AI and will be key to its responsible adoption, according to 5W PR Founder and Chairman Ronn Torossian.
Things move fast in New York City and 5W PR Founder and Chairman Ronn Torossian is no exception. His firm has thrived in the hustle and bustle of the city since 2003.
We blitzed through a discussion on artificial intelligence where Torossian explained his overall embrace of the phenomenon and how it’s a core part of his agency’s expertise, both for clients and to improve internal efficiencies.
“AI is changing the whole world, every business on Earth. There’s no reason to think that the PR and digital marketing business won’t be completely changed as well,” Torossian insists.
One of the first points Torossian hit upon is the use of AI tools that streamline media monitoring and offer more precise targeting of journalists.
“AI enables us to analyze big amounts of data and identify trends much quicker,” Torossian said.
5W’s approach to earned media has undergone a paradigm shift. “We’re just better able to understand and track in real-time public sentiment,” Torossian said.
Recent work for a 5W fintech client involved demonstrating the responsible use of AI and addressing consumer bias concerns for the company’s use of AI algorithms to gauge risk assessment and credit scoring.
Torossian pointed out in a recent article posted online with O’Dwyer’s that public relations is essential in bridging the gap between innovation and understanding, fostering trust in AI, and ensuring its responsible adoption.
For Torossian, there should be no shortage of educational resources to help the public understand AI and its potential benefits.
An edtech client was counseled to run a public workshop on demystifying AI’s role while also offering personalized learning, Torossian explained.
5W’s counsel for a healthcare client keyed in on AI driven diagnostic work
and highlights the need for real-world examples of AI solving problems and improving lives, according to Torossian.
Torossian is not shy about encouraging his clients to invest in AI and take it seriously. “Any company not looking at AI is making a mistake,” Torossian said.
Torossian emphasizes AI’s positive impact on society, including advancements in medical research and climate change mitigation, as a way to ease concerns people might have about it.
AI and journalism
Torossian feels that journalism was already in trouble before the emergence of AI, and he thinks it will just continue to struggle.
I pointed out to Torossian that the ratio of PR pros to journalists was only two to one in 1980, but now stands at more than six to one.
This means getting earned media will be harder and harder, Torossian lamented.
AI is just capable of automating so many tasks, Torossian notes. “You’re going to see for every 100 jobs, 20 of them will be eliminated.”
“Any company not looking at AI is making a
mistake.”
nal or the New York Times is still seen as a major coup, posting original thought leadership for clients on platforms like LinkedIn is just as much of a goal, Torossian explained.
Torossian feels LinkedIn is a great B2B tool while X is mostly for breaking news. “My consumer-packaged goods clients pretty much stay away from X,” he said.
AI’s place with social media is to help you leverage use of different channels and make life easier, Torossian explained.
Torossian described how staffers are using a proprietary tool that queries their own knowledge base to assist with prepping releases and other client documents.
“AI makes it easier to make noise, to create content and to respond to whatever’s going on,” Torossian said. “There’s no question about that.”
“Whether it’s X, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram, you must know these platforms inside and out and be able to leverage these channels to be effective in PR in 2024,” Torossian said.
Search engine optimization
5W has long recognized the importance of managing how clients appear in search engine results, Torossian explained. “It’s the first place people turn when they are seeking answers,” he said.
Search engine optimization is not a dead art, but gone are the days of loading up key words on a web page and tweaking meta tags, according to Torossian.
His team looks to websites, blogs, social networks, inter-linking and SEO copy writing to impact online search results.
Google has always been the smartest when it comes to the algorithms that rank web pages and they are continually inventing new ground rules, especially in the AI space, Torossian explained.
“Everything has to be creative and original and can’t only be machine-generated,” Torossian said.
Torossian believes AI is going to completely change the PR and communications business, but what is unknown though is how and in what way, he admits.
“If I knew the answer, I’d have a much larger business in many different sectors besides PR,” Torossian said.
— Ronn Torossian
While a mention in the Wall Street
Torossian acknowledges that no matter what happens with AI, human creativity and interaction are key in PR and communications. “You still need relationship building.”
