The latest news we’re following::
Telum Talks To... Jeremy Seow, Managing Director, Growth & Innovation, APAC, Allison+Partners
We caught up with Jeremy Seow, Managing Director, Growth & Innovation, APAC at Allison + Partners as he takes us through his unexpected career path in public relations which has led him to be the forefront of integrated agencies. Jeremy tells us how he found success and meaning by embracing his inner generalist, and shares the changes he has seen in the industry since he started out. READ MORE
Allison+Partners Buys Corporate Comms Shop Sommerfield
In announcing the deal, Allison+Partners said the acquisition expands its financial communications, ESG-related communications, executive positioning, thought leadership and B2B communications capabilities.
Sommerfield president Frank Sommerfield, who launched his eponymous firm 25 years ago, will focus on growing those offerings further as as an Allison+Partners managing director. READ MORE
How to get Media cut Through in These Covid Times
There is only one thing dominating the news right now, so it is not easy to get a journalist’s attention with stories unrelated to the pandemic. We asked senior PR communicators for their top tips for achieving cut through.
Invest time and resources
Sue Grant, managing director, B2B tech, Europe at PR firm Allison+Partners: “In 2020, it often felt like walking on eggshells when reaching out to journalists. Is now a smart or sensitive time to pitch? Is my pitch still timely with the current news cycle?
“As PRs we need to invest in unique ways to build and maintain media relationships that will pay off. As we enter 2021, building quality relationships with regular contacts will continue to be critically important."
“This might range from investing time (allocating time for teams to read journalists’ content and share feedback separate to outreach on behalf of a client) to investing in resources (perhaps you Deliveroo the journalist’s favourite meal to chat about your news over a virtual lunch). Taking the time to be thoughtful, appreciative and supportive will continue to pay dividends.”
PR Pros Offer 21 Words on What They're Expecting in 2021
It's fair to say that last year’s industry predictions round-up didn't quite go to plan. Not surprisingly, nobody PRWeek approached could predict the devastation that the coronavirus pandemic would inflict on the economy and society at large.
Although the vaccines provide hope, the UK is clearly not out of the woods just yet, and there is a great deal of uncertainty about how 2021 will pan out. In spite of this, industry leaders are cautiously optimistic about the year ahead.
PRWeek asked a broad range of agency and in-house communications professionals to gaze into their crystal balls.
READ MOREPodcast: Allison + Partners' Lisa Rosenberg On Innovation and Creativity During Challenging Times
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All-staff PTO, no Video Fridays, Wellness Checks: How Team Leaders are Countering Employee Burnout
Agency leaders are sounding the alarm on the stress and pressure their employees are under after months of being isolated at home, a race to finish client work for 2020 on a revenue high and no respite in sight from COVID-19.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my career. Folks who usually run through walls are hitting walls,” says Andy Pray, founder of Praytell Strategy. “Those walls are coming from fatigue, stress and build-up of having been in this mental and physical space for eight months.”
“People are feeling the pressure to give 100% when they don’t always feel 100%,” he adds. “They’re hitting walls at rates I’ve never seen before. That’s troubling because we’re not through the woods of this.”
Scott Allison, chairman and CEO of Allison+Partners, agrees.
“There is no sugar-coating it. It has taken a real toll on people,” he adds. “In the first few months of the pandemic, we could be like, ‘We’re all this together, no one was laid off at our agency and we’re all happy to have our jobs.’ But the pandemic went from a sprint to a marathon and it is hard to play that ‘grateful’ message for the long haul.”
READ MOREPRovoke Innovators 25 2020 Americas
America's Best PR Agencies
Allison+Partners Forms Middle East Partnership
The partnership gives Allison+Partners – which has 30 offices across the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific – reach into the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain and Kuwait with Orient Planet’s offices, plus a wider affiliate network across the Arabian Gulf, Levant, Egypt and North Africa.
Orient Planet Group founder and managing director Nidal Abou Zaki, who founded the firm 19 years ago, will serve as the head of the agency’s operations in the region.
Andy Hardie-Brown, Allison+Partners’ co-founder and global vice chair, said: “After several years of global expansion, the Middle East is a natural next step for the continued growth of our agency. Dubai in particular is an important hub for the region, and feeder market into Europe, APAC and Africa.”
READ MORE
PRovoke Names Global Agencies Of The Decade
The seven will be honoured at the upcoming virtual Global SABRE Awards on 21 October, where the top three will be counted down to reveal PRovoke's overall Global Agency of the Decade. READ MORE
CES 2021 Confirms Need for Marketers and Brands to Reimagine, Not Replace
By Cathy Planchard, Allison+Partners, All Told Global President
Organizations that spent the first half of 2020 adjusting to meet the pandemic’s challenges learned by mid-summer their pivots would be longer and deeper than expected. This became more evident when events and tradeshows had to be cancelled, postponed or moved online, particularly CES 2021.
The world’s largest tradeshow, which brings 175,000 people to Las Vegas every year, will be fully virtual for the first time. For brands “exhibiting,” the implications of CES’ move run far and wide. How can you showcase your technologies in an environment where they can’t be touched? How can you still get media attention when you can’t physically track down reporters to bring them to your booths? What about all the in-person prospecting and deals you expected to make?
The solution is to reimagine, not replace.
READ MOREMastering the 'Now Normal'
The career path that Jonathan Heit took to the public relations industry is unlike that of most people. With an undergraduate degree in sciences and a pre-medical background at Cornell University, Mr Heit, now 48, says he was "on the path to becoming a doctor".
"It was really challenging science-based work and as I really dug into it, I started to realise the element of medicine that I enjoyed: the interaction with patients," the co-founder and global president of Allison+Partners tells Asia Focus. It was at this point when he also realised that he wasn't as strong on the science side of things as he wanted to be.
But "I was always a very good writer, and I was always interested in writing and communications", he notes.
Fresh out of med school, and after spending time on what he wanted to do, "I thought maybe merging two things together, communication and healthcare, could play to some of what I've learned and be where my real passion is". That decision led him to healthcare public relations and marketing communication.
But working with science-based clients could be a little bit limiting, he discovered upon entering the industry. "Science is so defined, so precise that it's a very regulated industry," he observes.
READ MOREHappy 19th Anniversary Allison+Partners - Celebrating 2020's Global Day of Giving
By: Scott Pansky
As we reflect on our 19th anniversary, the world continues to change and we continue to change with it. Similar to when we launched in 2001, just a week before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, our business continues to deal with challenges. Unlike 9/11, the entire world is dealing with the pandemic, economic disruptions and natural disasters. We have had to prioritize, making sure we can take care of our team members around the globe and adapt to new ways of working. We have had to ask ourselves hard questions, commit to change to evolve our culture and provide the best service possible for our clients. As so many have said, “We are all in this together!”
To celebrate the agency’s anniversary, Allison+Partners will again host its annual Global Day of Giving, which allows employees in every office to take time off from work to learn about the issues in their local communities and work as a team to address those needs. Our 2020 theme supports COVID-19 relief efforts, including writing cards and letters to those impacted by the virus and donating food and toiletries. This focus is captured in the commemorative logo featured above, the winning submission from an employee competition. This year’s beautiful design was created by Niphon (Dui) Appakaran in our Bangkok office.
READ MOREWith so much happening around us, this year’s volunteer efforts seem more meaningful than ever. It does not take a company of more than 500 to have an impact. However, one person can make a difference. Helping your neighbor, providing someone living on the street with a warm meal, or thanking those who deliver packages, make meals, or stock the grocery store shelves really does have a positive impact.
Please join us and make a difference in your community this month, whether it’s sharing a story that puts a smile on someone’s face or just letting them know how special they are. In these uncertain times, this is just one simple way we can all help.
We look forward to our 20th anniversary next year, when we can finally visit those impacted in person, face to face.
The Reckoning is Here for China's Global Tech Giants
To win in a global marketplace that is predisposed to distrust them, China’s emerging tech brands need to rethink the PR function altogether.
As the typhoon gusts of geopolitics blow on the China-US relationship, those same winds are blowing away the assumptions on which our companies and clients have built their businesses for over a generation. Public relations professionals are being called upon to aid the firms caught in the contradictions between commercial goals, Beijing’s global ambitions, and Washington’s open discomfort with those ambitions.
Though this emerging challenge touches upon every industry, the core role that technological superiority and public information now play in global conflict has brought the brunt of the disruption down on the technology business generally and online services in particular. The greatest challenge of all falls upon Chinese companies seeking to extend their businesses beyond their home market. These brands now face a global phalanx of new stakeholders who know little about these firms, who watch their rise with surprise and even dismay, and who have the power to enable the growth of their global business or stop it dead in its tracks.
READ MORELeadership Beyond Disruption: The Now Normal
Amid the crisis, stakeholders need information and inspiration, and this puts unprecedented pressure on organizations to be more flexible, agile, innovative and empathetic.
I seem to hear two expressions every day. The first is “Matthew, you’re on Mute.” And the second is “How are you doing?” I suspect I am not alone.
The first one is easy to answer – a sheepish grin and a mouse click. How are we supposed to answer that second question? Every day seems to have a week’s worth of news, crises and emotions thrust into it. COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, recession, election, back to school, natural disasters…
READ MOREWith so much happening at once, you can be forgiven a sense of constant disorientation. We don’t live in the “old normal,” and we’re clearly not in the “new normal.” We live in what I’ve come to call the “Now Normal” – a state of constant change and unpredictability wherein leaders have no prior experience or playbook to draw from to ensure success.
In March, Allison+Partners’ consulting arm, Allison Advisory, developed a framework of strategic approaches and perspectives to guide leaders through the crisis. Our aim was to help our clients craft strategies that wove together communications, marketing and business continuity that would allow their companies to come through this global crisis healthy and more resilient. We based that framework on how experience and logic suggested the disruptive crisis would progress in phases:
- Shock. The moment the disruption first happens.
- Orientation. When initial responses are considered, countered and ultimately crafted.
- Command. The point where you can start taking charge of the situation, being agile to adjust as necessary, given the unpredictability surround us.
- Recovery. The period when much of the emergency has passed or been contained, but normal operations have not yet returned.
- Bump. A sudden business surge often resulting from a prolonged period of pent-up demand.
- Equilibrium. “The new normal.” The sustainable tempo of business post-crisis where organizations must ensure future success and competitive advantage.
With some variation in geography or industry, most of us remain in the Command phase. The timing and nature of recovery remain unclear, and planning beyond month-to-month is little better than guesswork.
With recovery constantly receding before us, clients around the world seek our counsel on surviving, and even thriving, in the Now Normal. And while it seems axiomatic, our first advice is to lead, to be bold, directed and clear in the face of an instinct to drop, hold, wait and watch. Amid the crisis, stakeholders need information and inspiration, and this puts unprecedented pressure on organizations to be more flexible, agile, innovative and empathetic, all while sustaining a rapid tempo of clear communications:
Flexibility – Working from home, flex work schedules, delivery of products or services – programmatic approaches to change should be a thing of the past with priorities focused on pain points inhibiting transformation and future growth opportunities.
Agility – “Agile” is about more than software development. Enterprise agility and working in sprints, frees an organization to focus resources on critical pain points and opportunities, even in the face of constant change.
Innovation – Whether in process or product, managing through the crisis demands thoughtful but constant experimentation with new approaches, digital transformation, analytics and AI, and alliances and partnerships that might have been unthinkable before.
Empathy – Stakeholders are going through emotional gyrations they have never experienced. Leaders need to institute changes to address them. Diversity is no longer just an HR issue. Purpose needs to suffuse the organization, not exist as a marketing ploy. Reskilling and upskilling strategies will deliver to the bottom line. Setting a foundation in empathy is necessary as you manage through this crisis.
Communications – Leaders must be highly visible during this crisis. Transparency, accessibility and an obsession about constant communications are essential. Remember, stakeholders will remember how you acted (communicated) during this disruption. Putting your chief of communications in the C-suite will help ensure you get it right.
When this crisis does end, that end will offer opportunity for those most ready to capture it. After all, the renaissance was born from a pandemic. The key for all of us: success after the crisis will go to those who led most strongly through it. Lead boldly now, and your organization, and more importantly, society, will reap the benefits.
Allison+Partners is closely monitoring developments worldwide. In our weekly newsletter, we share expert perspectives on the pandemic's impact on marketing and communications, best practices in how to respond and useful tools and information to help guide you. Sign up to receive our weekly updates or visit our COVID-19 support page to learn how we can help you during this time.
MATTHEW DELLA CROCE
GLOBAL PRESIDENT, EUROPE + CORPORATE
matthewdc@allisonpr.com
An award-winning PR executive with more than 25 years of experience, Matthew leads the firm’s Corporate practice and oversees the growth and development of our European offices. He has extensive global experience helping businesses and organizations across industries grow and evolve.
Matthew's expertise includes reputation management, corporate brand positioning, thought leadership and executive visibility, change management, B2B marketing, social impact, C-suite counsel, crisis and issues management, integrated communications, influencer engagement, business and financial media and transaction communications.
He is a regular speaker at the Public Relations Society of America's annual conference, in IR Magazine workshops, and has served as a guest lecturer at New York University, Manhattanville College, Salem State University and in Columbia University's Strategic Communications graduate program. Matthew graduated with honors from Manhattanville College, where he was an All-American Scholar Athlete, and attended St. Catherine’s University, Oxford. He lives in Boston and spends as much time as he can in Vermont with his wife and daughters.
How Brands Are Navigating the Uncertainty of Back-to-School This Year
For decades, the back-to-school shopping season has been a dependable boon for brands -- second only to the holiday season -- as kids and parents seek out new outfits and supplies for the classroom. In 2019, back-to-school saw approximately $80 billion in sales.
But amid the pandemic, with the uncertainty of what school will look like in the fall, the once-reliable shopping season has been upended, leaving brands and retailers -- not to mention families -- in the lurch.
READ MOREB2B Brand Storytelling in the Age of COVID-19: Firms Lacking ‘Human Touch’
The majority of B2B companies have not conducted primary research focused on their customers’ needs and challenges in the last 12 months, as the sector struggles to humanise their communications in an era of brand storytelling, according to new research.
A new report by global marketing and communications agency, Allison+Partners reveals that whilst B2B marketers wish to evolve their brand strategy in favour of more human connection and conversations to engage with their audiences, they struggle to put this into practice.
As empathy, trust and care become increasingly vital brand currencies, particularly during these uncertain times, more B2B brands will look to follow suit and talk more
“human”. Businesses that are able to adapt quickly and execute against timely events are the ones that survive and thrive. The survey, which included input from 400 marketing directors in the UK and Germany, found that:
BurgerFi Brings on Allison+Partners as PR AOR
WEST PALM BEACH, FL: Fast-casual restaurant chain BurgerFi International has hired Allison+Partners as its PR AOR.
The agency started working on the mid-six-figure account on June 24, following a formal RFP. Five firms pitched for the business, said Lisa Rosenberg, partner and president of consumer brands at Allison.
The agency is planning to drive BurgerFi’s consumer marketing initiatives and support franchise sales efforts and thought leadership. The agency will build brand awareness through integrated communications programs and generate publicity for key initiatives, promotions and product offerings. Allison’s work includes the launch of BurgerFi’s first national brand campaign and customized local outreach supporting store openings. The firm will also work to increase awareness and interest in franchisee buying rights.
The Age of Accountability: 'Business as Usual is Dead. Hooray for That'
Emboldened by a new culture of challenging the status quo, brands are putting institutions on notice, from an 88-year-old professional sports franchise to the world’s largest social media company.
FedEx, Nike, Coca-Cola and Starbucks are among the brands exerting their influence with companies they do business with, demanding big, history-making changes. And those progressive brands are being cheered on and counseled by agencies that are encouraging them to be ambitious.
READ MORE43. Scott Allison, Allison+Partners
If in the end, it’s all about growth and putting zeros behind other numbers, then Scott Allison has to be pleased at what he’s accomplished at his eponymous firm.
According to the shop’s profile in the PRWeek Agency Business Report 2020, revenue at Allison+Partners rose 19% in the U.S. and almost 23% globally, which meant 2019 gave the agency its 18th consecutive year of top-line growth.
READ MOREWhy Cause Marketing Should Extend Beyond Campaigns and Projects
Cause marketing, as we know, is not a new phenomenon. But COVID-19 has forced brands into thinking about their cause marketing strategy more effectively, especially with increased public scrutiny, and studies and reports pointing towards brand purpose heavily influencing consumers.
"We've seen an increase in cause marketing briefs in the industry, with two key drivers of this shift—brands putting purpose at the centre of its marketing efforts and brands seizing the opportunities presented to do something meaningful to support its communities during this time," says Jeremy Seow, APAC managing director, growth and innovation, for Allison+Partners.
READ MOREHigher Ed Has a Credibility Problem. Here’s How Leaders Can Fix It.
By: Scott Pansky
Focus, transparency and a return to core principles lay the foundation for real change.
There is a wildfire burning, and it is spreading fast. The COVID-19 pandemic was the match that lit these flames, exposing deep fractures in public and private institutions that have been around for generations. Responses to the pandemic from many of our leaders -- in both words and deeds -- have fallen woefully short, amplifying a serious erosion of trust that grows on a daily basis.
Nowhere are these fractures more evident, this erosion of trust more glaring, than in higher education. For months, we have been watching colleges struggle with the impact of the pandemic in real time, with the financial challenges of returning to campus instruction dominating the public conversation. Despite more than two million Americans having already been diagnosed and infections continuing to rise, we see many universities forging ahead with plans for on-campus instruction this fall. Testing, tracing and physical distancing protocols remain vague and aspirational, leaving more questions than answers about the safety of literally millions of students and faculty.
READ MOREAnalysis: CrossFit CEO Exits Post-Controversial Tweets but will it Help?
CrossFit founder and CEO Greg Glassman will be stepping down and retiring from his position, following his controversial remarks towards George Floyd's death and the pandemic. In an official statement, Glassman said:
“On Saturday I created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members. Those who know me know that my sole issue is the chronic disease epidemic. I know that CrossFit is the solution to this epidemic and that CrossFit HQ and its staff serve as the stewards of CrossFit affiliates worldwide. I cannot let my behaviour stand in the way of HQ’s or affiliates’ missions. They are too important to jeopardise.”
The rift and remarks in question, were his replies to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation which described racism and discrimination as critical public health issues and demanding an “urgent response”. Glassman had replied to the tweet with “It’s FLOYD-19” and called out the institution for its “failed model” that led to a quarantined situation and asked “now you're going to model a solution to racism?”. This sparked several discussions on social media, where majority of the netizens and CrossFit enthusiasts called out the CEO for tying Floyd’s murder to a worldwide pandemic.
READ MOREAllison+Partners on Pitching for Budweiser via Zoom
Pitching for business is stressful enough. But during COVID-19 lockdown, PR pros are trying to win clients via Zoom.
Last month, Budweiser selected Allison+Partners as its U.S. AOR following a video conference. In a video with PRWeek, the firm’s president of consumer brands, Lisa Rosenberg, talks about what the experience was like.
Other PR pros, including Coyne PR president John Gogarty, Hill+Knowlton Strategies chief business development officer Sam Lythgoe and Torchia Communications MD and partner Daniel Torchia, dish on the pros and cons of the new normal of pitching.
READ MOREThis Years Back-to-School Campaigns are Going to Look a lot Different
Can you even call it a “back-to-school” campaign?
With a big question mark hanging over whether kids will be physically at school in September, back-to-school campaigns will look a tad different this year.
It’s almost June, which means brands have been planning their BTS efforts for months. After all, it’s each July when people find themselves asking the TV why back-to-school ads are starting already.
Backpack brand JanSport usually begins preparing 11 months out and starts its back-to-school efforts in June. Danimals, a kids’ brand in the yogurt aisle, typically starts getting ready a year in advance.
Yet the coronavirus pandemic has put brands in the same uncharted waters as parents: figuring things out on the fly for the lucrative sales season. The National Retail Federation estimated that the combined amount spent on BTS season for K-12 and college surpassed $80 billion last year.
"Parents aren't the only ones making things up as they go,” says General Mills chief communications officer Jano Cabrera.
Allison+Partners has been helping JanSport with its BTS programming for the past two years. Agency president of consumer brands Lisa Rosenberg explains that its campaigns have been very product-focused. “But if kids do not go back physically to school, there will be less need for new backpacks, initially,” she says.
READ MORETake 5 with Matthew Della Croce
Welcome to our new series here on the Cision blog: Take 5. It's five quick questions on PR, the state of the industry, and how it interconnects with everything else (like the evolving COVID-19 communications crisis), all with the brightest minds around.
This time we're talking to Matthew Della Croce, Global President + Partner at Allison+Partners.
READ MOREBudweiser Brings on Allison+Partners As US Agency of Record
Lisa Rosenberg, Allison+Partners consumer brands president, confirmed the agency started work this week. The remit includes integrated communications planning and PR support for brand initiatives, product launches and sponsorships. Budweiser handles social media in-house. Budweiser’s previous consumer agencies have included Weber Shandwick, which continues to work on many other Anheuser-Busch brands.
“Budweiser is more sure of what it stands for than ever before: authenticity, progress, and community," said Monica Rustgi, vice president of marketing for Budweiser. "Our standards as a brand are as central as the people that work behind it. As we look towards making a new generation of drinkers fall in love with Budweiser in the way generations before have, we knew we needed to also have partners who withhold the same values and culture as us." READ MORE
Best Agencies to Work For In North America 2020 Rankings
That’s, in part, because firms that take culture seriously tend to attract and retain smart and creative talent who, in turn, produce stellar work. It’s a simple formula but one that’s easily overlooked amid the breathless pace and tremendous pressures that are an inevitable reality of agency life. But this pace is exactly why agencies shouldn’t underestimate the power its culture has on the work its employees produce. READ MORE
Is China losing the global PR war?
China is not one to be in most countries’ good books, and this sentiment has intensified in the last few months. Especially in the West, backlash against the republic has amplified as the coronavirus continues to ravage much of Europe and the US. Whether it’s criticism against China’s alleged withdrawal of information around the initial stages of the coronavirus outbreak, or a lack of trust in China’s official tally, the country is buckling on the world stage and in need of a cleaner, more trustworthy image altogether. READ MORE
Agency Business Report 2020: Allison+Partners
2019 seems like a decade ago, as we’re so immersed in all the challenges of this year, but we reference 2019 as the greatest year in company history. —Scott Allison
Rising 19% in the U.S. and almost 23% globally, record revenue last year gave Allison+Partners its 18th consecutive year of top-line growth. Even more impressive: None of the revenue surge came from new acquisitions.
About 66% of it was from expanded mandates from clients such as Deloitte, Denny’s, Samsung and medical genetic testing company Invitae.
“2019 seems like a decade ago, as we’re so immersed in all the challenges of this year, but we reference 2019 as the greatest year in company history,” says the firm’s cofounder, global chairman and CEO Scott Allison.
That is measured not just by growth, but touted work for Impossible Foods, including a video that spoofed the Center for Consumer Freedom’s 2020 Super Bowl ad mocking its plant-based meat; and an employee retention rate of 80%, which is impressive given the sheer size of the perennial PRWeek Best Places to Work winner.
READ MOREWhile Allison had been pretty bullish about 2020, that was before the coronavirus and the impact it threatens to have on the economy. He is now guardedly optimistic after having also reflected back on agency history.
“The virus is a black swan — an event that no one could have predicted. We haven’t seen an impact on Q1, but as for Q2? We’ll have to wait and see,” he says.
Pro Tips For Looking Good On Virtual Meetings And Events
And this "new normal" might be here to stay even when we're past the pandemic. Handshakes are out. Face time on digital screens is in. And the shift requires you to take your networking and interpersonal skills online.
Virtual meeting pros offer these Zoom meeting tips and other online options to help you look your best.
READ MOREAllison+Partners Promotes Lisa Rosenberg to Consumer Brands President
NEW YORK: Allison+Partners has promoted Lisa Rosenberg to president of consumer brands, a newly created role.
Rosenberg is focusing on unifying the practice, nurturing and adding depth to agency talent and driving business growth across regions. She is reporting to Anne Colaiacovo, partner and president of North America, and overseeing seven staffers.
READ MORE“Consumer business is 20% of our total agency revenue and we needed someone to focus on driving growth and helping to grow our talent,” said Rosenberg.
Rosenberg was previously Allison+Partners’ chief creative officer. Her prior responsibilities have been folded into her new role.
Rosenberg has worked at the firm for seven years. Previously, she was president of North America for Havas PR, responsible for operational and business leadership of the firm. Rosenberg has also worked at Porter Novelli, Hill+Knowlton Strategies forerunner Hill & Knowlton and Ogilvy & Mather.
'In a crisis, PR is the most critical need'
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve seen brands significantly reducing or altogether halting their marketing spend, and this has naturally hurt agency partners. PR agencies are not exempted from this struggle, and issues such as reduced earnings, late payments, hiring freezes, and pay cuts have been reported. But it’s not all doom and gloom for medium-sized or larger PR networks. Jonathan Heit, global president at Allison+Partners, tells PRWeek Asia that while many businesses in hospitality and travel have been negatively impacted, he has seen expanded needs from many of the agency’s technology and corporate sectors, particularly in B2B as they face new opportunities and challenges that were impossible to forecast at the start of the year. READ MORE
Exclusive: Allison+Partners Names Jeremy Seow as APAC MD
Jeremy Seow joins the agency in a newly created role as MD of growth and innovation for APAC. Seow brings nearly 20 years of experience to the table and was most recently Singapore CEO at WE Communications. Previously, he held senior positions at Yahoo, Zeno Group, Ogilvy, and Text 100 (now known as Archetype).
READ MORE
"In a way, we co-created the position," global president Jonathan Heit told PRWeek. "It was a combination of Jeremy's experience, our expanded capabilities (eg data analytics, content marketing, advisory services) as an agency and the ongoing growth as our clients scale in the region and we continue to grow. We are coming off the best year in the history of our agency, and APAC set the pace for much of that growth. This position is a natural evolution of our agency's growth and Jeremy is ideally suited to take it on."
Seow fills the gap left by APAC MD Serina Tan who departed the agency after starting Allison+Partners' Singapore office in 2014. She left to spend time with her family.
Seow's appointment is complemented by the promotion of longtime senior consultant Shen Jegathesan to vice president. Jegathesan has served as a senior advisor to the Singapore team since its early days. Both she and Seow will work closely with Heit and director Lewis Moh.
While Seow will spend time working with all the regional offices, his primary focus is Singapore-based clients and their needs both locally and in Southeast Asia.
On whether Seow and Jegathesan will be facing challenges in their new roles in the middle of a global crisis, Heit said that both of them have experienced crises before, such as SARS in 2002 and the global financial crisis of 2008, and that their experience will be of great value to the team and clients.
"From an economic standpoint, our priority is making sure that our clients are positioned for long-term success. We are incredibly nimble, and have been working around the world on programmes for clients that address everything from business continuity to video and digital product launches to replace live events," said Heit.
"Nevertheless, these are unprecedented times. The top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of our team. This has led to us enlisting work from home policies that are not something anyone is accustomed to.
"Jeremy's onboarding has taken place entirely over video conference, as have all of our recent pitches and client meetings. Maintaining the incredible sense of community and culture that differentiates our office while folks can communicate only virtually is something the leadership in Singapore has taken on as an immediate priority."
"Empathy, Trust & Cooperation" — PR Advice Adapts To Coronavirus Crisis
Reputation Today Mighty 50
Allison+Partners ups Corporate Practice Leaders to Handle New Business
Jill Feldman (pictured) has been elevated from executive VP to MD of the corporate communications group. Hadas Streit has been upped from senior VP to executive VP and head of the agency's workplace specialty group. David Baum, also a former senior VP, has been named executive VP of corporate communications and technology. READ MORE
A Booming PR Job Market, but...
The Labor Department’s employment figures for December, released on Friday morning, paint a strong jobs picture for the past decade. Employers have created jobs for a record 10 years, the longest stretch in eight decades, although the 145,000 jobs added in December was lower than what economists had predicted. Unemployment remains at a 50-year low of 3.5%. READ MORE
Looking ahead: The agency of the future
The tremendous growth of Allison+Partners over the last 18 years was not by accident, it was by design. When my business partner Andy and I started our agency, we never set out to be the largest agency in the world. Just the best. Our vision was to become the agency of the future, one that is client and employee-driven and utilizes the latest technology to help our clients succeed. While that sounds good in theory, there were many investments made, open-door conversations and risk-taking we took early on to ensure we charted the course and continued to grow. Those investments have paid off, and this year we saw the greatest growth in our company’s history.
So, what does the agency of the future look like and how do you build it?
READ MOREBest Places to Work 2019
Location: San Francisco
Having made the Best Places to Work list for a third year in a row, Allison+Partners’ commitment to retaining its people-focused culture as it grows stands out. The firm’s turnover rate is far lower than the industry average.
Judges clearly identified it as an "agency where you can learn, grow and be recognized." From extensive learning resources to constant access to leadership, the firm provides excellent advancement opportunities.
READ MOREexchange4media unveils list of India's Top Corporate Communication Professionals
exchange4media unveiled the “Top 100 Influential Game Changers” list in an extravagant ceremony at Hotel Shangri La, New Delhi, on Thursday.
The list features the names of Top 50 PR Professionals (male and female) and 50 Corporate Communication Professionals (male and female). It is a compilation of the most influential public relations and corporate communication professionals who have changed the dynamics of the industry through their work, vision, leadership skills and clout.
READ MOREPR chief picks 5 best APAC campaigns of the past decade
The Best Job in The World by Tourism Queensland (2009)
In 2009, Tourism Queensland promoted the Great Barrier Reef as a global tourism destination with a website encouraging people worldwide to apply for The Best Job In The World, to be a "Caretaker of the Islands" to "house-sit" the islands of the Great Barrier Reef for half a year, based on Hamilton Island. The submission website crashed two days following the launch of the campaign, from excessive visits and application video uploading.
"In 2009, social media (Facebook and Twitter) had only just began to take off in the APAC region. Targeted at the early adopters, it was a clever and creative campaign combining both traditional and social. The campaign resulted in user-generated content and conversations which ultimately went viral, drawing interest from all around the world. Follow ups from the campaign continued through to Ben’s appointment – he shared regular, authentic content about his experiences at Hamilton island, continuing to engage curious wanderlusters and adventurers globally."
READ MOREPRWeek Awards US Shortlist Revealed
Skills shortages and cost concerns curbing data-driven endeavours
While many organisations are making strong progress in becoming more data-driven to improve customer engagement, most businesses still report significant barriers preventing them from getting the most out of data.
And research based on the input of 500 marketing directors in the UK and Germany conducted by marketing and communications agency Allison + Partners and entitled ‘Turning data into marketing gold’, found that many believe they will face greater obstacles in becoming more data-driven in the future.
READ MOREData siloes ‘holding marketers back’
New research reveals 98% believe future improvements are held back by data silos, justifying the cost and in-house skills shortage.
Data-driven marketing is vital for today’s marketing teams. But a new report by global marketing communications agency Allison+Partners revealed that while marketers have made progress to becoming more data-driven, nearly all respondents cited numerous barriers preventing them from getting the most out of data.
READ MOREData goldmine: Brands are just scratching the surface
That is one of the key conclusions of a new survey by marketing agency Allison+Partners, which quizzed 500 marketing directors in the UK and Germany about their data strategies. READ MORE
Marketers still have further to go on best use of data
Marketers have made considerable progress to become more data-driven, yet there remain numerous barriers preventing them from getting the most out of data, a new survey has revealed.
Allison+Partners, the global marketing communications agency, reached this conclusion after working with research firm Censuswide to poll 500 marketing directors in the UK and Germany in October.
READ MOREMAJORITY OF MARKETERS CLAIM DATA CONFIDENCE BUT HURDLES REMAIN
In a survey of 500 marketing directors ( 250 in the UK, 250 in Germany) working for companies with a revenue of over $50m, 87% believe that their department’s use of data was either somewhat or far above average, compared to similar organisations, and 89% were confident in their own ability to extract insights from data.
Despite this, almost all respondents ( 98%) agreed there will be obstacles in improvements to how data is used moving forward, and the main barrier is data being siloed across organisations, cited by 45% of respondents.
READ MOREMarketing bosses struggle to get most out of data - report
A new report by global marketing communications agency Allison+Partners has revealed that, despite the rise in data driven marketing, many are struggling to get the maximum out of their data.
The survey, which included input from 500 marketing directors in the UK and Germany, showed that, despite the vital role of data in marketing, marketers are only scratching the surface on what data-driven approaches can do.
READ MOREWhat’s Preventing Marketers Turning Data Into Gold?
Data-driven marketing is vital for today’s marketing teams. But a new report by global marketing communications agency Allison+Partners revealed that while marketers have made progress to becoming more data-driven, nearly all respondents cited numerous barriers preventing them from getting the most out of data.
The survey, which included input from 500 marketing directors in the UK and Germany, showed that:
READ MOREThe Stream
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