The changing nature of PR and the importance of partners

We’re in the throes of redesigning our website and rethinking how we talk about ourselves. The easy answer to, “What’s RoseComm?” is “We’re a PR firm.” But it’s no longer the right answer.

When I talk about what we do for our clients, people often tell me we’re selling ourselves short. Sure, public relations is our heritage and our core competency. And we’ve been focused on social media since we launched our first Facebook effort back in 2007. But what we’re really doing goes beyond what most people think of when they hear “public relations.” We’re helping our clients capture their brand stories and driving the development of content for use across many channels.

An example of such a client is Lucite International, makers of the 75+ year old acrylic material used by well known designers, such as Alexis Bittar and Aaron R. Thomas. Our original assignment was a project to create a 75th anniversary celebration in New York. From there, we took on social media. Now we support most of their marketing program, from e-newsletters and trade show strategy to video production and even advertising creative. Oh, and we also run their social media pages and traditional media relations efforts.

We engage with outside partners if our clients need a service we don’t offer in-house, such as design, traditional media planning/buying, video production, etc. Our main partner on Lucite is Visionmark Communications, a firm that introduced us to one of our longest standing clients, Apex Tool Group, back in 2006. Together we deliver the offering of a full-service agency to a half dozen clients. We also partnered with a production company to create a video that showcases the winner of Lucite International’s 2013 JUST IMAGINE Awards.

The focus of our agency is expanding because the nature of communication is changing. In some cases we’re working with outside gatekeepers, such as journalists and bloggers; in others, we’re communicating directly with the target audience. The fundamentals of public relations — credibility, two-way conversation, substance — are now the fundamentals of every marketing communications discipline. Brands that share meaningful, entertaining content will rise to the top. And we’re here to help clients uncover and share those stories.

 

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