Today, I am looking back at 2016 to pause and reflect. Many of us understand that the rapid pace and flow of business often hinders consideration of where we’ve been and lessons we’ve learned. For our current and potential clients, I believe it serves to review the comprehensive communications services we offer via representations of what we achieved in 2016.

Dale Scott & Company

It was a banner year in 2016 for voter-approved ballot measures providing crucial funding for California school districts. Dale Scott & Company, an independent financial advisor to California K-12 and community college districts, takes a win-win approach to improving schools while protecting taxpayers. We provided communications support to help inform residents of more than 15 districts about the bonds through extensive media coverage and public communications. The bonds were all overwhelmingly supported by voters.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts is world famous for its freshly brewed coffee and wide selection of food offerings, but, surprisingly, it had no presence in the Bay Area until last year. Brought on to introduce this blue-chip brand to Northern California, Fineman PR successfully hosted three grand openings to throngs of crowds and media, some of the latter just as excited as the guests. The ribbon-cutting ceremonies featured mayors, city council members and other local dignitaries to welcome the brand to each community. In ongoing work, we support holiday promotions, including National Coffee Day and National Donut Day with a strong social media presence.

eHarmony Español

Over the last 16 years, eHarmony has become the go-to site for singles looking for lasting and fulfilling relationships, but its general market strength did not extend to Latinos. Mosaico, Fineman PR’s multicultural division, developed a survey of Latinos’ dating behaviors and considerations to promote eHarmony Español, its Spanish-language site. The survey gained favorable broadcast and print coverage in top Latino markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Orlando and Chicago. We also leveraged a key finding of the survey to develop a satirical “psychic” character, Juanito Talismán, for social media, which resonated with the belief of one-in-five Latinos that superstitions can help them find true love, a playful contrast with eHarmony’s science-based approach.

Foster Farms

The agency launched a highly-targeted lifestyle and food influencer marketing program, on behalf of Foster Farms, dedicated to redefining comfort food for West Coast consumers. The New Comfort Food campaign inspired fresh recipe and visual content from culinary and lifestyle insiders and earned more than 148 million impressions. The program included a Pinterest data partnership, a consumer survey discussed in Parade Magazine and analytical measurement for targeted, focused marketing outreach.

• The brand’s organic and antibiotic-free fresh chicken products were highlighted as staple ingredients for family meals.
• The brand was reinforced as fresh, relevant and in-tune with today’s consumers and trends.
• The New Comfort Food theme resonated with West Coast food and lifestyle influencers in authentic blog and social media posts.
• Compelling imagery and fresh content continue to generate engagement with customized recipes championing Foster Farms values and product quality.
• We broke through to food news influencers who hadn’t previously engaged with Foster Farms.

Fineman PR also expanded Foster Farms’ CSR program and the company’s dedication to feeding local families through expanded partnerships with West Coast food banks.

Foster Farms, 2016 Processor of the Year

Fineman PR successfully advocated for a cover story recognizing Foster Farms as the U.S. meat and poultry industry’s 2016 Processor of the Year for its advances and leadership in water conservancy during California’s epic drought; for becoming the largest producer of organic and antibiotic-free poultry on the West Coast; for rapidly expanding distribution of its frozen and pre-cooked poultry into national markets; and for the consistent excellence of the company’s comprehensive food safety program.

Foster Farms Bowl

As an extension of our work for Foster Farms, our team highlighted the West Coast brand’s offerings to a national audience in the NCAA-official Post Season Foster Farms Bowl game. This year, the Indiana Hoosiers faced the Utes of University of Utah at Levi’s Stadium. To highlight the Northern-California roots of the brand, our team devised a national anthem competition in the weeks leading up to the big play. The 2016 Bowl game kicked off to the tune of a talented Northern California student and singer who won the second annual “Oh Say Can You Sing” contest. As part of the contest prize, Foster Farms donated holiday meals to a Bay Area hunger-relief organization in the winning singer’s name.

Girl Scouts of Northern California

The local council serves a diverse membership of 49,000 girls and more than 32,000 adult volunteers in a 19-county area from Gilroy to the Oregon border. In addition to promoting digital cookie 2.0 with news development and media sampling for cookie season, Fineman PR identified opportunities council-wide to advance the positive community and individual impact of the organization’s programs.  Regional broadcast, print and online feature coverage included stories and interviews for National Young Women of Distinction and Gold Award recipients, the 100-year proclamation in Sacramento with the state’s female legislatures, and the annual Golden Gate Bridging event.

HNTB

Peyton Manning’s career-capping championship at Super Bowl 50 drew significant media attention last February, but HNTB’s innovative design of Levi’s Stadium earned its share of the spotlight. Amid the ubiquitous Super Bowl buzz, Fineman PR tapped into the conversation from an architectural design perspective to secure widespread national media coverage for HNTB. Highlights included features in the Associated Press, USA Today, The New York Times, Washington Post, ESPN, and more, making it one of the most successful PR campaigns in HNTB’s 100+ year history.

Habitat Horticulture at the SFMOMA

The S.F.-based living wall design firm was commissioned as part of the SFMOMA’s grand redesign. In collaboration with the museum, Fineman PR worked to raise Habitat’s profile and distinguish designer David Brenner’s singular approach. The wall, with breathtaking artistic features, is the largest living wall in the United States. Feature coverage included The San Francisco Business Times, Fast Company, Curbed, Inhabitat, Architect Magazine, San Francisco Magazine and Silicon Valley Magazine, with additional branded exposure in the New York Times, Vogue, Forbes, Bloomberg and Wired.

HealthRIGHT 360

Fineman PR continued to support the marketing and development team for one of California’s largest community healthcare providers, originating from the merger of the historic Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic and Walden House.  Executing on media strategy, expert positioning/thought leadership, event promotion, and collateral development, we secured regional and national features on critical programs and mergers underscoring the organization’s expanding influence. We also continued to promote its breakthrough Capital Campaign project.

IPREX Annual World Meeting Host

Last May, Fineman PR hosted our industry partners at the annual IPREX conference in San Francisco. IPREX is an international network of independent Public Relations firms with 1,800 staff and 115 offices worldwide working across the spectrum of industry sectors and practice disciplines. The conference had a record turnout of members from all over the world – Australia, Finland, Ireland, Prague, Berlin, Mexico City, Belgium, Dubai, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Paris, and, of course, from leading agencies throughout the U.S.

Materra Ɩ Cunat Family Vineyards

Materra Ɩ Cunat Family Vineyards has one of the newest winemaking and hospitality facilities in Napa Valley and engaged Fineman PR to build brand awareness and drive guest traffic. The agency brought a steady stream of wine media to the property and is developing the brand’s 10^th anniversary event.

Quintessa in Napa Valley

In our fourth year with Quintessa, we continued to generate top-tier wine coverage, highlighting the outstanding estate wine and unforgettable guest experience. Coverage included Conde Nast Traveler, Travel Channel, the San Francisco Chronicle’s best-of-wine country guide and an Associated Press exclusive harvest story that ran in dozens of major metropolitan newspapers and electronic news sites.

Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey

Though Feld Entertainment recently discontinued its universally known circus franchise after a 100-year run due to high operating costs and a changing entertainment model, the company turned to Fineman PR in 2016 for breakout publicity in the Bay Area, a traditionally difficult market for the national touring brand. The Bay Area venue reimagined the circus experience for the 21^st century with its “Out of This World” show. In turn, Fineman PR exceeded expectations for feature coverage and brand-positive tone. It was exciting, and they will be missed.

Ritter Center

Fineman PR was called upon to help address a threat to the continuing operation of a Marin County mainstay and nonprofit organization, one that provided critical resources for homeless and low-income residents. We moved quickly to garner support through a grassroots digital campaign and editorial message development to advocate for what resulted in a successful outcome for the organization.

San Francisco Marathon

The 2016 race hosted the largest number of participants in the Marathon’s history, attracting runners from 67 countries and all 50 states. In our third year of working with the Marathon, we continued to generate momentum for its development via international media attention. Our Spanish-speaking staff worked closely with the ESPN Latin America crew to develop a feature on a local Latina runner. Our analytics team also worked closely with the S.F. Chronicle’s interactive division to develop a special report with data visualization.

Sonoma County Vintners

The agency assisted the Sonoma County Vintners with a community outreach program, called Community Connection, to address the challenges of increasing numbers of visitors to the region. Member wineries pledged cooperation to controls set by use and event permits, a compliance officer position was created to monitor events at the winery venues, and the SCV expanded its best practices member education.

Wine Institute

Wine Institute, an advocate for California wine and more than 1,000 wineries and affiliated businesses, engaged Fineman PR for a crisis preparedness and issues management initiative. As the project continues, we are equipping the organization to prepare for crisis risks to the California wine industry and expanding the Institute’s expert resource pool to address challenging and highly technical industry issues.

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An independent website, in operation since 2015, eHarmony Español has experienced significant growth in users. The company is now ready to expand further into the pool of Hispanic singles. Mosaico will develop a strategic approach to communicate the brand’s benefits on a national scale with a strong focus on the top Hispanic markets in the U.S. The program will leverage the dating nuances of Latino culture to better communicate the many benefits eHarmony Español offers and show how these align with Latino cultural traditions and values.

“We are delighted to be working with such an iconic brand and industry leader,” said Mosaico Senior Director Juan F. Lezama. “We believe our work with eHarmony will grow the website’s user base and help generate awareness of the benefits that eHarmony offers to the U.S. Spanish-speaking population.”

“We are eager to work with Mosaico,” said Harmony Espanol’s Senior Product Manager Francine Nicholson “We selected Mosaico because of its comprehensive understanding of the Hispanic market and its culturally relevant strategies that will convey our brand’s promise to Latino consumers. We are enthusiastic about helping more people find love and fulfillment through our unique, scientific approach.”

About Mosaico PR

Mosaico PR combines the insights of a Latino communications and marketing agency with the substantive, wide-ranging brand and issues savvy for which parent company Fineman PR is recognized in the general market. Since 2005, Mosaico has led highly successful Brand PR, crisis and issues management programs for clients that exceed expectations and resonate with Latino communities. For more information visit www.mosaico-pr.com.

About eHarmony

eHarmony, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is a pioneer in using relationship science to match singles seeking long-term relationships. Its service presents users with compatible matches based on key dimensions of personality that are scientifically proven to predict highly successful long-term relationships. New peer-reviewed research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) ranks eHarmony as number one for producing the most marriages and the most satisfied marriages. Of all meeting places measured, eHarmony also had the lowest divorce rate.* On average, 438 people marry every day in the U.S. as a result of being matched on eHarmony, nearly 4 percent of new marriages. Currently, eHarmony operates online matchmaking services in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore.

*2012 survey conducted for eHarmony by Harris Interactive^®.

(Covered in MediaPost and Bulldog Reporter).

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Latinos are quickly becoming a powerful economic force, so tailoring messaging to them should be a key marketing strategy for companies that want to reach this demographic. But simply developing a communications campaign directed at Latinos is not enough.

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But the Latino influence in elections trumps “the Donald.” In the 2014 elections, one lesson became abundantly clear: Latinos are playing a growing role in shaping the future of the United States. Gubernatorial and other state and local candidates – as well as ballot measures – faced an increasingly Hispanic electoral landscape.

What does this mean for your brand? If Latinos’ role in choosing our leaders and policies is growing, so is their role in picking brand winners.

Here are three insights for brand managers who wish to appeal to Latino consumers:

1. Develop culturally sensitive messaging now

In the past few election seasons, candidates in tight races have sometimes had to change their tune to appeal to Latino voters. In Florida, former Governor Charlie Crist, who, as a Republican, had opposed the Affordable Care Act – a measure supported by Latinos – ran as a Democrat in 2014, supporting the ACA and winning the Latino vote (although narrowly losing the election). In a state where a third of Hispanics polled said either they or a family member had been uninsured in the past year and about half said they knew someone who was sick and lacked health insurance, it is clear that being on their side could make or break a campaign.

Although you might not be reaching out to a Latino audience today, that could change tomorrow. So it’s important to craft messaging and establish business practices that are culturally sensitive to all groups.

2. Capitalize on their values

Former Republican Governor Rick Perry held office for three terms in Texas, which can be partially attributed to his appeal to Hispanic voters. While Latinos tend to vote for Democrats, Perry tailored his messaging to resonate with them. For example, although he advocated stringent border control, he also supported and signed legislation that allowed illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition at public universities. While many Latino voters might have disapproved of his border stance, they undoubtedly appreciated his support for helping them receive higher education, a topic that perpetually ranks as one of the most important to this audience. This, among other Latino-friendly positions, strengthened his appeal to Hispanics.

In marketing, a primordial element in any campaign is to understand the target consumer. Rick Perry showed us how associating a brand with a cause can lead to acceptance. Once a brand picks a cause or topic, it can position itself as an organization that is driven by more than profits, and this plays very well with an audience, like Hispanics, that is drawn to corporate social responsibility initiatives.

3. Once you’ve won Latinos over, don’t assume their loyalty will last forever

Recently the Democratic Party has experienced a decrease in Latino support at the national level. In 2012 Democrats enjoyed a 38 percent advantage over Republicans among Hispanics. However, in just two years, their advantage dropped to 28 percent. During the 2014 senatorial election in Texas, this lower support affected the result: Republican Senator John Cornyn won 48 percent of the Latino vote in his successful re-election battle. While still shy of a majority, that was a red flag to Democrats, who realized they needed to step up their efforts.

Complacency has no role to play in Latino outreach strategy, even if a brand currently enjoys the favor of this group. What works today might not work tomorrow, and with the median age of Hispanic consumers at 27, they can’t be targeted the same way as other audiences. As can be seen from social media, they are continually trying out trends and engaging with brands.

For more information on marketing to Latino consumers, visit www.mosaicopublicrelations.com

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To attract and motivate the best professionals, hospitality employers should craft internal messaging to be inclusive and considerate of all ethnicities.

Celebrate diversity

Having formal written materials that clearly state the importance the company places on a culturally inclusive work environment can establish the organization as one that values all employees’ backgrounds. But this communication should not be limited to written materials provided to employees. Top leadership and managers at all levels should also speak and act in ways that ensure that everyone feels like an integral part of the organization.

During the 2012 Great Place to Work® Conference, Clarence Otis Jr., the CEO of Darden Restaurants, parent of LongHorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden, said, “We strongly believe that understanding and embracing our differences enables us to be stronger individuals and a better team. Our spirit of inclusiveness is woven into our strong culture and we believe that gives us a competitive advantage.” He then explained the importance not just of fostering a diverse team but also creating an inclusive work environment where all employees feel valued.

Understand cultural nuances

While it might seem easier to lump together groups that seem similar (e.g., Asian, Latino) when developing communications plans, it is more helpful to acknowledge the values of distinct ethnicities. For example, while Mexican employees might wish to observe the Day of the Dead, it is not a holiday for their Honduran or Guatemalan colleagues. Being considerate of each group’s traditions and the days they might wish to spend with loved ones helps companies promote goodwill.

Align philanthropic efforts with employees’ interests

Companies should demonstrate their commitment to the community by getting involved with local nonprofit organizations or implementing their own community initiatives – for example a scholarship program for employees’ dependents.

At Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants employees can apply for $1,500 in tuition reimbursement. They can also participate in Kimpton University, whose courses include English as a second language and diversity and inclusion training, both of which help foster a more diverse workforce. The company has also designated November as Kimpton Cares Month, during which each hotel or restaurant chooses a local charity to which donate or volunteer. Allowing employees to have a say on which organizations the company partners with in the community can go a long way in showing employees that their input matters.

Keep lines of communication open

To create an inclusive work environment it’s crucial that managers see internal communications as a two-way street. At Wyndham Worldwide, 74 percent of employees felt there was clear and transparent communication in the company, and 80 percent said their managers are approachable and easy to talk with. The hotel incorporates employee enrichment programs which include extensive training sessions for newly promoted employees as well as classroom and online learning for members of their teams.

As language barriers may make some service industry employees of color hesitant to speak out about concerns, it’s important for companies to ask employees which methods of communication work best for them and adopt the most requested ones. Employers should also consider preparing communications materials in other languages to ensure that all workers understand them.

In more general terms, a proactive communications program will not only provide a return on day-to-day operations but will also become an asset of the organization in times of crisis. Labor disputes, for example, can often affect employee morale, losses in business and damage the company’s reputation. To avoid these potential challenges, management teams can take an active role in communicating with their employees and create long term positive relationships.

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Fineman PR has been recognized for many years as one of the top boutique communications firms in the nation, especially for our Brand PR approach to building trust for the organizations and products we represent and for clearly conveying their differentiating brand promises; for assisting clients survive and thrive through times of challenge and crisis; for our nimble responses to the dynamic, evolving and, sometimes, tumultuous marketplace in which we do business; for our substantive, indefatigable insistence on culturally relevant approaches to the multicultural communities that influence our current business environment (www.mosaicopublicrelations.com); and for remaining fresh in our outreach to both millennials and maturing audiences with social media strategy and tactics. After 25 years of successfully enduring and flourishing in the ups and downs of volatile economic cycles and the warp speed changes in communications, I am giving my agency a well deserved pat on the back.

This past year saw the agency succeed in terms of high profile client programs, the acquisition of new clients, and the stability and development of the Fineman PR agency team.

In 2013, we launched one of the largest initiatives in the agency’s history with the American Humane Association’s certification of our longtime client Foster Farms. The story was a front cover feature in the San Francisco Chronicle, and the campaign was profiled in PR Week. We also helped our client navigate challenges that would eventually lead the company to become an archetype for change in national food safety practices — a demonstration of the company’s fortitude, good faith and market leadership.

New clients pursued and won in 2013 include HNTB, one of the nation’s leading architecture/engineering firms; American Humane Association, the country’s oldest national humane organization; Dale Scott & Co., California’s leading K-14 financial advisory firm; Shelter Co., a pop-up luxury camping and event production company; and leading and highly respected wineries like Quintessa and Truchard. Our crisis practice is thriving in part by the goodwill and referrals of a number of law firms and insurance companies who continue to work with us in serving higher education, K-12 independent and private schools, and outdoor wilderness programs.  This year we also helped several food, beverage, healthcare and hospital clients navigate crises and urgent issues.

A series of staff promotions in 2013 included the naming of 11-year agency veteran Lorna Bush to senior vice president; Travis Taylor to vice president; eight-year agency team member Karmina Zafiro to senior director of analytics and social media; Katie Young’s appointment as group supervisor; our talented, visual graphics master, Serene Buckley, to director of content strategy; and Dionicio Hernandez’ promotion to senior account executive. Vice President Heidi White has been a force in the agency for 16 years. Toby Baird, with the agency for four years, is now our full time wine practice director, and six-year agency veteran Juan Lezama continues as director of our multicultural division, Mosaico.

Also in 2013, we developed an innovative modeling tool to predict the news lifespan of crises in the food industry, introduced an executive media training product, created a new Facebook page and refreshed our website design.

As 2014 settles in, the agency is ramping up client programs for the year ahead across multiple client business categories. On a special note, we will be moving our offices from the city’s SoMa neighborhood to 150 Post, a quintessential San Francisco, Union Square address, near Kearny and bordering the Financial District. It is a beautiful office and gives us room for anticipated growth. We are ecstatic.

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Fusion, a new television venture by ABC and Spanish-language broadcaster Univision, will be launching this October. Last year, a similar joint venture television network called Mundo Fox (a partnership between Fox Network and Colombian broadcaster RCN) also launched. Both are joining an already crowded market of TV networks looking to target the Gen Y Latino, joining the ranks of Nuvo TV, MTVTres and Mun2. These new networks are banking on the Gen Y Latino segment, a group demographers consider the biggest population growth segment and marketers forecast as the biggest opportunity market in the U.S.

Just as this is occurring, mainstream networks are also tweaking their programming to increase their appeal to this audience. Examples of this can be seen in the success of ABC’s Modern Family starring Colombian actress Sofia Vergara and The Voice’s casting of Latina pop star sensation Shakira.

Gen Y, U.S. born Hispanics Trend Younger

The Pew Hispanic Center estimates the median age for all Latinos to be 27 years of age, however, the median age for Hispanics born in the U.S. is just 18. Today, 64 percent of all U.S. born Hispanics were born here, they speak both English and Spanish and are able to integrate aspects of both American and Latin cultures. Although nothing is set in stone and there are several factors that may have an impact on the growth of the Latino market (economy and changes in immigration laws), demographers believe that the Latino population will continue to grow as a result of births – not immigration – which will, in turn, drive future growth of U.S.-born teen and young-adult population

Until Now, Recipe for Long-Term Success has Come from Programming from Abroad

It will be interesting to see how these new networks will perform in the future. In the next few years we will see some be successful while others will go through a series of transformations, some may just go out of business. Univision and Telemundo’s recipe for success all these years has been mostly to provide programming that mirrors the popular formats seen in Latin America. This includes primetime telenovela (soap opera) programming, sports from Mexico and news coverage of topics important such as immigration and current events in Latin America. This format has made Univision the biggest media company targeting Hispanics and the fifth most viewed television network in the U.S., regardless of language. Despite the fact that the growth of the Latino population is currently being driven by Latino births in the U.S., Univision, which broadcasts primarily in Spanish, continues to grow. For the first time ever in July, Univision Television Network became the highest-rated U.S. network (regardless of language) in the coveted 18-49 adult demographic.

However, there is also a contradiction in the research. Studies shows that Latinos are consuming less media in Spanish as they continue to assimilate. Overall, 45 percent of Latinos watch TV mostly in English compared to 69 percent of second generation Latinos and 83 percent for third generation and higher². These new media outlets targeting Generation Y Latinos are paying attention to this new research and believe that it makes a strong business case for targeting this demographic.

It’s yet to be seen whether Gen Y Latinos will flock to Fusion and other networks targeting their demographic with programming that resembles more that of U.S. networks. Will acculturated Latinos continue to watch some of Univision’s shows? Is there a market for these new networks or will Gen Y Latinos reject these new media outlets in favor of the same news and entertainment preferred by their non-Latino peers?  If we look at previous attempts to develop networks and content tailored specifically to this acculturated target, such as Univision Radio’s Latino Mix stations and Mun2, I think this business model is likely to be successful. My advice to these new networks is the same that I would give to any marketer looking to target the Generation Y Latino.

Here are a few tips:

1. Be genuine. Make sure that those designing strategy and execution are part of the target consumer you are trying to capture.
2. Become a brand so that those consumers who can identify with the Latino culture know that you are speaking to them. When talking about Gen Y Latinos, Latino is more of an identity and less about their country of origin or whether these consumers are communicating in English, Spanish or Spanglish. A Gen Y Latino consumer can be someone who is third-generation U.S. born or someone who is 1/2 Latino.
3. Do your homework – get to know the cultural sensitivities while understanding that this consumer is also part of the mainstream market.
4. Become part of the community and support causes that are important to this target consumer, such as access to college education.
5. Finally, understand that this is an evolving market which requires an ongoing education process.

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