Check out our 2015 State of the Agency Slideshow.

Fineman PR bucks the trend of the agency turnover epidemic with an exceptional employee retention record. The collaborative culture, career development opportunities, continuing education, and work-life balance foster talent and maintain the singular esprit de corps at Fineman PR. Karmina Zafiro, with the agency for 11 years, was promoted to vice president. Lorna Bush, our senior vice president, began her work at Fineman PR 14 years ago. Our awesome anchor, Vice President Heidi White, is now in her 19^th year with the agency. At the end of the year, V.P. Travis Taylor was promoted to Executive V.P. Serene Buckley, now a five year agency veteran, was promoted to Senior Director of Content Strategy and Development. Toby Baird, who heads our wine practice, and Juan Lezama, senior director of our multicultural communications practice (Mosaico), celebrated their six-year anniversaries with the agency. A tremendous source of pride for all of us is that our team is ethnically diverse and includes Asian, Latino and African American professionals, and nearly half of our 17-member staff are bilingual.

We continued efforts to stand out in our own community and gained new clients in non-profit, live event and government categories. We now count as clients San Francisco Marathon, Habitat Horticulture, HealthRight 360, Dale Scott & Company (California’s leading K-14 financial advisor), Progressive Insurance San Francisco Boat Show, San Francisco Police Department, Girl Scouts of Northern California, Central Contra Costa Sanitary District and Mission Neighborhood Health Center.

Event management this year included initiatives at the Foster Farms Bowl at Levi’s Stadium and work for HNTB, the lead designer of Levi’s Stadium related to the venue’s status as host of Super Bowl 50. We continued our work for the San Francisco Marathon which became a sanctioned qualifier race for the 2016 Olympic Team Trials and provided support for the San Francisco Boat Show.

Our wine practice is thriving, now representing Napa-based Quintessa and Renteria Family Wines, and Santa Barbara-based Zaca Mesa. Quintessa, owned by the renowned Huneeus Family, is one of the very best Cabernet Sauvignon producers in California. Zaca Mesa, founded 40-plus years ago by real estate dynamo John Cushman (of Cushman & Wakefield), is the pioneering Syrah producer in a region that now boasts some of the best Syrah wines in the world. We are launching the new, super premium quality Renteria Family Wines for a family who came to California from Mexico and became renowned as among the best vineyard managers in the modern era of Northern California winemaking, with oversight of some of the most highly regarded vineyard estates in Napa and Sonoma.

New work for our multicultural communications team, Mosaico (www.mosaico-pr.com) included assignments for Pro Ecuador (Mosaico’s first international client) and the Mazatlan Forum in Mexico. Early in the year, Mosaico helped a low income housing developer in Southern California fill its new development, leveraging broadcast news opportunities and strategically placed outdoor and broadcast advertising.

On the crisis communications side this year, we worked with clients involved in criminal investigations, changes in ownership, employee misconduct and sexual abuse, false and misleading product allegations, litigation, product recalls and crisis preparedness planning. Many clients on the issues and crisis side sought out our on-camera media training services which have also expanded over the past year. For client Foster Farms, we managed community issues related to the drought and the company’s water conservation initiatives; Avian Influenza threats; and false charges brought by vegan, animal rights activists.

After a challenging food safety crisis, during which we worked resolutely, Foster Farms’ laser focus and singularity of purpose transformed it into a food safety leader. The entire company pulled together with dedication and commitment to resolve the challenge and enhance the systems and processes of every part of its business. That teamwork and vigor is now paying dividends in workforce productivity, new prepared foods and value-add offerings, antibiotic-free and organic products, and wider brand recognition and distribution.

Our initiatives for the company even reached the White House from where recognition came for Foster Farms’ antibiotic stewardship, with feature billing on the White House’s own press materials and with a visit from Agriculture Secretary Vilsack.

We also helped the company make national news for its role in raising “TOTUS” (the National Thanksgiving Turkey) for the White House’s annual Presidential Pardon. We partnered with United Airlines to bring the turkey to Washington D.C via a plane dubbed “Turkey One” and also developed content for the inaugural presidentialturkey.com website and presidential turkey social media handles (including a Spotify playlist). A three-week stream of highly targeted events and engaging content earned more than 2,800 news placements across multiple geographic markets and a trending #TurkeyPardon2015 hashtag on social media.

Our agency was also involved in building and promoting several cause marketing initiatives that, in partnership with West Coast food banks, provided more than 250,000 meals to needy families throughout California, Oregon and Washington. We continued with Foster Farms’ Food 4 Thought incentive-based program that has supported more than 4,500 Central Valley elementary school students with more than 1.3 million pounds of food since its inception in 2009.

2016 is off to a good start with several additions to our client roster. For more on that, see our last agency news update. With our diverse client base, top notch team and growing capabilities and service offerings, I couldn’t be more proud of the agency we have built over the past 28 years. The outlook is bright for 2016.

Download a visual slice of our work here: Fineman PR: 2015 State of the Agency (PDF)

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Operating at the intersection of design, architecture and horticulture, San Francisco-based Habitat Horticulture creates living walls for commercial and residential projects. The company has installed artistic, vertical gardens at commissions throughout the Bay Area, including urban/public spaces and for a rolodex of Silicon Valley businesses. Habitat Horticulture seeks to enhance national awareness of its brand and services, especially leveraging news of its recent masterpiece – a 4,400-square-foot living wall that will grace the newly expanded, LEED-certified San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which opens to the public in May 2016.

Materra | Cunat Family Vineyards has opened a new large winery and tasting room in Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District. The family-owned estate seeks to increase exposure of its wines and the visitor experience offered by its daily, appointment-only tours and tastings.

Antioch University Santa Barbara, a private, liberal arts institution, has turned to Fineman PR to help create awareness of its new Master of Fine Arts in Writing & Contemporary Media program. Fineman PR will work to strengthen the university’s brand reputation and leverage its proximity to Southern California’s creative and entrepreneurial entertainment industry to drive enrollment.

“We are continuing to grow as a result both of entering into new business categories and of expanding within industries we have long served,” said Michael Fineman, agency president.

About Fineman PR

Fineman PR is an award-winning, full service public relations agency specializing in Brand PR, crisis communications and multicultural communications. The agency has worked in a variety of industries that include food and wine, construction, consumer package goods, health care and education. Fineman PR is a member of IPREX, a global network of communications agencies. The agency reaches diverse audiences with its multicultural division, Mosaico. For more information, visit www.finemanpr.com.

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The key is to break through the noise and stand out by doing something noteworthy.

Here, Travis Taylor, executive vice president of Fineman PR, discusses his uncommon path to a career in PR, the need for continuous improvement and the gratification of being a mentor.

Read the Cision story here.

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Stepping foot into an empty Levi’s Stadium is like that moment when you arrive at the top of a roller-coaster before the impending drop: exhilarating.

Our client, HNTB Corporation, set out to design the next generation football stadium, and that is exactly what they did. Nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, Levi’s Stadium reflects many of the attributes that we associate with the Bay Area: technological innovation, sustainable living, and a rich, diverse food and wine culture. The sleek, state-of-the-art design makes you feel like you are part of something grand;  its green and high-tech design achievements make it one of the most celebrated sports venues ever.

In the words of Tim Cahill, senior vice president and chief design officer at HNTB, “Being in the heart of Silicon Valley it just became a natural that this had to be the most advanced stadium in the country … People expected not just cutting edge, but bleeding edge technology.”

See the full story on Associated Press

levis-stadium-finemanpr

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Since joining Fineman PR in 2012, Taylor has employed his extensive experience in corporate communications, media relations and training, crisis communications, community relations and public affairs to strengthen the agency’s operations and strategy, manage personnel and attract new clients. He has led a number of high-profile accounts, including several higher education institutions, government agencies, statewide and national nonprofits, and a myriad of corporate clients. In his new position, Taylor will be taking on a larger role in strategic planning and operations, staff development and client acquisition.

“With the growth of our agency, it is critical to plan ahead and strengthen our senior leadership team to help keep the firm moving forward,” said Michael Fineman, agency president. “Travis is a public relations dynamo who has proven to be a natural leader. He embodies all the qualities this agency represents. He has the vision, instincts and energy – hardly surprising in an enthusiastic rugby player – that are required to build on our success. I look forward to seeing the influence of his leadership in years to come.”

Before joining Fineman PR, Taylor served as vice president of Communications Pacific, Hawaii’s premier public relations firm and, like Fineman PR, a partner in IPREX, a global network of leading, independently owned communications agencies. That followed three years as senior communications advisor to Hawaii’s lieutenant governor.

Taylor serves on the marketing committee of Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco and the public policy committee of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. In 2015, he received a Certificate of Honor for his involvement with Leadership San Francisco.

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Even experienced communicators can get rattled when the phones are ringing off the hook – from the media, regulators and other government authorities, customers, the general public, employees and the board. Not to mention the fires breaking out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Response time has shrunk from 48 hours to 48 minutes to what feels like 48 seconds.

Memorize PANTCHEK to get your priorities in order so you won’t flail and fail in public. Here’s an easy visual story to help you get started.

• Public welfare is the first priority
• Assemble the facts. Once they are verified, Announce All bad news at once
• No blame, No speculation, No repetition of negative charges or questions
• Tell your side of the story or Take responsibility
• Care and Concern for those affected – express it sincerely and right at the outset
• High-level organization spokesperson – let the public see the crisis has top-level attention
• Ensure that it will not happen again with a solid plan that will generate confidence
• Keep a separate plan for moving daily business ahead

View our crisis checklist here.

Michael Fineman is president of Fineman PR, a San Francisco public relations firm that specializes in crisis communications, brand PR and multicultural communications. Contact him here. 

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But this new media shift did not come out of a vacuum. Emerging professionals need a strong foundation in the fundamentals of PR. Clients expect it and need this journalistic lens for their messages 1) to have multilateral impact and 2) to remain effective in conveying their brands in an ever-changing media landscape.

Fineman PR practices a unique and highly focused approach to public relations that I dubbed “Brand PR,” which informs the framework of everything we do. Indulging in some agency history for a moment: In the early years of Fineman PR, there was a widely trending idea among marketers about everything Brand: brand advertising, brand identity, brand marketing, package branding and so on. However, there was a category void; no one at that time was talking about how public relations could effectively help a brand stand apart.  I coined the term Brand PR and introduced it to the communications industry in order to, well, brand this intuitive approach which bridged market/consumer research and brand positioning to effective media relations.  It was an exciting time; I went around the country – visiting potential clients, speaking at various forums, and publishing a newsletter to present my interpretation of how public relations could be an effective marketing option to win consumer trust and brand loyalty.

Today, Brand PR is a common professional communications concept and one that Fineman PR still specializes in. Throughout the years, I have been asked many times…what is Brand PR?

Brand PR takes category ownership of a message and value and provides authenticity, editorially and experientially. Its practice captures the brand’s distinctiveness and appeal, encapsulating the need it fills and what’s memorable; Brand PR defines the WOW.

At its core, Brand PR is the projection of a solid image – the basis on which we can apply new tools and techniques to have success.  It is about parlaying an organization’s primary messages with a compelling story, emphasizing attributes that engage consumers and creating an “experience” with the brand. It is based on a set of values – what the brand’s “trustmark” adds to the product. Brand PR helps to make the brand promise so viscerally meaningful – in language, stories and messages – that other factors (price, for example) lose relevance.

While the core of our signature approach remains the same, the nuances have changed to adapt and evolved to meet the needs of today’s marketers.

With tactics aimed at integrating the brand into conversations about consumer trends and issues, our work is aimed at  making the product a part of the rhetoric for any discussion of the need the brand fills. Of course, the storytelling and contributing tactics must be compelling, provocative, entertaining or, generally, communicated with visible activities and thought leadership.

Why else would anyone pay attention?

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Here are five tips for gaining a foothold with this fast-growing population:

1.       Incorporate Hispanic values into campaigns

Whether Latinos are Puerto Rican, Mexican or Argentinian, certain similarities distinguish them from other ethnicities, including strong family ties, overwhelming sociability and unified communities. When considering how to reach Hispanics, brands need to keep this culture in mind and create marketing plans with Hispanic resonance. Simply translating generic materials will yield only a lukewarm outcome. To get impactful results, brands should base their campaigns on cultural insights.

2.       Earn credibility by partnering with a trusted influencer or institution

Last month Macy’s launched a new clothing line with Thalia Sodi, a well-known Mexican singer and telenovela actress. By partnering with a Latin American household name, Macy’s gained leverage that is likely to translate into increased sales. Macy’s projects that 20 percent of the traffic in its stores will be Latino within a few years, up from the current 16 percent. When asked why this Latina audience is so important, Macy’s chief marketing officer, Martine Reardon, responded simply, “They over-index in buying apparel, food, jewelry, cosmetics and fragrances.” Since Hispanics are one of the country’s heaviest-spending target markets, communicating with them effectively can play a vital role in a successful marketing plan.

3.       Generate awareness at a local level and get results

Last year, Mosaico, Fineman PR’s multicultural division, developed a comprehensive media relations and community outreach campaign for the Mission Economic Development Agency, an organization that serves low- and moderate-income residents of San Francisco’s Mission District, a historically Latino area. The goal of the campaign was to generate awareness of MEDA’s economic security initiatives and boost participation in its programs. By implementing strategic media outreach and conducting an effective media ad-buy campaign, Mosaico saturated local media with MEDA’s initiatives. The result: leaders of the organization saw an increase in the community’s awareness of MEDA and growth in the number of participants at its events. Latinos are very community-focused, so by designing PR and advertising messaging that resonates with their needs, brands can establish themselves as the answers to what community members are seeking.

4.       Engage Digitally

The median age of American Hispanics is 28, compared to 32 for African Americans and 42 for Caucasians. Even more noteworthy is the median age of the American-born Hispanics – just 18 years. As of 2012, 78 percent of Latinos surveyed by the Pew Hispanic Research Center said they go online, and 68 percent reported they visit a social networking site. In an effort to engage with this audience, Kellogg’s launched DiasGrandiosos.com, a website that offers recipes and lifestyle articles designed to reach and engage with the American Hispanic consumer. The site is a great example of how brands can create shareable, culturally relevant content that leads back to a branded website.

5.       Invest now and gain a competitive advantage in the future

By implementing marketing initiatives that target the Hispanic audience now, brands will be one step ahead of their competition in the future. As the audience continues to grow, marketers would be wise to reach out to it now and see what works before it becomes an even larger segment of the population. Companies that are currently reaching out to Hispanics should evaluate their campaigns to ensure that they are engaging with them in a culturally relevant, productive way.

For more information on how you can most effectively reach Hispanic consumers, please visit www.mosaicopublicrelations.com.

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On Sunday, LeBron James, two-time NBA champion, four-time Most Valuable Player and aspiring hero of Cleveland, missed seven of 11 free throws, including two critical misses with 4.2 seconds left in overtime, as Houston, with title hopes and an MVP candidate of its own, held on to win 105-103 in overtime.

After the game, James took responsibility. “I failed my teammates,” he said. But he went further to post a photo of himself on Instagram, sadly looking into a mirror with a raw, revealing message:

“Looking in the mirror tonight after a tough lost of my part like You’re your biggest challenge, competition, drive, obstacle, motivation, etc so it’s nothing u haven’t seen before! Back in the lab tomorrow to continue the drive to striving to be the Greatest I’ve ever seen! #StriveForGreatness”

Enter the Internet. Trolls had a field day, mocking LeBron’s mirror-selfie (here and here). Media ate it up, fanning comparisons to “Saturday Night Live” character Stuart Smalley and fueling the LeBron vs. Michael Jordan debate.

While James may not have anticipated how quickly and pervasively he’d be roasted on social, he can turn that frown upside down because his brand will grow as a result. Here are the top five reasons James’ sad mirror photo will not damage – and could actually boost – his brand.

1. LeBron spoke the truth.  

No one is questioning whether or not James was being genuine. Just look at the typos – any PR staffer would have caught those. If he had tried looking upset when he wasn’t or played off the letdown as if it wasn’t important to him, he’d be criticized for being phony or too self-absorbed. Trust is earned, in large part, by being truthful. James was clearly being truthful in a painful situation, which will bring him closer to his fans.

2. He was transparent.

The greatest athletes have larger-than-life brands that can lose a tremendous amount of value if they offend others. Many big-time athletes – and the brands they represent – closely guard their innermost thoughts and feelings. They tend to avoid controversial issues. Not James. He has been outspoken on civil rights and has weighed in many times on collective bargaining issues. After James’ bad day on the court, he opened up in a telling way, letting us into his thoughts and the mind of a champion. Sure, he was lampooned for a couple of days, but in the long run, James seemed to understand that transparency can differentiate him from other all-time greats.

3. LeBron knew his audience.

James was not trying to win over die-hard fans of rival teams (say hello, Boston) or convert basketball-haters. There will always be critics and people with conflicting interests. James was reaching out to his fans. By opening a window to his soul, he was also letting others who might root for him one day see his brand, unvarnished. Communicate with the people who will listen to you.

4. This is part of a bigger story.

James has 20 games left in the regular season and the playoffs to overcome this embarrassing moment. As Sports Illustrated’s “Chosen One,” he has been building his reputation and brand since he was a teenager. His fans will continue supporting him. Businesses should take note of the importance of reputation building. It will keep you afloat when – not if – you have a bad day.

5. He tapped into sympathy.

In the aftermath of “The Decision,” hardly anyone outside of Miami would view James as a sympathetic figure but, since his return to Cleveland, getting mocked for displaying his raw feelings evokes sympathy. He’s revealing pain and hurt, emotions everyone can identify with. The most compelling messages are often driven by emotion.

LeBron James’ bad day on the Internet will be a blip in the larger story of his career and legacy – one that millions in the U.S. and around the world continue to tune into. Ultimately, his brand gains trust. All brands should sit up and take notice. It’s the long game that counts.

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We were honored with a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silver Anvil Award and with another national award from PR Daily for work performed on behalf of our longstanding client Foster Farms. This year will be our 17^th year in client service for this great consumer brand.

We conducted new client work in 2014 for American Humane Association, the country’s first national humane organization and the only one dedicated to protecting children and animals; Dale Scott & Company, California’s leading K-14 financial advisor; FRSTeam, fabric restoration experts who specialize in restoring clothing and textiles damaged by smoke, fire, water and mold; the Progressive Insurance San Francisco Boat Show, a National Marine Manufacturers Association event; and Athletic Heart of San Francisco, a sports cardiology clinic founded by board-certified internist, cardiologist and interventional cardiologist Dr. Michel Accad.

In addition, our wine practice thrived and is now representing several premium Napa and Sonoma wineries: Quintessa, Lynmar Estate, Truchard Vineyards, Faust, and Roadhouse. Yes, our Wine Wednesdays here at the agency received a major upgrade.

For Annabelle Candy Company, Fineman PR managed a social media program that dramatically increased consumer engagement and online visibility.

Another energizing and highly successful program was the agency’s work for Jumping Fences which produces the San Francisco Marathon and Berkeley Half Marathon. With the added feature publicity earned from our effort, the Marathon and Half Marathon registered the best participation to date and drew national attention (ESPN, Today Show) for regional events.

Mosaico, our multicultural communications subsidiary, had its most successful year since the agency began working in multicultural communications in 2005. The success was the result of new work from Mission Economic Development Agency, a community-based social service agency in San Francisco’s Mission District; Tango, a leading mobile messaging service with more than 250 million registered members around the world; Pacific Companies, a developer of affordable housing with a large new project needing visibility and awareness in Southern California, and a large food-related company, the work for which is still top secret. Mosaico grew from three staff members in 2013 to seven this past year.

We also built on our foundation of crisis communications expertise by deftly assisting several brands and organizations to prepare, manage and recover from a number of crises, including product recalls, workplace demonstrations, legal challenges and activist campaigns. The best news for many of our clients was, appropriately, no news at all.

And, not least, we moved in April to beautiful new offices near San Francisco’s historic Union Square. Our building is a San Francisco gem, built in 1908, with large bay windows, classical architecture and understated elegance. We almost doubled our size in space from our previous address with energizing spaces for creative brainstorming, “war room” strategy sessions and client workstations.

We are urging all our clients and friends to come by and see first-hand how Fineman PR is evolving.

Cheers!

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