This past year at Fineman PR was marked by the onboarding of new and diverse clients and partnerships. Our work included the planning and content development for startup distilleries, driving the continuing rise in popularity for the San Francisco Marathon, expanding our work in the public sector with two leading-edge public agencies, productizing our media training offering, increasing growth in our healthcare practice, and forming significant new alliances.

Strategic Partnership with Hearst Corporation-backed 46Mile

For the last year-and-a-half, Fineman PR has partnered with the Hearst-backed 46Mile, a full-service marketing and advertising agency, to develop integrated campaigns for clients including Meritage Medical Network, Leading Age California, Loch & Union Distilling, and C-5 Children’s School, among others. Our two agencies develop business together, both independently and as a cohesive, integrated communications unit, and there is discussion on new and enhanced ways of working together for greater client solutions. Stay tuned.

Photo courtesy: 46Mile

Public Sector

Fineman PR is working with the San Francisco Department of the Environment on several initiatives that continue to position San Francisco as a global leader of the green movement. Additionally, along with our partner, D&A Communications, we are providing media relations strategy and counsel to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority for the inauguration of the highly anticipated, new Salesforce Transit Center & Salesforce Park. D&A is a top-notch San Francisco public affairs firm specializing in the areas of infrastructure, public health, transportation, environment and community revitalization, and our joint efforts offer clients a powerful combo.

Photo courtesy: Pelli Architects

San Francisco Marathon

The 2017 San Francisco Marathon celebrated its 40^th anniversary. The race sold out at record pace – two months ahead of schedule. We generated a 70 percent increase in media impressions over 2016 with expanded coverage by Bay Area media outlets and in major national media including the New York Times, Bleacher Report and MSN. The San Francisco Marathon was also named by ESPN among the “World’s Best Marathons.”  

Photo courtesy: The San Francisco Marathon

Foster Farms

Our promotional, crisis management and issues management work remained steady for longtime client, West Coast poultry producer Foster Farms. Our team initiated influencer marketer campaigns with fitness and lifestyle bloggers to promote Foster Farms’ Organic turkey products. We were grateful to help support our client’s wildfire relief efforts in Santa Rosa and surrounding Northern California communities as well as in Ventura following the devastating Southern California wildfires.

Our work to promote the company’s partnership with West Coast food banks – and longstanding holiday turkey donations program – resulted in a 69 percent jump in broadcast news coverage over 2016 that helped raise awareness of food insecurity from Seattle to San Diego. Finally, we wrapped up the year at Levi’s Stadium for the Foster Farms Bowl, a game dedicated to fighting hunger, pitting the Purdue Boilermakers against the Arizona Wildcats.

Photo courtesy: Foster Farms

Dunkin’ Donuts

In 2017, we continued work with Dunkin’ Donuts to support the brand’s introduction and expansion in Northern California with new restaurants throughout the region. Last year, we successfully hosted four grand opening celebrations in South San Francisco, Fremont, Santa Cruz, and Hanford, the brand’s first location in the Central Valley.

In each market, we worked with the local business community, government leaders and charities – all hyperlocal – to promote Dunkin’s commitment to the area. In addition, we supported regional promotion of national initiatives, including Free Donut Friday, Freeze the Day with $1K, National Coffee Day, and National Donut Day.

Photo courtesy: Dunkin’ Donuts

HNTB

HNTB, a national infrastructure solutions firm, experienced a year of wins in 2017, both for its projects as well as its leadership team. HNTB Northern California District Leader Darlene Gee was recognized as Woman of the Year by Women’s Transportation Seminar, a non-profit dedicated to advancing women in transportation, and one of its local project managers received coverage as a rising star in the rail industry.

A major project win, the BART Warm Springs/South Fremont Station, received praise across the Bay Area for its innovative design. HNTB was consistently cited among top-tier regional and trade media, including San Francisco Business Times, Progressive Railroading, ENR California, Mass Transit Magazine, Silicon Valley Business Journal and Curbed, for its growing role as an industry thought leader with experts who are shaping the discussion around infrastructure solutions in the Bay Area.

Photo courtesy: HNTB

Wine Practice

Quintessa, was again featured in Wine Spectator’s biennial Napa issue as a must-visit winery. Napa Valley’s Faust celebrated its 13th anniversary vintage by partnering with noted graffiti artist, known only as “Faust,” from New York City. Faust’s limited release 2015 vintage magnum features the tag which graffiti artist Faust uses internationally.

For Materra І Cunat Family Vineyards, Fineman PR planned and executed a successful 10-year-anniversary media event at the winery which showcased the brand’s range of estate merlots. We also conducted several media training sessions for wineries, including Rodney Strong Vineyards.

Additionally, we continued to assist with crisis and issues management preparedness for Wine Institute, the advocate for California wine and more than 1,000 wineries and affiliated businesses.

HealthRIGHT 360

In our third year with HealthRIGHT 360, one of California’s largest community health care providers, we helped mark significant milestones, including a merger with San Francisco-based Women’s Community Clinic and the opening of the organization’s new headquarters and outpatient clinic, the Integrated Care Center. We also created the organization’s first outdoor marketing campaign with the City’s public transit system. Among the year’s big media wins was a national NPR story, a San Francisco Chronicle op-ed, and a New York Times – California Today story. 

Photo courtesy: Drew Altizer Photography

With 2018 underway, the agency is seeing continued growth with new clients and expanded projects for existing clients. We have made several new agency hires, increased our digital and marketing capabilities internally, and look forward to providing the trusted, strategic counsel our clients have come to expect from Fineman PR.

The post Fineman PR State-Of-The-Agency, 2017 appeared first on Fineman PR.

In recent conversations with our agency’s clients, more food and beverage communicators are embracing artificial intelligence technology, specialized influencer marketing and increasingly sophisticated social media content to increase brand authenticity and improve the overall consumer experience.

Artificial Intelligence? Wine Not?

For many food and beverage artisans, the environment in which a product is grown or made is a vital part of the overall product experience. Quintessa is a renowned 280-acre wine estate in Rutherford, one of Napa Valley’s most distinctive properties, with five soil types, hills, valleys, a lake and a river. The diverse estate inspires the impressive wines for which it is known.

“At Quintessa, our strongest asset and differentiator is the world-class estate from which we source our wine,” said Leslie Sullivan, DWS, Napa Estates Director of Huneeus Vintners, who manages communications for Quintessa.

“For those consumers and trade who are able to visit the estate, we are able to build ambassadors; however, our reach is limited. As a result, we’ve begun to better utilize technology to connect with our consumers and trade. For instance, we’ve used video, drone footage, 360 video and virtual reality to allow our consumers and trade to engage with our property. While nothing compares to the full sensory experience of enjoying a glass of Quintessa at the estate, we are able to better express and share what Quintessa is all about.”

Photos courtesy of Quintessa Instagram

Community, Convenience, Quality

With a 68-year heritage and nearly 12,000 locations worldwide, Dunkin’ Donuts continues to evolve while keeping its focus on fast, friendly service and community involvement.

According to Public Relations Senior Manager, Justin Drake, Dunkin’ Donuts maintains its focus on fast, friendly service while delivering innovations that today’s consumer expects from sophisticated food brands:

“As Dunkin’ Donuts continues to grow and evolve, remaining authentic to the core of our brand is very important. Dunkin’ Donuts was founded as a brand offering high-quality coffee and baked goods to our guests, all served with fast, friendly service and at a great value, and we remain true to this mission to this day.”

“We’ve expanded our coffee and espresso menu in recent years to include options like Cold Brew, Rainforest Alliance Certified Dark Roast Coffee, and Macchiatos. These menu additions remain true to our 68-year heritage as a coffee company, while also staying on trend in terms of what customers are looking for today from a coffee brand. We’ve launched On-the-Go Mobile Ordering for DD Perks members through the Dunkin’ Donuts mobile app, where guests can place their order in advance and then speed past the line in-store to pick-up their order. This innovation remains true to our mission of offering fast service and unparalleled convenience to our guests.”

Photos courtesy of Dunkin’ Donuts Instagram

Community giving is a core value for Dunkin’ Donuts that empowers franchisees around the world to give back and strengthen their own communities:

Continued Drake, “At Dunkin’, we feel fortunate that our restaurants are part of the fabric of so many communities and neighborhoods around the globe, and our franchisees value the role they can play in strengthening their communities. Our franchisees donate millions of dollars annually to local non-profits. Additionally, our organization collectively supports our national foundation, The Joy in Childhood Foundation, which is dedicated to bringing joy to sick and hungry children.”

Consumers Seek, Expect Info Online

For family-owned poultry producer Foster Farms, a robust social media presence is required to address the questions and provide the reassurance that consumers actively seek.

“Increasingly consumers are asking more and more questions about where their food comes from and how it is made,” said Ira Brill, Foster Farms’ Director of Communications. “Our commitment to product quality is at the heart of authenticity, and Foster Farms is one of the west’s true authentic brands — having been founded in 1939 on the values of locally grown, and continuing as a family owned company today — has continuously evolved to include digital and social media tools to enhance our consumer engagement and contribute substantively to consumer conversation. From engaging influencer programs, to enticing recipes and social media content, Foster Farms aims to be a part of the discussion at every touchpoint.”

Photos courtesy of Foster Farms Instagram

Building Authenticity with Influencers

Social marketing strategists at Collectively understand how deeply consumer brands and consumers value authenticity.

“Influencer marketing works best when creators are empowered to make decisions about how best to present a brand story to their audiences,” said Natalie Silverstein, Collectively Vice President of Brand, Marketing and Culture.

“Creators are truly the experts in understanding what resonates with the people they’re in dialogue with every day. Authenticity shines through when an influencer actually believes in the product and has integrated it into their content in a way that feels almost effortless.”

Photos courtesy of Collectively Instagram

“For our food and beverage clients, we’re bringing opportunities to a wider set of creators beyond the more expected food and cooking influencers — lifestyle, health and wellness, parenting, photography, and more.”

Silverstein agrees authenticity is a higher priority now for food and beverage brands: “‘Authenticity’ has been the most-used buzzword of the industry for quite some time, and it continues to be a key goal for most brands. We believe this is a direct result of the broader cultural transformation around trust in institutions and other traditional gatekeepers of information.”

The post As Food Goes Global and High Tech, U.S. Brands Boost Authenticity appeared first on Fineman PR.

Matt Kramer’s recent Wine Spectator feature, “Drinking the Story,” surmises that a compelling story “adds a dimension of understanding and appreciation” to a wine, or even an entire wine category, beyond price, reviews and other factors that consumers weigh before making a purchase.

Ultimately, a wine’s “brand story” has the power to attract, and resonate with, consumers making wine buying decisions, especially in the ultra-luxury category. Far more than the copy on the back label, the brand story is the finely crafted brand messaging that consumers are presented with at every touch point.

Supermarket shoppers perusing the “commodity wine” shelves – with dozens of wines at similar prices and perceived levels of quality – are more likely to be drawn to eye-catching labels and clever names than a brand story. If they don’t enjoy their purchase, they’re out only $10 and will quickly move on to the next brand that catches their attention.

However, at the luxury and ultra-luxury levels (let’s say wines exceeding $75 retail), exceptional quality is assumed. And yes, some consumers will always chase the “it” wines of the moment or those receiving the latest high scores in Wine Spectator or from Robert Parker. For just about everyone else, it is the history, people, place and other elements of a wine’s brand story that lead them to make the investment (or perhaps the splurge) on a particular luxury wine.

Here are five tips to telling a compelling brand story for a luxury wine.

• Be Authentic: Your story needs to be real, not contrived. This is what builds trust with your audience. Bill Harlan famously founded Harlan Estate with the vision of producing a California “First Growth” from the hills of Oakville, and he’s adhered to this goal for 25 years with remarkable success.
• Make It Memorable: Authenticity is essential, but it’s not enough. To be powerful, a brand story must also stick in consumers’ minds. A memorable brand story coupled with memorable quality creates brand loyalty, which is critical in a wine category where direct-to-consumer sales are so important. California wine lovers will always remember the blind wine tasting in Paris that put Chateau Montelena – and Napa Valley – on the map. Identify the element of your brand that resonates most powerfully with consumers and build a story around it.
• The Human Element: Great brand stories are inspired by the people who bring your wine to life – those individuals who have worked to create, develop and nurture your brand. Not every brand has a winemaking icon like Robert Mondavi behind it, but each luxury brand does have a visionary such as Fred Schrader or Lee Hi-Sang as its driving force. Make sure your consumers not only know him or her, but feel a connection.
• Set Yourself Apart: All ultra-luxury wine brands have some sort of a brand story, so there are bound to be overlapping components. That’s OK. Just make sure at least one facet of your story is uniquely yours. Quintessa was founded on the principle of “One Estate, One Wine,” and it’s stayed that course since its founding.
• Keep It Simple: Your narrative will likely include many supporting elements, but one overarching theme will make it easier for consumers to recall your brand when it’s time to purchase. Think of this as the “headline” to your story.

What’s your story? If you want to know how your brand can benefit from a wine PR program, give me a call. We’ll be happy to help.

The post Creating a compelling brand story for your wine appeared first on Fineman PR.

HealthRIGHT 360, headquartered in San Francisco, appointed Fineman PR to expand the community health care provider’s profile in California and increase its recognition nationally. With its beginnings in the “cultural revolution” of the 1960s when thousands of adolescents and young adults streamed into San Francisco, Haight Ashbury Free Clinic opened its doors as the first free medical clinic in the country. Two years later, in 1969, Walden House was founded to help homeless and runaway adolescents with substance use disorder problems. After more than 40 years, the two health care innovators merged in 2011 as HealthRIGHT 360 and have continued to grow as a national model for community health care. HealthRIGHT 360 recently added Lyon-Martin Health Services, Asian American Recovery Services and Women’s Recovery Association, among others, to its family of programs. HealthRIGHT 360 is constructing a five-story modern medical center in the heart of San Francisco that will provide a one-stop facility for comprehensive, integrated health care – available to all. Fineman PR will work to position HealthRIGHT 360 as a leader in the health sector as well as expand public awareness of its services and approach through multicultural and general market media outlets.

Renteria Wines engaged Fineman PR to launch its new ultra-premium wines. The family also owns and operates Renteria Vineyard Management, a long standing vineyard management company in California’s Napa Valley. At the time of its founding in 1987, Renteria was the first immigrant-owned vineyard management company in Napa and has gone on to work with famed vintners and growers throughout the Napa and Sonoma area. Combining a love of family, tradition and land with innovative managing techniques, the Renteria family is entering a new stage in its business with wine production from some of the best vineyards in Napa and Sonoma, leveraging its unsurpassed growing expertise with the winemaking of world renowned Kirk Venge. Fineman PR will help refine the family’s brand message and harness its storied past to bring its wines to a larger audience.

“We are so proud to work with two clients who have such a legacy in their respective fields,” said agency president Michael Fineman.

About Fineman PR

Fineman PR is an award-winning, full service public relations agency specializing in Brand PR and crisis communications. The agency has worked in a variety of industries that include food and beverage, construction, consumer package goods, health care and education. Fineman PR is a partner of IPREX (www.iprex.com), a global network of communication agencies. The agency reaches diverse audiences with its multicultural division, Mosaico (www.mosaico-pr.com), helping to facilitate ethnic community communications and culturally relevant events for general market clients. For more information, visit www.finemanpr.com.

The post Fineman PR adds two new clients appeared first on Fineman PR.

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?

The post Branding “Brand PR” appeared first on Fineman PR.

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!

The post 2014 Agency Year in Review; Biggest Year in Agency History appeared first on Fineman PR.

This year, we’re particularly fortunate to work with a local institution – The San Francisco Marathon. This city has a lot of races – some more colorful than others. But as a longstanding community event with San Francisco as its namesake, this particular race is not only the most scenic and inspiring course loop in the country; it is also a remarkable reflection of the collective DNA of its denizens.

The story of SF citizen, artist and currently homeless runner Ronnie Goodman is no exception.  First told by Kevin Fagan at The San Francisco Chronicle and with a collaborative effort by many, Ronnie’s quest to raise funds for Hospitality House by running the San Francisco Marathon has inspired people nationwide. He has given a face to homelessness and humanity, and the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

We’ll be there on race day to cheer on Ronnie (#RunWithRonnie), as well as the 25,000 other runners for the sold-out event, some who are hoping to qualify for The Boston Marathon.

If you’re in San Francisco, come join the spectators on course! We could all use a little more cheer.[3]

Every Runner Has A Reason – by Heist Productions

The post A “Running” Theme – Love and The San Francisco Marathon appeared first on Fineman PR.

Brand building and brand loyalty are challenges most businesses face and this is especially true in the wine industry. Our friends at Great Wine News recently explored the biggest challenges facing wine brands in the U.S., and included insights from our resident wine expert, Toby Baird, on the inside scoop… er, pour. His take – brand building and maintaining brand loyalty are more challenging than ever in today’s uber competitive wine market, especially for those brands in the “everyday” price point found in most supermarkets and large beverage retailers. By the way, did you know Fineman PR coined the term Brand PR in 1995 to help consumer brands break through the noise of cluttered consumer markets?

Getting Branded
Great Wine News
8/16/2013

We asked, “What is the biggest challenge in the wine industry in the U.S. is at this time?” Toby Baird, Group Supervisor at Fineman PR gave us his insight.

“Building and maintaining brand loyalty is one of the key business challenges facing wine brands today. Not so much the wines at the very bottom of the price scale, nor those on top, but the “everyday” brands competing on supermarket shelves from about mid-thigh height to eye level or so, wine priced from about $8 to $15, or premium to super-premium wines.”

Read more here.

For more information on Brand PR and Wine PR, contact Fineman PR at 415.392.1000 or follow us on Twitter @finemanpr

The post Wine PR insights from our resident wine expert appeared first on Fineman PR.

clients want to hear more about our thoughts on their business than a recitation of our qualities, so I was more ready to discuss the client’s most mediagenic attributes and our strategic and creative ideas to help achieve their objectives.

Oh, sure, I had case studies at the ready about our past experience and successes related directly to the potential client’s business, but I had gotten used to taking our own qualities for granted. Surely, I conjectured, every new business prospect knew all about us, our wonderful achievements over the years and our qualities that made us “legendary” (measured with one part self-deprecation, one part ego-generated and one part down home, honest truth).

So, I fumfered (or phumphered) a bit and was saved by my team.

However, later in thinking about it, I decided to reevaluate our differentiating position and the qualities of my agency in which my team and I took the greatest pride, had the most credibility and were highly promotable.

Since I founded Fineman PR in 1988, we have become nationally known for Brand PR (we coined the term back in 1995), effective consumer messaging, reasoned and principle-based crisis communications and food safety initiatives, multicultural outreach, wine expertise and community relations. Is that what potential clients want to hear? Or is it a list of attributes that we hold dear: creativity, strategic thinking, senior level involvement, diligence, excellence, relentlessness and responsiveness? What agencies would not make those claims? I also put the question to my staff.

From my intrepid group, the top three points of differentiation have to do with our Brand PR focus, the strategic approach we take with all client counsel, especially from our crisis experience, and the large agency talent we offer with small agency responsiveness. This mirrors the feedback we have repeatedly heard from clients who have previously worked with other agencies – including some with very large, multinational firms.

Here is what we ultimately came up with:

1. National credibility – We are a boutique-sized agency, but we have successfully worked on and are known for a number of high profile issues, including marketplace-honored communications for Odwalla’s tainted juice issue; ending a Berkeley radio staff insurrection; terminating the national Avian Influenza scare; battling false charges against produce companies; dispelling rumors and false charges during a fiery conflagration in Santa Barbara County that threatened the reputation of a respected College; responding to wine taint issues, ultimately chronicled in a best-selling business text; and so many others that never came to fruition due to excellent crisis management. We also helped launch a number of well known natural foods into the mainstream marketplace, popularized packaged salads, promoted, early-on, the “Wrapp” concept, launched successful dot coms that are still alive and kicking today; and, of course, for developing our annual Top 10 PR Blunders list, published nationwide and now in its 17^th year.

2. Brand PR focus – In 1995, when I first came up with this concept of promoting brand values and integrity in story form as a differentiator, we published The Brand PR Newsletter and distributed it to food companies nationwide. It was all about anecdotes and expert testimonials that demonstrated the importance of market trust in a brand’s legacy and how-to’s about making the brand promise so meaningful that other mitigating factors (price, for example) would lose relevance. Soon after, many of those large companies reorganized their marketing and communications to include “Brand PR” departments.

3. Strategic communications based on principle – Our crisis experience has been marked across the board by success and deceleration of marketplace noise and hostility. We believe it is because we start with a principled approach (what we have termed in an acronym – PANTCHEK). Too often, we witness crisis responses from agencies that seem to come “on the fly” or by the “seat of their pants” without much in the way of responsible client counsel. So often, these efforts are marked by adversarial communications, deflecting blame and defensiveness without much reflective insight about what the marketplace needs to hear to be able to trust in the organization’s long-term values and viability.

This exercise we initiated was good for us from the standpoint of staying relevant to an evolving marketplace. And it’s to assure I don’t get caught ridiculously off guard on this issue ever again.

The post Standing Apart From the Crowd appeared first on Fineman PR.

The conference was hosted by Fineman PR for our worldwide colleagues of IPREX an international partnership of independent PR firms with extensive and varied public relations experience  and whose clients include some of the world’s most recognized corporations and brands.

Good public relations is one thing. But good online public relations is another. With the tools, media and landscape ever evolving online, public relations programs must improve efficiency, accuracy and credibility in rapid fire timing. Yesterday’s tools (SEO) may not be the answer for tomorrow’s challenges. (Yes, you read that right… SEO is not the quick fix to your brand’s online existence.) And now, more than ever, PR must reclaim its role as the synchronizing agent for corporate communications online for the sake of credibility and consistency.

Between an insider’s taste of Sonoma’s wine country, and in good timing with the Sonoma International Film Festival, our group shared collective insights about best practices in online reputation management and learned from established leaders in online communications. The sessions (as well as the wine) did not disappoint.

Well-known wine writer and author, Paul Franson, and luxury wine executive, Jean Arnold Sessions, of Hanzell Vineyards, helped immerse our senses in the opportunities and challenges for historic wine brands as they strive to genuinely engage with consumers online in real time, while maintaining the prestige and tradition of their time-honored, barrel-aged past. (Talk about a dichotomy of pace/timing.)

Next, we spoke with Jay Walsh, head of Communications for Wikimedia Foundation. For anyone who has ever thought of Wikipedia as “just” an online encyclopedia, think again. Jay shared insights into the building movement for freedom of information online thanks to 92,000 volunteer “Wikipedians” and presented a compelling case for online media transforming as a result.   Owen Tripp, co-founder of Reputation.com, discussed the growing challenges of online privacy for brands and individuals and how to evolve strategic programs for the benefits (and privacy) of our clients while addressing nagging issues for search relevancy. Paul Mabray, CEO of VinTank shared en pointe social media tips for e-commerce and online brands.

In PR, we talk about tips and tools often. And for good reason: good PR doesn’t sit on a shelf until it’s needed. A good PR program is actively behind the scenes, building alliances, anticipating change, adding dimension and looking for the next big opportunity. As strategic counselors, it’s our job not to just keep up, but to keep an eye out for what’s next and evolve that conversation.

For more on the IPREX conference: https://finemanpr.com/souvenirs-from-iprex-sonoma-conference/

The post For Your (Everyone’s) Eyes Only appeared first on Fineman PR.