Thought Leadership in the Time of COVID-19

Throughout the COVID pandemic, many marketing processes and plans were disturbed. One strategy has remained stable, and in some cases, even stronger than ever - thought leadership. Executives have jumped into high gear to shape their narratives and company initiatives to messages about help, future trend analyses, and many other relevant and timely topics. As we look at the overall future impact on thought leadership, we begin to breakdown the key facets that drive successful strategies.

Working with Agility and Impactful Messaging

Marketing and PR teams immediately began working on both internal and external communications when the pandemic hit, covering all the bases with key stakeholders and outlets.

There were three areas that captured the attention of communications leaders and executives:

  • The help message

  • Employee morale

  • The future vision 

Help messages were being crafted and edited each and every day with business leaders prompting their internal and external teams to figure out impactful ways the organization could help its employees and customers. Companies wanted to ensure that everyone felt supported and that customers felt secure. This messaging that coincides with these efforts was crucial to stabilizing all internal and external efforts to weather the storm.

Looking towards the rest of the year, executives are offering their expertise and ideas for the future around various industry trends and topics. What is the future of dining? Where will the privacy regulations land? How will office life change?

No topic has been left untouched, but it’s important to note that each and every company has a unique perspective to offer, and tapping into that can make all the difference. 

The Right Time for Thought Leadership

Thought leadership is all about having that expertise and perspective in an industry, offering unique guidance, inspiring innovation, and influencing others. While the definition can vary, the impact of a successful thought leadership program does not. 

Thought leadership can be weaved throughout PR and marketing programs, whether it’s campaigns, written pieces, podcasts, you name it. The first step is acquiring and refining a unique point of view. The value of thought leadership is grounded in the relevance of both your overall business and the publications you’re targeting. 

The value of creating PR campaigns is crucial in this time, especially when data can be incorporated to help provide that real-time value. Start by taking a media-first approach to content marketing, and analyze what your target audience is reading and your target publications are writing. 

The peaks and valleys of planning play a big role in PR programs, showcasing those company announcements and initiatives on top of the peak, and filling the valleys with valuable thought leadership and commentary opportunities. 

Connecting the Dots with PR, Marketing and Measurement

Data is not only important to utilize and publish as an external resource; it’s critical for internal use and evaluation as well. Accessing each campaign and opportunity against a measurement stack is critical for gauging success. 

Executives and agencies alike should be evaluating their marketing stack with key KPIs and ROIs to keep plans relevant, successful, and on track. It’s important to align from start to finish on how PR is helping to achieve specific goals, and build the campaign from the ground up. What data points might be most of interest to prospective clients? What findings and insights will catch the interest of target reporters? 

Navigating the ever-changing news cycle can be tricky, regardless of a global pandemic. By utilizing internal communications and compelling campaigns, along with data and relevant announcements, executives can be successful in their thought leadership efforts. 

- Talia Firenze, Account Associate

Women in Media Meetup [Webinar]: Analyzing the Numbers – Making Sense of the Impacts of COVID-19 on Media

During unprecedented times, it’s critical to keep an eye on emerging data to help shine a light on the path forward. 

Recently, we hosted a virtual edition of our Women in Media Meetup. This event, sponsored by AdColony, discussed the latest data coming out of COVID-19 and how it’s impacting programmatic campaigns, consumer behavior and advertiser activity. 

Moderated by Nicole Perrin, Principal Analyst at eMarketer, the webinar featured leaders in the media and advertising industry, including Gabriella Aversa, Director, Strategy & Planning at AdColony, Amanda Martin, VP Enterprise Partnerships at Goodway Group, and Lauren T. Fisher, Vice President, Business Intelligence at Advertiser Perceptions. 

Here are some key findings from the discussion. 

To hear more from our speakers about the trends and impacts of COVID-19 on digital media, please access the webinar recording here. 

The Shift in Consumer Behavior

With the population quarantined or shifting to full-time remote work, our standard behaviors have inevitably been impacted. Surveys across the industry confirm this from a general perspective. More time is spent online, watching videos and streaming media. 

Taking a closer look, AdColony saw significant surges in mobile behavior, with the most noteworthy being game app downloads which increased 60% since the onset of COVID-19. Casual games, such as Fruit Ninja, as well as mobile board games, mobile card games and mobile word games, increased usage as high as 20%. 

Both Aversa and Fisher emphasized that prior to COVID-19, these were behaviors typically associated with weekend-life. Now, it’s becoming a daily activity as people seek positive distractions. Brands and advertisers will need to assess if these shifts will last long term, post-pandemic in order to cater their future strategies accordingly.

COVID-19 Impact on Digital Advertising 

AdColony’s recent survey found that consumers are craving continuity during this time. But with massive consumption changes and budget constraints to be mindful of, needless to say, it is challenging to be a brand in this climate. 

Brands are constantly updating their messaging and the frequency in which they are targeting their audience, but struggle to determine what is even appropriate. Marketers are leaning on outside partners, such as agencies, platforms and media sellers, to provide those insights, as noted by Fisher. 

From a buy-side point of view, however, Martin added that these consumption trends may not be ones advertisers can act on due to budget constraints. Increases in news website visits may not equate to a surge in news website advertising spending. Ad spending overall was down in March, and with so much uncertainty, many advertisers are needing to make decisions on a day-by-day basis as a result. 

Early Signs of Recovery

Different businesses, industries and even certain products will all have different trajectories on the road to recovery. Martin pointed to Goodway Group’s data that geography will also be a key factor as some states start to reopen. 

Of course, what’s really on the horizon remains unclear, but early research appears promising. Advertiser Perceptions found US marketers and agencies are planning to start re-allocating and reinvesting marketing dollars in Q3, but some – about 20% – say it could be as early as June. 

Martin is already seeing some resurgences in May, but not as quickly as previously forecasted. Aversa added that in March and early April, the brand side took a dip whereas performance and DR-focused spenders grew. 

While there may not be a blanket strategy for all companies to follow at this point, analyzing data sources, such as Goodway Group’s dashboard, is a good source for tracking daily changes. 

- Sammy Williams, Account Supervisor

How to Navigate a COVID-19 PR Campaign

COVID-19 is posing an unprecedented challenge for brands as they work to navigate a highly delicate and dynamic market climate. While some brands are pausing or pulling back on PR initiatives in light of COVID-19, others are leaning in and confronting the crisis head-on. In late March 2020, Kite Hill PR mobilized to help Unacast, a location data company, do just that.

Agility

Unacast approached Kite Hill with a valuable and time-sensitive tool designed to capture social distancing behavior in the United States at the state and county levels. The technology was in place, but Unacast needed to get the word out - and fast - to make this data available in the interest of public health education.

Navigate a COVID-19

The Kite Hill team deployed an agile communications approach and quickly mobilized to develop and execute a strategic PR plan to raise awareness of Unacast’s Social Distancing Scoreboard that would reach a wide population of policymakers, academic and public health institutions, industry verticals and individuals. In less than 24 hours, Kite Hill established key messaging points for the Scoreboard, a press release to explain the story, as well as a Q&A to respond to media inquiries about topics like data methodology and consumer privacy. In tandem, Kite Hill created a media relations strategy to reach press across business, technology, retail, real estate, daily news and broadcast outlets. 

Accuracy

The strategy required gravitas in order for Unacast and the Scoreboard to remain credible and gain recognition as a vital public health tool. It was also important that stakeholders like medical professionals, state and local governments and major retailers were made aware of the Scoreboard’s capabilities while making it easy to understand for the average consumer. Kite Hill underscored Unacast’s ability to combine complex technology and data science with easily digestible concepts to resonate with key audiences. 

Results

Kite Hill secured an agreement with The Washington Post to break the news with a positive story that would reach a large number of eyeballs. The initial article resulted in hundreds of inbound requests from reporters, qualified business leads, and organizations looking to use the data for public health strategies. Within the first 48 hours of launch, Kite Hill secured over 200 pieces of press coverage. Two weeks after the Scoreboard’s launch, the team placed over 300 original articles and over 100 broadcast clips in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Cheddar, Fox Business, USA Today, Mashable, Wired and more. Additionally, the Unacast team has seen over 1,000 qualified new business leads and 2.5 million unique page views to the Scoreboard. The numbers are growing as Unacast continues to enhance its Scoreboard with new capabilities and Kite Hill continues to spread the word about the amazing work they are doing - all with the goal of ultimately saving lives.

To learn more about Kite Hill’s work with Unacast, visit here.

- Bianca Illion, Account Supervisor

Securing Organisations in a Remote Business World

We are certainly living through unusual times, which is wreaking havoc on businesses of all shapes and sizes - not just in terms of revenue, but also in terms of new working practices and what it means to keep employees, customers, and the business as a whole safe and secure as we battle through lockdowns and prepare for ‘business as usual’ albeit remotely. 

Remote Business World

PR has always been core to communicating the threats at large and how to defend against them, and we have seen this in our years of working closely with cybersecurity clients at Kite Hill. However, never has this been more important than right now, in the eye of the storm.

As coronavirus-related attacks continue to increase, cybersec organizations need to lean into PR to help their customers, the industry and global business economy, as well as the general public, understand the risks and the existing threats in order to protect business infrastructures and individuals. 

We are acutely aware of the challenges we face right now, but equally, we recognise the opportunities that are coming to light in response to this pandemic. Though lockdown will eventually ease, it is certain that a new norm is emerging. 

We are working closely with our clients to help them use this time to sustain, prepare and plan a successful exit from COVID lockdown. Most have or are looking to make a hard pivot with their PR programme, ensuring they can keep pace with and shift gears when needed by taking an agile approach to communications.

If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that never has it been more important to put communications at the core of every business undertaking. All companies should be using this time to properly plan for coming out of COVID lockdown, making sure the right strategies are in place to communicate both internally to the workforce and externally to key stakeholders in an effort to instill confidence in the business, from the inside out and top-down.

- Laura Cameron, UK Managing Director

CEO Roundtable: Candid Conversations During COVID-19

During these unprecedented times, connections and transparent conversations are more important than ever. And even more so for business leaders, who are looking to learn from one another about how to approach the challenges of the pandemic and better position their companies for the rebound.

Recently, Kite Hill PR facilitated such a discussion among executives in the advertising and media industries through a closed-door virtual CEO Roundtable. This event was closed-door and under Chatham House Rule, so, unfortunately, we can’t share in-depth insights, but we can share some of the general takeaways. 

We covered industry impacts, modes of communication during COVID-19 and recovery. All of the perspectives were interesting. Here is what we can share. 

Industry Impacts

Business leaders are spending more time looking at finances and adjusting projections due to client loss and stalled business conversations. M&A activity is slowing down. Companies are being less rigid with clients and more liberal with contracts.   

Media consumption is also changing and companies in the sector need to pivot quickly to meet consumer needs and business opportunities. For example, music consumption habits are changing to home speakers and other devices, away from commutes. The ecommerce enablement business is booming. 

Some of the lesser discussed side effects revolved around hampered decision-making. Under pressure, decisions are sometimes being made too quickly or without the usual rigor. Especially in light of how quickly COVID-19 is progressing, being strategic is proving to be more challenging. To help counter this trend, a 30/60/90 day plan was discussed as a way to help mitigate rash decisions and focus leadership teams.

Modes of Communication  

The digital revolution in media and advertising happened over a decade ago, and most companies are finding the shift to remote work fairly friction-less. What remains a challenge is keeping teams connected and motivated. Many have increased internal comms - formal and informal - to keep engagement and morale up. 

The concept of digital body language is also worth paying attention to. For example, is someone typing for long periods of time and then sending just a few words? Are you hearing long pauses and short, curt replies? Being more in tune with these signals can help managers to keep teams engaged. As one of our participants pointed out, when you lose one of your senses, the others get more heightened.

Some companies are also turning to apps like Culture Amp, which allow for quick anonymous polls to help businesses understand how employees are feeling and if certain decisions are impacting morale.

Recovery 

Signs of recovery are already happening abroad and business leaders are focusing on China and other regions in APAC to understand what consumer behavior will look like in the EU and U.S. 

Another bellwether is the programmatic space, which is projected to be one of the first to see signs of recovery. There were a few competing predictions on how publishers should approach floor pricing and how they’ll likely react, as well as increased adoption of programmatic direct marketplaces. 

There was little doubt, however, that the ad tech sector will see further consolidation, and likely for the better. The pace of innovation will accelerate substantially and in the end, we may achieve some big goals like architecting an internet that is not based on the cookie.  

As an important final remark, there was a reminder to stay focused on those things that we can control. A recovery will come and devoting attention to the right details now will set companies up for success. 

- Gina Preoteasa, Vice President

How Commtech is Transforming PR and Corporate Culture

In recent months we’ve seen the rise of communications technology, or commtech, alongside the emergence of digital tools and data platforms to assist PR teams.

Companies like Siemens and Google have invested in commtech to transform corporate culture, and Mistubishi is using it to generate sales leads.

Technology affects everything we do. Whether your clients are in the health care or media industry, or in the tech industry itself, technology influences every client category and is affecting the broader PR industry.

Trying to understand commtech? Learn more about key elements from our Founder and CEO, Tiffany Guarnaccia, in PR Daily.

Musings on Projecting Credibility and Confidence in Presentations

This month, my colleague did a workshop on presentation skills while working from home and I must commend her because surely the irony wasn’t lost on her, but she did a great job doing this virtually. I don’t think many understand the difficulties and if I daresay, the perils of conducting an interactive session via Zoom. Still, she shared some great insights including tips on keeping eye contact, engaging the entire audience, eliminating fillers and eliciting audience responses, and ways to calm nervousness and anxiety. The entire session garnered some personal revelations and I thought I’d share a few of those lessons that I learned. 

During our first exercise, we were paired with another team member and asked to describe two places we’d like to visit and why while using little to zero filler words. We each had one minute to speak. My partner spoke about Bali and Greece but if I told you I knew why she picked those places I’d be lying. I was too busy thinking about what I would say during my minute that I had no room to process what she was saying during hers. And the two destinations I suggested remain a mystery, as I have no way of recalling what I mentioned. 

The first lesson learned? Actively listen, respond in kind and don’t overthink it. 

In another exercise, we were once again paired up and asked to describe our hometown. After each sentence, we would snap twice to pace ourselves, ensuring that we weren’t rushing through our dialogue. I floated in the Zoom abyss for a little bit until finally, I was paired with a colleague. I told him to begin and he promptly reminded me that the first letter of my last name was before his in the alphabet and therefore, I was to go first. I began my spiel and then a combination of nervousness and technological challenges pushed me to accidentally exit the breakout room, abandon my partner and return to the main Zoom line. 

Lesson number two – learn and perfect the meeting logistics beforehand; and hold your hands steady, lest they go rogue and embarrass you.  

In our last exercise, we were put into two large groups and recounted one of our first money-earning jobs. With each sentence, we had to address and make eye contact, as best as we could in a digital meeting, with each person in the group. I didn’t get a chance to participate, as there were many of us, but I could already tell what I would have done wrong. I almost missed when my colleague called my name because I was concerned with how terrible I looked on camera compared to others in my group. But then it dawned on me that I couldn’t possibly be the only one concerned with my looks on camera. 

And that’s when I learned my third lesson – Vanity during a digital meeting is useless because everyone is looking at themselves.

I learned quite a bit about myself during this presentation and hope others can relate. In addition to the tips on projecting confidence, calming my anxiety and taming my adrenaline, I’ve picked up on my own presentation habits and I look forward to getting the chance to improve them. 

- Tanya Merisier, Account Associate

Media Training Tips During COVID-19

With a news cycle dominated by COVID-19, it’s a good time for organizations to ensure that their technology and messaging are updated to reflect the new normal.  

At Kite Hill PR, we’re guiding our clients through this introspectively, while continuing to advance proactive business communications; albeit with carefully considered messages viewed through a COVID-19 lens.

With this backdrop, here are three important considerations we are counseling our clients to think about, and are relevant to most businesses and organizations, as they communicate during this unprecedented time.  

Message points are more important than ever.

While it’s always a best practice to have your key messaging points prepared ahead of time, during times of crisis, this is essential to avoid being viewed or misconstrued as insensitive or an opportunist capitalizing on tragedy. When developing key messaging, keep it brief and factual, leaving no room for interpretation. These talking points should serve as your anchor, keeping the conversation from wandering too far away from your main topic. 

Prepare yourself and your environment.

As all interviews and other media opportunities are being conducted by phone or video conferencing tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams, many subject matter experts are doing them from their homes; a setting that might not be conducive to anything more than a quick phone call or an internal company meeting. When preparing for a video interview, limiting distractions and possible technical difficulties are your top priority. During the interview, you’ll want to mute all notifications and close unnecessary windows on your computer and make sure to prepare your environment prior to the event. At minimum, you should ensure: 

  • Your connection is stable

  • You have headphones or know there’s no echo or background noise

  • Your camera picture is clear with good lighting

  • There’s nothing/no one in the background that could become a distraction

The same rules regarding distractions, connection and noise apply for phone interviews as well. We urge all of our clients to treat phone interviews with the same level of care that you would an in-person or video interview. You’d be surprised how well body language or distraction translates over the phone. 

Be sure to practice.

Just as important as developing clear messaging points is ensuring you're comfortable discussing them with confidence. Setting aside time to have a mock interview, recording yourself going over your talking points or practicing in front of a mirror are all great ways to prepare for a speaking opportunity. Very rarely is “winging it” a good idea, and in the midst of this heightened societal climate, it pays to be prepared or you can risk coming off as unprepared or insensitive.  Standard rules such as talking slowly and avoiding industry jargon and acronyms still apply, but also take time to either prepare answers or brief responses about the current climate that show thoughtfulness and the appropriate sensitivity.

These few tips will go a long way in helping you prepare for an interview, but the best advice we can give is to relax and be confident. The interview doesn’t happen without you, it’s your time to promote your message. If you take the time to prepare, speak with conviction and be cognizant of your audience you will be fine in any climate.

- Jacob Lawrence, Account Associate

How to Maintain Professional Development While Working from Home

In recent years, most agencies and tech companies have implemented flexible work from home (WFH) plans. While it’s common practice, at least among my peers, to take a few WFH days per month or quarter, I don’t think any of us were expecting to be WFH for such a long period of time because of COVID-19. Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy to have some extra time at home. But there are aspects of office life that I miss.

As someone who is newer to the industry, I try to make as much time for professional development as I can. Now that the novelty of working from home for weeks on end has worn off, I find myself missing networking events or meeting new reporters. I’ve taken the last week and a half to think about how I could continue my own professional development - while remote. To my surprise, it wasn’t as difficult as I imagined. Here are my recommendations.

Subscribe to new podcasts.

Morning Brew’s Business Casual

I’ve been a fan of Kite Hill PR client Morning Brew since I was in college and became even more obsessed when the media brand launched its weekly podcast, Business Casual. Morning Brew has been releasing bonus episodes amidst COVID-19, further feeding my obsession. The podcast dives deep into the biggest issues in today’s business world and features executives from Lemonade, Classpass, Bombas and most recently, entrepreneur Mark Cuban.

Modern Mentor

While I have a mentor at Kite Hill, I started listening to this podcast recently and it’s been a great resource for additional support. Now, only two years into my career and I have seen continued growth as a communicator and leader. With nearly 600 episodes that range from 5-20 minutes, it’s a great add on for those looking to get a little bit more guidance on their professional development.

AdExchanger’s Social Distancing with Friends

Similar to Business Casual, AdExchanger released additional podcasts during COVID-19, breaking cabin fever by talking with the top thought leaders and practitioners in digital and data-driven advertising – all while under social isolation. Hearing candid takes on the industry from different executives has helped me look at the advertising and adtech industry with a more critical lens.

Attend virtual events.

Adweek Webinars

Pre-pandemic, I would get emails to join these webinars and never felt like I had the time, but the other day one of these emails stuck out so I decided to give it a try. I tuned into an Adweek Webinar on ‘Leveling Up Your Adtech’ which discussed how brands can deliver the perfect experience. It was great listening in and hearing industry experts breakdown how marketers and advertisers can deliver authentic and personal messages. It also made the complex adtech industry a bit more digestible, further allowing me to grow in my understanding.

Ad Age Webcasts

This week, I registered for a webcast that I’m really looking forward to. On April 14, Ad Age’s ‘TV is Changing: Learn What Creative Formats Are Working in This New Landscape’, will cover how the TV landscape is changing, how CTV and OTT audiences differ and how the ad industry needs to approach these audiences. I now find myself more aware of these opportunities to get a deeper understanding of the inner workings of my clients’ industries and am seeing the value of having conversations like these.

Additionally, a lot of companies and business leaders have been hosting AMAs or LinkedIn Q&As, like Tea with Gary Vee. I recommend looking at your favorite brands and companies and see what content they are creating and listen in!

Reignite your passion and register for online classes.

I always said that I’d go back to school and nearly two years out of college I still haven’t made it happen. With the encouragement of my manager, a few weeks before the pandemic, I signed up for an online writing course. I already can see myself catching edits that my managers and supervisors would previously make, as well as writing more succinctly. There is a variety of writing courses out there, depending on what you’d like to tackle.

I am looking forward to being back in the office and going to networking or industry events like I’ve done in the past - but it’s comforting to know that I can still find ways to grow professionally right from my home office.

- Will Vogel, Account Executive

Agile Communications in a COVID-19 Environment

Communicating during a time of crisis is critically important. The wrong approach can derail a brand and leave a lasting negative impression. To help organizations navigate these unprecedented times, Kite Hill conducted a webinar to address both external and internal communications during COVID-19.

In regards to external communications, we addressed pressing questions like: 

  • What are the immediate impacts on the media and communications industry?

  • Should companies freeze external communications? 

  • How should external communications be altered? 

These communications need to adapt to the news cycle and be extra sensitive to the timing of announcements, bylines, blog posts and social posts. An agile adaptation of messaging is key. For media relations specifically, reporters are looking for data and insights around COVID-19, as well as expert advice on how to navigate the data and the new unfolding situation. 

For internal communications, the right tone is everything. Conveying strong leadership, high emotional intelligence and authenticity are critical during this time. Even for the mundane announcements, the right tone is crucial to provide employees with clear, concise information in a way that is considerate of the challenges they’re facing. 

To learn more, watch the full webinar here. 

- Margot Sikorski, Event Manager

Keeping Company Culture Alive in a Time of Social Distancing

With the unprecedented changes COVID-19 has brought to the world, it’s old news that millions of people have made the transition to remote work over the past few weeks. Social distancing has caused Americans and people all over the world to abandon their desks and hunker down in their homes. 

If you’re one of those people, you’ve likely set up your devices, picked your new desk-away-from-work, and started moving on your tasks. One day passes, and another, and a third. All seems fine, until one day your coworkers’ faces in the corner of your screen aren't enough to make you feel like you’re still part of the workplace. Did you know that the second-most reported challenge of remote work was loneliness? Digital discussions cannot replace face-to-face interaction and put us at risk of depleting company culture. 

So, how can we revive company culture and boost morale when we are rooms, buildings, and maybe even states apart? If you’re lucky enough to have an office manager dedicated to culture, this may be easier said than done. After some brainstorming and collaboration across our own team, here are some of the best ways we’re initiating discussion and interaction. 

Utilize Slack for Open-Ended Conversations

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Talia and 11 others joined #wfhdistractions

The votes start pouring in and “several people typing” appears at the bottom of your screen. Slack is arguably the backbone of both in-office and remote work communications. The platform fosters discussion and creativity and offers an open-door policy style of communication. There’s the option for various channels with dedicated themes, private messaging, and much more. 

One useful tip to help capitalize on remote work is to create dedicated channels for different elements of interaction. A “Daily Poll” could offer a siloed space for a quick break to answer some fun questions but can be easily muted and ignored when heads-down on a big assignment. Keyword: muted. Slack also offers the option to disconnect from any non-essential communication, something that cannot be as easily done physically in an office. 

Slack conversations can be kept fairly simple. Maybe you ask your team channel to share a fun fact about themselves. This allows for engagement between coworkers, but also a way to get to know one another better. It’s no surprise that some people prefer to communicate behind a screen rather than face-to-face. Use this to boost interaction and foster employee relationships. 

Face-Timing In Place of Face Time 

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Kite Hill has invited you to join a meeting

You’ve been working from home for a week now. How many times have you asked your work best friend to get on the phone with you, just to get some face time? Or to show off each other’s incredible views and adorable pets? While Zoom is an extremely helpful tool that is utilized each and every day by people all over the world, it doesn’t have to be strictly for client communications. 

Try hosting a water-cooler conversation session with your coworkers. Utilize the time to decompress, to brainstorm, to share some audible, authentic laughs. We’re no longer able to congregate at the kitchen island for light-hearted conversations, so it’s vital to still get that verbal interaction in any form. 

Don’t Forget to Stretch 

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Screens down, arms up 

Have you gotten up and walked around during the day yet? Have you gone outside to get some fresh air? It’s puzzling to think we sometimes forget the basic need for movement even when we aren’t glued to our desks. Remember that midday coffee run you normally take with your seatmate? Now, it’s time to do it on your own, even if it’s turned into a walk around the block. 

One of the best things you can do for your employees is to invite everyone to take a few minutes and get up, walk away from their screens and just stretch. This can be critical to productivity and motivation levels. This is another place to utilize Zoom - get everyone on camera, standing up and stretching away their mid-morning stress. 

Don’t let a computer screen separate you from your employees and coworkers. Make those digital connections and use the technology available to you at your fingertips to ensure morale stays high and your employees stay safe. 

- Talia Firenze, Account Associate

How Format Can Change the Impact of a B2B Webinar

Now more than ever, we’ve seen an increase in investment in virtual events. Virtual events can get stale when B2B companies are executing the same format over and over again. The content is the most important drive for attendees to join a virtual event. It’s imperative to have the right format to convey your message. 

Here are four formats to consider for your next virtual event: 

An Engaging Fireside Chat

Speaking with a client or industry expert in an intimate setting like a fireside chat allows you to dig deep into the topic at hand. It creates a close setting for you to truly interact with your audience since there are a limited number of speakers. This is best used when content is targeted for an audience of experts that can dig deep into a subject without much upfront explaining. 

A Live Thought Leadership Panel 

Panels are a great way to present differing opinions on a general topic. This is the best format when you’d like to exhibit viewpoints from different industries or professional levels and how they handle the topic. This requires a bit more coordinating of the panelists, finding a captivating moderator and ensuring that everyone has a voice during the panel. Panels are used very frequently for webinars so ensure the content is engaging for the audience and the moderator has a clear vision on the flow of conversation. 

An Interactive Product Launch

When you have a product or feature launch, it is great to display the product immediately to your clients or prospects. They want to see how they can use this new product and how it will make their job easier. The content should be very specific to your different customer personas and targeted to them appropriately. 

An Internal Town Hall

If you need to connect with your team, a virtual town hall is a great way to make them feel heard while you’re remote. This will allow individuals to ask questions and hear from your executives while still feeling like you’re all in the same room. 

No matter what the virtual event may be, you must ensure the format of the webinar fits the content. The message needs to be clearly given and received by the audience to truly have a successful virtual event. This will create a community that wants to attend your webinars over and over again. 

- Margot Sikorski, Event Manager

Live Blog: Major Industry Event Cancellations from Coronavirus

The spread of COVID-19 has raised travel concerns, and major industry events are being canceled within the marketing, media, advertising and tech industries. 

To help professionals stay informed on cancellations, Kite Hill PR is monitoring the industry for confirmed cancellations or rescheduling of events. We’ll update the blog in real-time with future cancellations as a result of this global outbreak.

AdTech + Advertising + Marketing Events

Video + Entertainment + Publishing Events

Upfronts + Newfronts

Retail Events

  • Shopify Unite: Canceled. Shopify will host a virtual event, scheduled for May 6 - 8, 2020.

  • Shoptalk: Rescheduled for September 14 - 17, 2020.

Tech Events


Women in Media Meetup: Creating loyalty for the modern reader

Last week, our team hosted the Women in Media Meetup, sponsored by Dailymotion and AdColony. The event centered around creating loyalty for the modern reader and highlighted how publishers are finding innovative ways to attract advertising dollars while staying loyal to their core audiences. The panel was moderated by Sarah Sluis, Senior Editor from AdExchanger and featured speakers Erika Velazquez Alpern, SVP, Head of Brand and Product Marketing from Morning Brew, Gabriella Aversa, Director of Strategy and Planning from AdColony, and Ronak Patel, SVP of Marketing, PR, Research, Creative Services & Digital Revenue Operations from Trusted Media Brands.

I had the privilege of hearing for myself how these women are taking these challenges head-on and adapting to the changing media climate. Here are some of the key takeaways from the event.

Listen to your audience

Publishers have one goal: create content their audience loves. If your audience is offering feedback, listen to it. As publishers, Patel suggests you ask yourself if you are providing the right content for your audience based on their feedback. When the audience offers positive feedback on a certain topic or theme, work to find new and creative ways of delivering similar content. Finding new angles or mediums to deliver your content, such as newsletters or podcasts, keeps the reader coming back to your publication. Repeat readers create a larger and more engaged audience, which attracts advertisers.

Create engagement

Engagement is a key element in creating loyalty among modern consumers, while also attracting advertising dollars. Readers seek engaging content because it creates a sense of community between the publication and the audience. When a reader responds to an ad throughout a newsletter, they are creating a dialogue. In order to create engagement, ads should be organic in the space that they are occupying. They should not be invasive or take away from the content of the publication but rather, enhance it. As Aversa expressed, they create ads that are organic to the app in which they are appearing in. If the app is a game, then the ad will feature elements of a “game” environment. 

Loyalty can create sustainability

In order to create something that can last, publishers need to shift their focus from short-term growth to long-term loyalty. When evaluating metrics, focus on what is really important: subscribers. It should be on how aware people are of your brand and how they engage with your content. Evolve with your consumers by prioritizing what matters to them at the moment. Consider becoming a part of their community through live events that are centered around the content they enjoy.

Podcasts are key

Podcasts are a new medium emerging in the digital sector that is becoming increasingly more popular. As Velazquez Alpern shared, “Podcasts require people to engage. They are immersive, and the audience has to commit to listening to the podcast.” In order to get your audience to commit, make that podcast stand out among competitors. Find your niche, as Patel advises, and make the podcast your own. Most importantly, find the right podcast strategy that works for your audience and your company. 

- Kerriann Becker, Spring 2020 Intern

#MentoringMonday: Why Mentorships Are So Valuable to Career Growth

This week our team attended the Bizwomen #MentoringMonday, hosted by the New York Business Journal. This national event was just one of 43 that was held by Business Journals across the country, involving thousands of women mentors and mentees. 

I got to play a special part in the day’s event, acting as a mentor to over 100 New York attendees. If it weren’t for my own mentor, I wouldn’t be where I am today, so I’m grateful I was able to give back at this year’s event. Here are some of the key takeaways from the day.

Get involved

By becoming an active member in communities that are meaningful to both your personal and professional interests, you can not only build a strong professional network, but also gain valuable advice to push yourself to new places in life. Join a meetup group, start a club within your workplace or even become a mentor yourself. Whatever it might be don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone. 

Map it out

A lot of people just getting started in their career often ask me how do you know if you’re shaping the right career path. My answer? Don’t only map out what you’d like to do, but also make a mental note of what you don’t like, whether it be skill sets or environments. By doing this you can better inform your own path and determine what’s best for you as you progress in your career. 

Network, network, network

Remember, your network is your new net worth. Connect with people on LinkedIn, ask questions and don’t be afraid to get out there! When approaching a new connection, start off with what value you can provide them and oftentimes you’ll find you can get that right back.

Mentoring allows us to lift each other up, building powerful networks and creating long-lasting relationships along the way. By focusing on advancing each other, we can ultimately gain so much more value in our own careers.

- Tiffany Guarnaccia, Founder and CEO

What a Night at the Museum Taught Us About History and Using it as a Guide for the Future

As a junior in college, I was home on winter break working at an ice skating rink when a group of younger kids came on a school field trip. After an hour of tying up cute little baby skates and watching them slide around, they began returning their skates. One of the last people to return them was a little black boy who handed me his skates and said, “Thank you, I hope that you’re here next time.”

My first thought was that it was a really nice thing to say, and then I looked around and noticed that he was the only person of color in his class. While I’m sure he was being polite, I remembered the tone and sincerity with which he said it, and it made me wonder if this boy, who I hadn’t interacted with once prior to that moment, might have also meant “I like seeing someone who looks like me.” I think about this day and its impact pretty often. In the short-term, I might’ve made his day a bit brighter by giving him another person of color in a predominantly white community to interact with even if it’s just handing him some skates. In the long-term, interactions like these and other early memories and history mold us and affect what we do with our future. Recently, I had the opportunity to see this first hand from a professional standpoint.

The 5th Annual Black PR History Event at the Museum of PR in New York was a presentation and networking event celebrating Black pioneers of the PR industry and how some of the big moments in African-American history should be used to measure industry progress as well as our personal, professional progress. Speakers Cheryl Procter-Rogers and Dr. Denise Hill did an excellent job discussing this subject from two unique perspectives. 

Currently an Assistant Professor at Elon University in North Carolina, Dr. Hill’s presentation was an excellent history lesson in not only the impact of African-Americans in public relations but also the importance of researching a subset of public relations history which has been mostly under-researched to this point. In addition to discussing some of her research on the key roles PR played during pivotal moments in American history such as Brown v. the Board of Education and the work of figures like Frederick Douglass, Hill also spoke about people such as Moss Kendrix, a PR professional worked with big brands such as Coca-Cola and Ford, educating them on the African-American as a consumer. Kendrix was also instrumental in changing the portrayals of African-Americans in advertising.

Proctor-Rogers, a PR and business strategist from Chicago, also looked at some of the big moments in African-American PR history, albeit it more from an industry standpoint, while tying them back to the art of storytelling and how as PR professionals who know the history of those before us, have an obligation to ensure that the stories and narratives that we’re telling are not only truthful but impactful and meaningful. “[In PR], there’s an opportunity to build bridges and connect people, she said, “we’re responsible for what becomes the barometer for progress in PR.” 

Not every story we tell is going to or is meant to, lead to history-altering change or have a major impact on society, but knowing your history and using your own experiences to your advantage is a great tool to help craft the unique stories which will leave the most impact possible. 

- Jacob Lawrence, Account Associate

What Should PR, Event and Marketing Professionals Do When a Large Industry Event is Canceled?

With the cancellation of Mobile World Congress 2020 and the possibility of many other major industry events being postponed or canceled, it has left many sponsors and tech companies stranded with their investments feeling wasted. When this happens, there are some easy wins for companies to create buzz around the big announcements that are now being thwarted by the cancellation of events. 

Virtual Conference

Many of the larger participants of MWC like Nokia and Sony will be having virtual conferences to unveil their new products. This is a low-cost or no-cost tactic to drive interest and press coverage. Tech companies can use this to achieve results they were hoping for at the industry event. This allows the content created around the event to still be used in an evergreen way while still getting the message out.

Grassroots Community Event

There’s an opportunity to take a captured audience that would have attended the event and create a community event. A grassroots event could create buzz around the idea of the original event at a smaller scale. It’s important to remember that we’re a connected society and anyone can be reached at any time - so how can you capitalize on that to drum up buzz?

Social Campaign 

Most of these events have social media companies attend so how can tech companies leverage those platforms? There is already an engaged audience on owned social channels. Using the live features of social media can create a short-form content piece about the larger announcement. This can feed into the overall campaign of the launch but is a quick, efficient medium to get the messaging without expending more funds. 

When industry events this large get canceled, sponsors need to be agile in their planning to create buzz for their product launch, new marketing campaign, feature reveal or their desired end result for participating in the show. It’s important to remember that when circumstances are out of your control, to be adaptive and nimble in the situation and create an environment of collaboration with your team to ensure a successful event. Agile is one of our core values at Kite Hill. 

Feel free to reach out if you have an urgent need following the cancelation of MWC or would like to learn more!

- Margot Sikorski, Event Manager