10 to 1 Blog

PR for the Win

by james

PR for the Win.

While this new year has just begun, it already feels like a sprint. Not just from the renewed energy of our current clients, but as demonstrated by the significant increase in prospective client inquiries that we’ve already received this year.

Why is this year different? Significant change is imminent.

2021 initially might feel like a continuation of 2020, but the ending will be far different. I’m not just talking politically, but as it relates to the pandemic and ultimately the economy. The general public can finally see a potential end to the pandemic once enough vaccines are administered. Businesses are seeing it too.

But this year, it’s like everyone is on the same compressed schedule to make up for time lost due to the pandemic, forcing many companies to work harder to ensure they’re at the front of the pack when potential customers cross the pandemic finish line. 

Thinking about this finish line, I can’t help but think about how a company’s PR strategy correlates to a race day strategy.

Back to high school when I ran track, my primary race was the 400 (one quarter of a mile) or one full loop around the track. I was decent at it. My freshman year, my best time was 55 seconds, good enough to earn a spot at regionals. My coach tried me in some other races like the 100, but I didn’t have a great start out of the blocks so my times were never great. He tried me at the mile, and while I started strong, I would fade to the back of the pack as the race went on. 

My success at the 400 wasn’t based on technique or skill. Ultimately it came down to one thing: I always ran the race as a flat-out sprint. I wasn’t the fastest out of the block, but I was by far the fastest in the middle of the race building up a lead. By the end, I was running out of gas trying desperately to hold on to the lead that I had built. This often led to my getting passed at the end by a closing competitor who had saved some energy for their sprint to the finish.

It’s okay to sprint the entire way from start to finish, it is a valid strategy for some cicumstances. But if you want to win the race, the strategy is done before you ever step foot on the track. It means before the race even begins you need to know what length of race you need to enter to make sure you end up in the right spot at the right time. Otherwise, you risk of running out of gas as you to watch your competitors run right by you into the arms of your potential customers.

It’s why you see a lot more in-race strategy occurring in longer races. The goal isn’t having your personal fastest time across the finish line, it’s simply about crossing the finish line first. It’s why you often see a clump of runners in a pack despite everyone having a different strategy. The goal is about trying to force the competitors to react the way you desire to advance your strategy to win. The runners with a fast last leg sprint try to stay with the pack and keep the pace slow until the end knowing they can outrun the rest. The runners less known for their sprint abilities may try to push the pace faster early in hopes of leaving others so tired or far behind they have nothing left at the end and can’t catch up before the race ends.

Which brings us back to today’s race to the pandemic finish line. Current predictions are that sometime later this year, we’ll pass a threshold where enough people have been vaccinated and it becomes safe to start gathering in groups again, going back to the office or booking travel plans.

As a business, you need to think about this race route from start to finish and how a public relations strategy can help you come out ahead. Along that route, you need to place different potential “PR story” flags along the way. Maybe the best strategy is placing the flags equal distances apart and simply sprinting as fast as you can through all of them to reach the finish line before anyone else. Or, maybe your strategy is to start off slower and clump more of the flags towards the end to ensure you’re at your top speed as you reach the finish line. 

As a PR firm, my team excels at developing a plan, planting flags and implementing the strategy. If you need help, let us know. We’re already wearing our running shoes and are ready to go.

— written by Josh Weiss

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10 to 1 Public Relations Named Finalist of 2020 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics

by james

10 to 1 Public Relations Named Finalist of 2020 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics.

Scottsdale, Arizona | September 4, 2020

Better Business Bureau Serving the Pacific Southwest (BBB) has named 10 to 1 Public Relations as a finalist for the 2020 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics, sponsored by Desert Financial Credit Union. The program raises awareness in marketplace ethics and honors businesses who operate with integrity. 

“The Better Business Bureau has a well-earned a reputation of trust among the public that can’t be ignored, and for the BBB to recognize our team as a finalist for this year’s Torch Awards for Ethics is extremely humbling and gratifying,” said Josh Weiss, President of 10 to 1 Public Relations. “As an industry, public relations is often portray as spinning accuracy or the truth for the short-term gain of the client. Hopefully this honor from the BBB breaks some of those negative perceptions and highlights the transparency and honesty our team performs every day towards our clients and the members of the media.”  

The BBB Torch Awards for Ethics were established to recognize outstanding businesses that maintain a solid commitment to ethics and trust in the marketplace. Companies are selected by an independent panel of volunteer community leaders based on criteria established by the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

All finalists completed an evaluation where they demonstrated their commitment to ethics in six categories:

  1. Transformation at the Top: Leadership Commitment to Ethical Practices
  2. Reinforce & Build: Communications of Ethical Practices
  3. Unite the Team: Leadership Practices to Unify the Organization
  4. Steer Performance: Organizational Commitment to Performance Management Practices
  5. Treasure People: Organizational Commitment to Ethical Human Resource Practices
  6. Enthusiastically Re-invest!: Organizational Commitment to the Community

“Ethics play a vital role in the success of a business, especially during a pandemic. For 18 years, BBB has been recognizing companies for their solid commitment to doing things right in their companies and industries,” said Shelley Bradley, Director of Signature Events for BBB Serving the Pacific Southwest. “This year’s finalists represent BBB’s community of trustworthy businesses that operate with integrity at the forefront.”

BBB made the critical decision to pivot this year’s in-person celebratory event to a virtual format as an ongoing commitment to keep our community safe and healthy. Throughout October, finalists and judges will be celebrated through a visual digital campaign on BBB’s social media channels. 

For a complete list of this year’s BBB Torch Awards for Ethics Finalists and to view the announcement of winners on October 28, visit BBB’s website.

This is the second honor presented to 10 to 1 Public Relations during the month of September, as the company was also named the 2020 PR Agency of the Year from the Phoenix Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

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    10 to 1 Public Relations Named Agency of the Year by Industry Group

    by james

    10 to 1 Public Relations Named Agency of the Year by Industry Group.

    The Public Relations Society of America Phoenix Chapter recognized 10 to 1 Public Relations with top honor at annual awards event

    Scottsdale, Arizona | September 2020

    Scottsdale-based strategic communications firm 10 to 1 Public Relations was named Agency of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America Phoenix Chapter (PRSA Phoenix) at the annual Copper Anvils awards event on September 17, 2020. PRSA is the nation’s largest professional organization serving the communications community, and each year, the Phoenix chapter recognizes the best public relations campaigns, tactics, agencies, and teams in the Greater Phoenix area at its annual awards event. 

    “With so many businesses struggling during this pandemic, it’s very humbling to have continued to grow as a firm in recent months and now to be recognized by our local public relations peers as agency of the year,”,” said Josh Weiss, President at 10 to 1 Public Relations. “This recognition is 100% attributable to our amazing team and their passion to ensuring our clients thrive and gain media recognition and community awareness to further grow and succeed.” 

    In the last two years, 10 to 1 Public Relations has experienced exceptional growth, doubling its staff count and client roster. In 2019, the company generated more than 2,500 verified news stories for its twenty different clients across a plethora of industries and specialties. Furthermore, 10 to 1 Public Relations has been recognized by many other business and professional organizations for its outstanding work. For the third year in a row, the firm has been ranked as one of the Top Public Relations Firms in North America by independent, third-party review site Clutch.co. 10 to 1 Public Relations was also named winner of the 2019 Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce Sterling Award for business excellence. Bolstering the firm’s national and global reach, 10 to 1 Public Relations is also the sole Arizona member of the IPREX Global Communication Platform of more than 70 independent public relations agencies across the globe.

    In addition to being named Agency of the Year at this year’s Copper Anvils, 10 to 1 Public Relations was also recognized with five different Copper Anvil awards in the categories of crisis communications, reputation management, and community relations. 

    “What I’m most proud about winning these Copper Anvil awards is the results we were able to deliver our clients through our targeted public relations campaigns and tactics,” added Weiss. “Our team is made up of some of the best story-tellers I know, and I am proud to work with them.”

    A traditional public relations firm, 10 to 1 Public Relations is focused on media relations, crisis communications, speaking engagements and award nominations. Launched in 2012, 10 to 1 Public Relation’s philosophy is that it takes ten good things to be said about a business to make up for one bad, and it is therefore essential to build up a company’s “good will bank” to protect its long-term image. This philosophy led to the company’s name, 10 to 1 Public Relations.

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      10 to 1 Public Relations Hires Two Executives, Adding to its Award-Winning Team

      by james

      10 to 1 Public Relations Hires Two Executives, Adding to its Award-Winning Team.

      Scottsdale, Arizona | July 7, 2020

      While many PR and marketing firms are cutting back salaries and staff because of the COVID-19 crisis, others have bucked that trend. Scottsdale-based strategic communications firm 10 to 1 Public Relations has grown during the pandemic, adding veteran public relations professionals Sharda Veeramally and Jeff Davidson to its award-winning team.

      Veeramally joined the team in March, just weeks before Stay-at-Home orders hit Arizona. The increase in several new clients since her hiring, combined with several long-held clients increasing or returning to their pre-COVID budgets, led to the hiring of Davidson, who started in June. Each hold the title Senior Account Executive.

      “We’re excited to add two talented storytellers, Jeff and Sharda, to our award-winning team,” said Josh Weiss, President at 10 to 1 Public Relations. “Our clients are going to greatly benefit from Jeff and Sharda as each have proven track records of success helping international and national clients grow public awareness and protect their brand reputations.”

      Sharda Veeramally has worked in public relations, marketing and social media for the last decade in both India and Arizona. Her experience includes assisting numerous technology companies, as well as large national homebuilders. Most recently, she held a senior PR position at The SPR Agency.

      Jeff Davidson has more than ten-years of experience in progressive roles at leading communication agencies in New York City and Arizona, with an emphasis on implementing media relations and community outreach strategies for local, national and international companies. In addition to work at Phoenix based advertising firm RIESTER, he previously served as Director of PR at Allison+Partners in their Scottsdale office, and at Brainerd Communicators in New York City.

      Weiss attributes the firm’s growth during the pandemic to “zigging when other firms zagged”. As the effects of COVID-19 began hitting the U.S. economy, 10 to 1 Public Relations took a more aggressive approach to helping its clients pivot within the crisis while continuing to share client story opportunities with the media in ways that fit the new abnormal. The firm also increased its own business development efforts while many other marketing and PR firms were hard-hit and forced to reduce salaries and staffing.In the last 18 months, the Arizona company has experienced exceptional growth, doubling its staff count and client roster. In 2020, the firm won two Stevie Awards® by The Annual American Business Awards® and for the third year in a row, the firm has been ranked as one of the Top PR Firms in North America by independent, third-party review site Clutch.co. In 2019, 10 to 1 Public Relations was named winner of the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce Sterling Award for business excellence.

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