10 to 1 Blog

Spotlight on Success: 15 of our Favorite PR Campaigns of 2025

by Erica

10to1PR Team Maps Out Bold 2026 Goals

From groundbreaking headquarters openings to heartwarming veteran support initiatives, our team delivered exceptional results across diverse industries in 2025. These campaigns showcase our ability to generate meaningful media coverage, position clients as industry leaders, and create lasting community impact. Each success story represents our commitment to strategic communication that drives real-world results for our clients while making a difference in the communities they serve.

Here are 15 of our favorite PR campaigns from 2025:

1. Master’s Transportation: $72 Million Headquarters Grand Opening

Campaign Focus: Generate awareness and media attention for Master’s Transportation’s new $72 million headquarters in Kansas City, MO
Objectives: Secure local and national media coverage highlighting the headquarters’ significance to the community, regional economy, and transportation industry
Results: 40+ media placements across television, local news outlets, business publications, and industry trade media, featuring in-depth interviews with the CEO and key executives. Coverage included KMBC, KCTV, and KSHB, providing comprehensive visibility across multiple platforms.
Why We Loved It: Celebrating this milestone onsite with our clients and witnessing their long-anticipated vision come to life. The grand opening represented years of planning and investment in the Kansas City community.
Read More: https://www.kmbc.com/article/kc-bus-company-expansion-world-cup-2026/68122003

2. ITS World Congress: Global Transportation Innovation Showcase

Campaign Focus: Elevate international and local awareness of the Intelligent Transportation Society’s World Congress in Atlanta, Georgia, highlighting innovations shaping the future of intelligent transportation
Objectives: Strategically engage international, national, and local media outlets to drive attendance, coverage, and visibility for cutting-edge transportation technologies and industry advancements
Results: Generated 200+ media features worldwide across print, digital, television, radio, and podcasts, successfully amplifying the event’s global impact and showcasing next-generation transportation solutions
Why We Loved It: Collaborating with international journalists, coordinating dynamic television interviews and live demonstrations of transformative transportation technologies. Atlanta News First coverage of technology to protect first responders was particularly impactful.
Read More: https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/08/26/new-technology-protect-first-responders-display-world-congress-center/

3. Milhaus: Opportunity Zone Thought Leadership

Campaign Focus: Position Milhaus executive Brad Vogelsmeier as a thought leader and expert in Opportunity Zones
Objectives: Establish expertise in Opportunity Zones among industry peers and highlight Milhaus’s successful multifamily development strategy
Results: Featured 1600+ word byline article in highly respected Urban Land Magazine, including photos of five beautiful Milhaus properties including Northbend, Arrello, and Ora developments
Why We Loved It: The article not only positioned Brad and Milhaus as experts in Multifamily Development and Opportunity Zones but also showcased their portfolio through high-quality property photography that demonstrated their design excellence
Read More: https://urbanland.uli.org/capital-markets-and-finance/whats-next-for-opportunity-zones-a-brighter-future-for-u-s-multifamily-development

4. JobElephant: Human Touch in AI Recruiting

Campaign Focus: Highlight the critical role of emotional intelligence in modern recruitment despite AI advancements in the hiring landscape
Objectives: Position JobElephant as a strategic voice in the future of recruiting that recognizes both AI’s power and limitations while enhancing credibility with HR and talent acquisition professionals
Results: Byline article in Staffing Hub featuring their Talent Acquisition team, differentiating the brand from competitors focused solely on automation and reinforcing their commitment to a balanced approach
Why We Loved It: Successfully amplifying the message that human relationships and judgment remain essential to hiring success, helping JobElephant stand out in a crowded recruiting-software market dominated by AI promises
Read More: https://staffinghub.com/guest-posts/ai-moves-fast-but-emotional-intelligence-wins-the-recruiting-game/

5. Action Roofing Services: Veterans Day Giveaway

Campaign Focus: Highlight Florida’s strong veteran community through roof giveaways in Tampa and Gainesville
Objectives: Secure local media coverage emphasizing community support for veterans during Veterans Day celebrations
Results: For Tampa, surprised a retired Navy SEAL with WFLA Tampa Channel 8 and WFTS Tampa Bay 28 attending, generating 10 TV segments and 5 online features. For Gainesville, surprised an active duty servicemember with WCJB-TV, WUFT-TV, and Mainstreet Daily News attending, resulting in 3 TV segments and 6 online features.
Why We Loved It: The whole process of identifying and partnering with a passionate nonprofit dedicated to veterans, capturing genuine surprise reactions on video, and contributing to the veteran community through months of planning and hard work
Read More: https://www.tampabay28.com/news/region-pinellas/navy-veteran-gets-free-roof-repair-ahead-of-veterans-day

6. FirstBank: Acts of Goodness Stadium Tour

Campaign Focus: Connect young fan Everett with the Arizona Cardinals and highlight FirstBank’s community giving initiatives
Objectives: Secure a Cardinals stadium tour opportunity and local media coverage to support Everett’s story and FirstBank’s community involvement
Results: Arranged a State Farm Stadium tour complete with a signed AZ Cardinals football and new football gear. Media coverage included an exclusive with AZ Family that aired 4 times plus 5 additional stories in local digital publications.
Why We Loved It: Seeing how our PR efforts made a direct impact on Everett’s life and helping share his story with local publications to support his GoFundMe campaign for a new prosthetic foot
Read More: https://www.azfamily.com/2025/05/19/teen-athlete-shooting-survivor-gets-vip-tour-state-farm-stadium/

7. Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity: Workforce Summit 2025

Campaign Focus: Secure media coverage for Arizona’s Workforce Summit while creating online dialogues about workforce development
Objectives: Generate media coverage, create online dialogue, and ensure cohesive messaging throughout all external communications and Summit programming
Results: Secured media partnerships with AZFamily and Phoenix Business Journal, boosting credibility and exposure while engaging local media in dialogues about workforce development’s importance to families and businesses. Live social media updates extended the conversation months beyond the event.
Why We Loved It: Reading positive attendee feedback and bringing the Summit to a broader audience through television appearances, including OEO’s director explaining the Summit’s impact for families on Good Morning Arizona.

8. Partnership for Economic Innovation: Innovation Summit 2025

Photo by Jaron Quach

Campaign Focus: Promote PEI’s Celebrating Innovation Summit as a gathering of public and private sector leaders across diverse industries
Objectives: Highlight Arizona’s innovation ecosystem through pre and post-event coverage and amplify enthusiasm through social media
Results: Secured strong pre and post-event coverage highlighting key Summit themes while driving a remarkable 748.1% increase in social media impressions through strategic content
Why We Loved It: Working directly with PEI board members as spokespeople for championing innovation, particularly securing the impactful interview on PBS Horizon, a respected local public affairs program
Read More: https://azpbs.org/horizon/2025/11/arizona-innovation-summit-high-tech-future/

9. ASM: From Sand to Stars Exhibition

Campaign Focus: Amplify ASM’s “From Sand to Stars” exhibition at Arizona Science Center and field trip sponsorship program
Objectives: Build awareness for semiconductor careers among Arizona students using SEMICON West 2025 as a launching pad for securing local and industry news coverage
Results: Secured on-site interviews with all 4 local Phoenix market TV stations, built relationships with top technology industry reporters, and ensured ASM’s voice was included in an Arizona Republic article about semiconductor workforce development
Why We Loved It: This marked the first time ASM was featured in a local television station live shot in the company’s nearly 50-year history in Arizona, using the exhibition as an effective platform to introduce ASM to a broader audience
Read More: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/video/1720521

10. AVANA Companies: India Market Expansion

Campaign Focus: Announce AVANA Companies’ expansion of lending services to India as part of their global private debt commercial lending and investment ecosystem
Objectives: Secure coverage while explaining to US commercial real estate and hospitality investors why India’s small business market presents valuable investment opportunities
Results: Over 36 features across Indian media and US commercial real estate, hospitality, investment, and business trade publications, demonstrating our ability to translate the story’s importance across different audiences in the context of globalization, private credit growth, and hospitality industry resilience
Why We Loved It: Securing our first-ever feature in the Indian market with The Economic Times, one of the region’s most respected business news outlets and the world’s second-most widely read English-language business newspaper
Read more: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/avana-promises-25-million-india-investment-after-nbfc-licence-from-rbi/articleshow/123167029.cms

11. AADB: IDDHL Compact Success

Campaign Focus: Position the Interstate Dental & Dental Hygiene Licensure Compact as the superior solution for dental professional mobility
Objectives: Generate awareness among state legislators, build support for adoption in target states, and educate key stakeholders about the IDDHL Compact’s benefits over the competing CSG compact
Results: Secured positive media coverage in 9 target states with 14 total media placements including op-eds, news articles, and industry features. Louisiana became the first state to adopt the IDDHL Compact, Mississippi passed it through both chambers, Oklahoma passed it through the House, and Pennsylvania and Massachusetts actively considered it. The campaign successfully stalled the competing CSG compact, which despite being introduced in 18 states, only passed in two.
Why We Loved It: Turning compelling data into persuasive messaging that resonated with multiple stakeholders, particularly the finding that 82% of Americans want dentists to demonstrate practical skills before receiving a license, which proved decisive in legislative discussions
Read More: https://www.rdhmag.com/career-profession/news/55307965/the-interstate-dental-dental-hygiene-licensure-compact-gains-momentum

12. Jack Rabbit Air and Plumbing: Brown Friday Campaign

Campaign Focus: Demonstrate expertise with home plumbing issues that many people experience following Thanksgiving holiday
Objectives: Position Jack Rabbit as an expert resource for common post-Thanksgiving plumbing problems
Results: Secured and completed an interview with FOX LIVE Now, the national streaming channel for FOX News on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The interview aired on local stations nationwide and on the national streaming channel 4 times on Thanksgiving Day.
Why We Loved It: The Jack Rabbit team was extremely busy that day with all their plumbers on service calls, but they remained relentless until they found the perfect spokesperson for the interview
Watch the Clip

13. Family Promise of Greater Phoenix: A/C Donation Drive

Campaign Focus: Raise awareness for an air conditioning outage at Family Promise facilities and secure donations
Objectives: Generate community support to address an urgent cooling need during Arizona’s summer heat
Results: Secured $20,000 in monetary donations and prompted multiple air conditioning companies to reach out offering free replacement services
Why We Loved It: What began as an unexpected crisis transformed into an incredible victory. An A/C outage in the Arizona summer presented a serious challenge, but the community’s quick and heartfelt response demonstrated remarkable generosity
Watch the clip

14. Helix Electric: 40th Anniversary Truck Donation

Campaign Focus: Amplify Helix’s corporate responsibility initiatives and awareness within the San Diego community
Objectives: Generate media coverage for Helix’s donation event as part of their 40th anniversary celebration
Results: Secured 3 industry articles and 6 features from local publications, including the San Diego Business Journal and the Times of San Diego
Why We Loved It: This marked Helix’s first media stunt event. The Helix team worked tirelessly to ensure the event went as planned, creating a genuine surprise moment for the nonprofit recipients
Read More: https://timesofsandiego.com/business/2025/12/06/sd-nonprofits-and-community-groups-spread-holiday-cheer-across-the-region/

15. Otonomus Hotel: CES 2025 Exhibition

Campaign Focus: Secure interview opportunities for the leadership team at Otonomus Hotel as the only hotel exhibiting at CES 2025
Objectives: Generate media coverage highlighting Otonomus as an innovative AI-powered hospitality concept
Results: Secured 15 interview opportunities, resulting in over 50 features from industry, local, and national publications, including the Associated Press, BBC, Forbes, Fast Company, and more
Why We Loved It: Taking on the challenge of being the only hotel at a consumer technology show allowed us to get creative by offering exclusive tours to top-tier media attending the show, giving them a glimpse of the first AI-powered hotel before it opened to the public
Read More: https://www.fastcompany.com/91259781/an-ai-powered-hotel-is-coming-to-las-vegas

…and so much more! That’s a wrap on 2025, and we’re already planning for hitting the ground running in 2026.

10 to 1 Blog

Summer Spotlight: 10to1PR Clients Shine Across Media Landscape

by Erica

Summer Spotlight: 10to1PR Clients Shine Across Media Landscape

10to1PR’s summer media campaigns delivered impressive results across various industries, showcasing our team’s expertise in securing high-impact coverage for our diverse clientele. From technology innovations to community initiatives, our clients made headlines in major publications, demonstrating the power of strategic public relations.

🔋 Technology and Innovation

ITS World Congress took center stage in the Ivory Coast publication Acturoutes, featuring an exclusive interview with ITS America CEO Laura Chace. This coverage highlights the global reach of our clients’ innovations in intelligent transportation systems.

The Dallas Morning News spotlighted Rosendin’s solar robot installer on its front page, emphasizing how this technology reduces worker injury, accelerates renewable energy project construction, and addresses the industry’s workforce shortage.

Traffic Technology Today featured highlights from ITS World Congress 2025, further cementing our client’s position as a leader in transportation technology.

Swisslog Healthcare contributed expert insights to a Canadian outlet, MRO Magazine, discussing the importance of upgrading pneumatics for smarter maintenance in healthcare facilities.

🏢 Business and Real Estate

JobElephant made waves in the recruitment sector, with CEO Michael Ang featured in The Global Recruiter. The company’s 2025 DEI Marketing Report, revealing strategies for diversity recruitment, earned coverage in Staffing Hub.

Avana shared valuable thought leadership on the commercial real estate market, featured in Bisnow’s analysis of banks finding creative ways to manage vintage CRE loans.

Peak Roofing’s acquisition of Skymark Roofing caught the attention of multiple outlets, including Axios, Roofing Contractor, and PE Hub, highlighting the company’s strategic growth.

Milhaus opened luxury apartments in Oklahoma, as reported by Connect CRE. The company also broke ground on the Atheria at West Grove community in McKinney, Texas, covered by Community Impact.

🏗️ Construction and Development

Chanen Construction’s transformation of a Sedona staple into a mountain modern brand was featured in Commercial Construction & Renovation magazine, showcasing the company’s innovative approach to hospitality projects.

Dick Anderson Construction shared insights on successful company meetings, featured in Plumber Magazine, demonstrating thought leadership in team management.

Master’s Transportation made headlines with the announcement of its new headquarters campus, covered by Aftermarket News and the Kansas City Business Journal. The company’s expansion plans, including 250 new jobs, were highlighted in Bus & Motorcoach News.

🚛 Transportation and Logistics

Master’s Transportation contributed a byline article to School Bus Fleet, addressing new EPA derate rules and their impact on school bus maintenance.

The company’s new Parts and Service Department opening was featured in the Kansas City Business Journal, further highlighting their growth and expansion.

🏖️ Community and Tourism

Hansen Super Techs celebrated Mother’s Day with a heartwarming air conditioning giveaway, garnering coverage in HVAC Insider and Contracting Business. This initiative showcased our client’s commitment to community engagement and customer appreciation.

Encantame Resorts earned features in AZCentral and Yahoo Life, spotlighting the best hotels in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora.

Del Llano was showcased in Fox 10 Phoenix‘s “Made in Arizona” segment, highlighting local businesses making an impact.

The Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity provided expert commentary on Arizona’s tech growth in an AZCentral article and appeared on AZFamily to discuss economic trends.

🔜 Looking Ahead

As we move into the fall, 10to1PR continues to build on this summer’s successes. Our team remains committed to delivering impactful media coverage that drives results for our clients across all industries.

For businesses seeking to elevate their media presence and tell their stories effectively, reach out to 10to1PR. Our proven track record speaks for itself, and we’re ready to help you make headlines.

10 to 1 Blog

How to Leverage Community Outreach Initiatives for Positive Brand Awareness

by Erica

How to Leverage Community Outreach Initiatives for Positive Brand Awareness

Written by Annie Appleton, PR Executive at 10 to 1 Public Relations

Corporate social responsibility, such as community outreach and charitable work from a business, has long been a tool used by public relations professionals to help bolster an organization’s reputation. There are a lot more benefits that can come from performing community outreach projects other than being a positive story to feed to the media. We’ll run through some of those benefits, plus how to turn a community outreach initiative into a PR win.

Why Community Outreach Matters

Performing community outreach is a great building block for positive brand reputation and recognition. Having strong community outreach initiatives also helps build trust between the business and the community. It shows that the business cares about its community and the people in it, thus helping to create a more loyal customer base. This also reigns true internally for the business or organization.

“Roughly 82% of U.S. consumers actually consider corporate social responsibility when deciding what services and products to buy and from where. Similarly, a survey of millennials’ work habits indicates that 86% of Generation Y workers greatly value their companies’ corporate social responsibility programs and would quit their jobs if those programs started to slip.”

Forbes

We are seeing more and more from both an external and internal standpoint that people care about what values a business stands on. People are choosing where to work and shop in businesses that align with their own core beliefs. With the rise of social media, audiences can determine by one post if they will support a business or not.

How to Identify Relevant and Timely Causes

The first thing we look at when start to think about a community outreach initiative is the calendar. We review what holidays are coming up, what time of year it is, and what is timely. For example, in June, a community outreach effort could be centered around Father’s Day, Pride Month, or summertime.

The next thing to consider is the who, what, and why:

  • Who in the community needs help
  • What are we going to do to help
  • Why we chose this particular problem to solve

Finding a cause or organization that is relevant to your business is a good place to start when it comes to deciding the “who.” Here in Phoenix, AZ, it gets hot in the summer. For those who haven’t experienced it, imagine walking into an outdoor wood-fired pizza oven. It is like that, only hotter, from May – October. Homelessness is a big issue here, caused in part by not enough affordable housing and an unstable economy. Here is why the who, what, and why come into play:

  • Who: People with little to no access to shelter from the heat
  • What: We will host a water drive by donating cases of water to an organization
  • Why: According to reports at least 130 people experiencing homelessness died from heat-related deaths in 2021

Getting PR Recognition for Your Community Support

Our client Air Pros collaborated with their local Big Brothers Big Sisters organization on a donation to support kids in the community.

Once you have identified your cause and how you are going to help, there are several things you can do to leverage the work you are doing for positive public relations. Consider:

  • Creating an event around your community outreach project.
  • Make sure to take photos with your company’s logo visible
  • Invite the media to your event and offer interviews about the cause
  • Send a post-event story (along with your photos) to the media
  • Add how your company practices corporate social responsibility to the company website
  • Post your photos and community outreach projects on social media

The Big Picture: Impacting the Community

We worked with our client FirstBank to create the ‘Give it Forward’ campaign to raise awareness for donating to local nonprofits for Coachella Valley Giving Day and Arizona Gives Day. For this year’s campaign, FirstBank surprised local residents by covering their gas bills and encouraging them to ‘give it forward’ by donating to a nonprofit of their choice.

Most importantly, community involvement helps the community at large. When performing acts of service there are real people in real need that are the most important beneficiaries. Think about a back-to-school supply drive. Those who benefit the most will be the teachers that often have to buy supplies for their classrooms out of their own pockets, and the children who will have the supplies they need to learn. That should always be the main focus of a community outreach project, not how it benefits the business doing the service, but how it benefits the community.

The internal benefits of community involvement are vast. These programs and projects are wonderful for team building and unifying employees. They get the whole team to work on one goal – helping others. It can help raise employees’ morale as well. If employees are given a voice on what projects and issues are important to them, it can leave them feeling not only more professionally fulfilled but also fulfilled on a personal level. Many businesses and organizations choose to schedule volunteer days where, instead of going to work, they volunteer at an organization for the day. This gives the employee more control to choose a cause close to their heart.

Takeaways

Taking part in community outreach programs is a wonderful way to practice corporate social responsibility. Community outreach can help to build brand recognition and reputation, foster trust with customers and the community, and bring a team closer together. But when we look at the bigger picture practicing corporate social responsibility by helping the community around us is invaluable to the community and the individuals that are at the receiving end.

We should all try to leave the world a little better than when we arrived. Companies are no exception. There is so much good that can be done in the world, so many people that could use a helping hand, and not enough people that are willing to extend that helping hand. I encourage you to go out and be involved in your communities, and strive to be the good in the world, you will be surprised how even the smallest of things can make an enormous difference in the lives of others.

Planning for the PC (Post COVID) World

by Josh

I find infrastructure planning related issues fascinating.  The complexity of it, and the requirement for long-term strategies to come up with solutions that not only solve today’s issues, but generational ones.  A local example would be road widening projects within your community or if a roundabout should replace a traffic light. 

An even bigger example is one I heard in the late 1990s about undeveloped countries and the issue of connecting villages.  Without phone access, people needed to travel to the next village and were often cutoff from the outside world. Not an easy task if vehicles are scarce.  Instead of building a physical telephone line infrastructure, the solution was to skip phone lines altogether and jump straight into a new technology using cell phones with towers replacing the need for telephone wires.

With thoughtful planning, solutions are available and achievable.  As 2020 thankfully comes to a close, I kind of feel like many businesses are staring at a similar opportunity as they look to the PC World. PC as in Post COVID. 

We’re finally seeing around the COVID corner. With the election in our rearview mirror and vaccine distribution starting, it’s easier than ever to see an ending of this unprecedented time.  Sure, we’re months away from people gathering together in mass, but the start of 2021 feels like the year when “the world re-opens.”  As we believe the finish line is in sight, it should also serve as a wake-up call to many businesses. They better start preparing for the PC world now or risk their business being too far behind their competitors to catch up.

We couldn’t predict COVID, which is why many businesses had trouble adjusting.  But knowing there’s the light at the end of the tunnel means we need to start thinking about new approaches now.  This need to plan mindset isn’t reserved solely for hibernating companies that purposely paused or struggled during the pandemic.  Companies that pivoted to existing COVID realities and found an opportunity to grow their business during this time, need to start preparing and positioning themselves for what’s next after the immediate fear of contracting COVID subsides.

COVID isn’t going away any time soon, even after vaccinations are commonplace.  Vaccines aren’t a cure. Caution and awareness of the importance or reducing risks will remain for years even as people will slowly start gathering in groups again and face-to-face interactions return.  We’re likely to see a mindset shift among the public beginning this Spring or summer. 

This provides an opportunity for companies who plan ahead for it.  Needs won’t change, but how we talk about them likely will.   We’re also likely to see businesses and institutions trying to return to their pre-COVID normal by fall.

Now is the time to plan, and to start establishing your company in the new marketplace. View Q1 and maybe part of Q2 as planning time and as an opportunity to reintroduce or reposition your company by utilizing a strong public relations strategy. Using this time to rebuild or grow your brand may prove vital because by  Q3 we’re going to start seeing some companies winning, and others falling too far behind to regain their previous market share.

Think about what is likely to occur once the vaccination levels reach 75% or herd immunity is established.  One simple example is that people will be anxious to explore and travel again, once confidence in public safety returns.  Travel destinations and attractions should be planning now how they plan to attract people. 

Companies also need to be wary and thoughtful of what’s going to happen next.  If asked what the first thing I’d want to do in a group post COVID would be, I’d say that I’m most excited to attend concerts again with thousands of other fans.  The challenge might not be getting me to go to a concert, but how many I’ll be willing to attend, financially.  I expect the 12-18 months after COVID there are going to be a glut of concerts worth attending as every band is anxious to get back on the road and generate revenue. The problem is that concert goers still have limited bank accounts, so fans are going to have to pick and choose, which is likely to result in a lot of lost ticket sales for bands who are used to sell-out crowds.

It’s going to be the same for businesses. Every competitor is going to be fighting for the same $100. It’s the businesses that have their strategy and plan in place that are most likely to win, while those starting to rebuild late find that all the key customers have already chosen their vendors, and that available cash has already been spent.

The lesson is that now’s the time for your company be planning for the Post COVID world.  Whether your company is just starting to rebuild after the stress of COVID, or your organization has thrived in this chaos, Q1 and Q2 are going to be pivotal in deciding which companies make it to 2022. 

Now’s the time to map out your destination and make sure your company is ready for arrival in the PC world.  

— written by Josh Weiss, President of 10 to 1 Public Relations

10 to 1 Blog

A Lesson for Business During March Madness

by james

A Lesson for Business During March Madness

It’s that time of year- The March Madness college basketball tournament.  If you’re not a college basketball fan, keep reading. Don’t worry, what I’m going to share should still make sense.

Like a lot of people, every year I complete a bracket of the participating teams to predict a winner. But, in truth, I barely pay attention to college basketball during the season.  So how do I choose which team I think will win?

Sometimes I favor teams from my hometown simply because I want to see them win, or the team representing the mid-major conference that my alma mater plays in.

Like most people, I usually just go with the teams I’m most familiar with, or the teams with higher rankings. 

Duke Basketball is the perfect example.  For the first time in decades, Duke did not make the tournament, but had they squeaked into the field of 64 my assumption is that a lot of casual basketball fans would have chosen them to make the Sweet 16. Simply off of name recognition, awareness of their team history, and out of respect for their well-known coach.  Their legacy matters- and people are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt even during a tough season. 

A lot of people choose a product or business the same way. 

There’s comfort in familiarity.  There’s confidence in a track record of success, even if the current task is something new.  Belief in individuals transfers to trust in an organization.

How does a business achieve this?  By playing the long game and promoting their successes along the way.  It’s not by announcing one big new contract, it’s by announcing a steady stream of contract wins over time.  It’s not by creating one single event, it’s by promoting numerous events throughout the year.

One good season or one good story isn’t going to earn long-term loyalty. It’s repetition of actions, over long periods of time, which ultimately breeds public confidence. It’s that awareness and reputation which will sustain a company even during a rough patch.

Finally, allow me to share one last off-topic story simply because it makes me smile every year around this time.  Probably a good 15 years ago or so, a friend of mine had a vasectomy.  He had to book it far in advance because he wanted the timing to coincide with the start of the basketball tournament.  Turns out he had to book early because a lot of guys have the same idea. They figure if they had to sit at home with a bag of frozen peas in their lap for a couple of days, they might as well do it while there were constant basketball games on TV!  

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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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Why More PR Efforts Should be Coordinated Around Veterans Day

by Josh

Why More PR Efforts Should be Coordinated Around Veterans Day

My PR team is always looking for opportunities to draw some media attention to our clients for doing something positive.  As part of this effort, we often coordinate media efforts around various holidays and shared cultural events. Out of all the dates on the calendar, I never expected Veterans Day to become my favorite. Both because of what it represents, and the media opportunities it has provided our clients.

Veterans Day has long been one of those specialty holidays recognized mostly by those who have a personal connection to the military.  It’s not part of a three-day weekend, and people often mix it up with Memorial Day which honors the fallen vs Veterans Day which recognizes the living who have served.

My team took Veterans Day efforts to an entirely new gear this year, and I want to share what we did. Not to brag, but in hopes of sparking your imagination or participation for Veterans Day next year.

The Veterans Day Giveaway Idea

We have several HVAC and plumbing clients. One of those companies was founded by a Veteran after WWII, and the company is now lead by his granddaughter (3rd generation).  Five years ago, we launched a now annual Veterans AC Giveaway Contest where the public could nominate a Veteran or their family member in need of a new AC unit or furnace. After verifying nominations and choosing finalists, the public was given the opportunity to vote for the recipient, with the prize awarded on (or around) Veterans Day.

That single contest has expanded.  In 2020 we held the contest in five different cities spanning the U.S. from Miami, Florida to Spokane, Washington. Yes, the contest is a nice thing to do and it’s generated publicity and stories in each City we’ve done it. But it’s much more than a contest.

Our goal is to share personal stories of local Veterans and active duty members that most people never hear about. These are the men and women who left their homes, their families, and their friends to dutifully serve our country across the nation and around the world. Their stories are incredible. Like an Arizona man who joined the Army after the attack on 9/11 to protect our nation and came back with a life-changing injury from a rocket propelled grenade. Or the Florida man who joined the Navy at age 17 and got to take a newly commissioned ship through the Panama Canal. Or the woman who was the first female in her family to join, and now copes with the debilitating effects of PTSD.

In our eyes, they are all heroes. They all deserve notoriety.  So we share their stories using videos, blogs, social media, and often the news media will help us reach a wider audience. These stories have helped old friends reconnect providing them with a sense of hope and some comfort during an increasingly stressful time.

It amazes me how grateful these Veterans are to be recognized. I am also impressed by their shared bond. They understand what it’s like to be too far from home, and why it’s so hard to talk about what they experienced. We are saddened by how many suffer from mental trauma and inspired by how many of them volunteer to help other Veterans heal.

The other major effort we launched was the #VetDayPledge.

The idea started in 2018, when one of our large construction related clients was looking for ways to recognize their employees that were Veterans. We suggested that the company gather employees on Veterans Day a job site or in their warehouse and simply invite all the Veterans to the front of the group to lead their co-workers in the Pledge of Allegiance.  We used smartphone video to then share it with media and post it on social media.  The response from employees who participated was so positive that the construction company expanded it to multiple cities and job sites the following year.

This year, with permission from the client we decided to expand the idea to include any company willing to participate.  Our only request was that anyone who participated include the hashtag #VetDayPledge to unify the message and make it easier for others to see and hopefully participate on their own. In addition to sharing the idea with other companies (clients and non-clients), we invited other PR firms to share the idea and created a website www.VetDayPledge.com with free resources and tips for companies to do it on their own.

I’m so proud that during this campaign’s first year going national and mainstream that we had participants from 10 states!  While some videos came from our clients, the majority of the participants were not!  In addition to several businesses, an elementary school participated, as did a senior living community!

A Wisconsin TV station even did a news story about one of the participants. You can watch the story by clicking here!

We’re excited to grow the #VetDayPledge further next year and believe that without the election (and COVID) related distractions, even more businesses and organizations will participate.  This idea has become a passion project.  We love that it’s a simple, no cost idea that anyone can do to thank our Veterans and their families.

Ultimately, the most important thing for companies to remember when doing a PR campaign around Veterans Day or Memorial Day is to do it for the right reason. We believe that the VetDayPledge and the Veteran AC Giveaway Contest fit that purpose.  Sure, it might generate some positive publicity for our clients, but most importantly, it generates recognition for those who’ve served and sacrificed- the individual veteran, and their families alongside them.

There are lots of great ideas that companies are doing to recognize Veterans. Share them below and help us inspire others!

To Hibernate or Accelerate. That is the COVID Business Question.

by Josh

To Hibernate or Accelerate. That is the COVID Business Question.

A lot of business leaders are worried, and unsure what to do.  I get it.  Initially I was too but luckily, I’m past that stage.

Early in the crisis, I read a blog on LinkedIn written by an acquaintance, small business owner Derrick Mains, Founder of Playbook Systems and President of Phat Scooters. The blog had a big effect on me and gave me confidence in choosing my own path forward through the COVID crisis.

The Lookback

Here’s the gist… at least what I took from it. 

The blog talked about the fear that many companies have about going backwards in a bad economy, and how to prepare, protect, react, and recover from business setbacks. Too many business owners are stunned into paralysis if they have a big drop in revenue or business and are unsure what to do—putting the survival of the company itself at risk.

Instead, he suggests that business owners actually DO know what to do- because they’ve already been there. He refers to it as “the Lookback.”

If a million-dollar business loses 20%, it already knows what the company should look like at $800,000 because the company has already been there. He suggested simply going back to the same staffing levels, expenses, and footprint you had at that income level, then rebuilding yourself back up to that million-dollar company the same way you did the first time.

That thought process really resonated with me, removing my own fears of what I would do if my company, which had been steadily growing, started trending backwards in the new economy. With a potential path forward removing my impending paralysis, I didn’t feel the need to hibernate. Instead I choose to try and accelerate my business.

Hibernate vs Accelerate

When I say hibernate, I’m referring to companies taking a more defensive, protection-orient approach. Many of these companies are using the strategy of hording their cash and reducing expenses with plans to ride out this crazy time by retaining enough resources to quickly rebuild.

In contrast, companies that chose to accelerate took more risks and essentially “doubled down” during uncertain times. Working harder and faster in an attempt to pivot or grow their business while their competitors were sitting it out or waiting to see how things turned out before charting a path forward.

Both strategies are sound, and both can backfire. It’s really a decision of risk and comfort as you can’t choose either half-way and succeed.

Our Decision to Accelerate

Early March I made the decision to accelerate. With so many PR and marketing agencies struggling, a big piece of our strategy was to make sure everyone knew that we were strong, and that we were going to thrive in the new economy.  

I started by talking to my staff and making sure they felt personally safe, knowing that we’re full steam ahead. Even if we lost a few clients in the short term, we could weather the hits so not to become afraid or distracted. With the team confident that their jobs were safe, consciously and subconsciously they can pass that confidence along to our clients and others in the community.   

Next, I reached out to clients and asked if they needed help or flexibility in the short term. While our client base is pretty diverse, we still have some travel and real estate related clients who were getting hammered or faced a lot of uncertainty. Our early offer of flexibility not only demonstrated our good will, but potentially stopped clients from leaving, even if some had to initially pause or alter their budgets. To our great delight, several of the effected clients were able to return to their pre-COVID scopes of work within a few months- something that surprised us both. Had we not been flexible up front, we might have lost them altogether.   

The next major thing we did was invest back into the company. I renewed organizational memberships and subscriptions early, while I knew we had the money available in case I needed to stretch dollars later in the year. 

I also invested in advertising while others were pulling back. This gave us better placements at lower rates while other companies were hibernating.  Sure, fewer companies were looking for PR help, but there were also much fewer “window shoppers”. The few who were looking were much hotter leads and were much more likely to sign a contract with us, or someone else.

The strategy paid off quickly. While most agencies were losing clients, we added several new long-term clients. Some were COVID related, others were not. We celebrated these wins, announcing them to demonstrate that we were “open for business” at a time when a lot of companies were avoiding the news. This led to even more prospect interest and new conversations with additional companies.

Finally, we started offering free advice and PR tips to businesses that weren’t in a position to pay us. We created a series of 2-minute videos of COVID-19 Crisis PR Tips and shared them widely via social media. We offered free workshops through the Better Business Bureau and local Chambers giving away ideas and advice. Short term we knew this wouldn’t “pay off.” We just viewed it as the right thing to do, with the hope that it might show long-term benefits while growing our brand recognition in the short-term. 

What’s Next?

Now that we’re moving past the initial months and the initial shock of COVID, I’m predicting two big changes for the second half of 2020 that will again alter the health of economy and reposition companies long-term.

First, with the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) coming to an end, we’re likely to see a lot more layoffs in the coming weeks as the employee protections expire. We’re also likely to see a lot of companies announcing that they’re closing for good or entering bankruptcy. While the first wave of job losses particularly hurt hourly workers in the restaurant and hospitality industry, this next wave is likely to hit salaried workers even harder.

Second, I am predicting that more business leaders are going to start taking more risks as they realize that this new abnormal is going to last through 2020 and into 2021 until a vaccine is fully distributed. Hibernating companies are starting to peek their heads out again, trying to figure out how to pivot themselves in the new economy. This will create partnership opportunities for companies, and threats to others as they see competitors get more active and offer new variations to compete.

And that’s just the business-related changes in the second half of 2020. I’m not even talking about the news coverage related distractions (and likely chaos) with rolling COVID hot zones, the upcoming restart of professional sports (assuming they actually restart), social justice movements happening across the country, the start of the new school year (k-12, and college), and the November election.  

Predicting the future is impossible right now. All companies can do is choose a path. Accelerate or Hibernate. As for my current strategy, we’re keeping our foot on the accelerator. By helping our clients to grow and succeed, we help our own company as well. We believe that pushing for and securing a strong finish in 2020, it will carry us into 2021 and the new abnormal. 

And if we do take a few steps backwards– like a lot of companies will—there’s comfort in knowing that we’ve been there before and already know the path forward.

— written by Josh Weiss, President of 10 to 1 Public Relations

Video Series: Public Relations Tips To Get Through COVID-19

by Josh

As the novel coronavirus has spread across the globe, business as we have known it has been upended. While we work together to stop the spread of COVID-19, there are things companies can be doing to position themselves to withstand the pandemic, help the community, and ultimately come out of this crisis stronger.

Public relations can play a role in delivering on these goals. 10 to 1 President Josh Weiss has created a video series of brief videos to give you ideas on how you can best position your company utilizing basic public relations and crisis communications tactics.

You can check out our video series below or on our YouTube page.

PR & COVID-19: Share Your Expertise

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4rCj5Sf89oY%3Ffeature%3Doembed

PR & COVID-19: Find Opportunity for Every Story

https://youtube.com/watch?v=atS6Rv0KRDs%3Ffeature%3Doembed

PR & COVID-19: Walk Through Your Warehouse

https://youtube.com/watch?v=emdFN9dWdA0%3Ffeature%3Doembed

PR & COVID-19: Pivoting The Right Way

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pnpAuAJ82Dg%3Ffeature%3Doembed

PR & COVID-19: Follow The Leader

https://youtube.com/watch?v=3eroAMKpMNM%3Ffeature%3Doembed

PR & COVID-19: Be Honest With Your Customers

https://youtube.com/watch?v=E0drKp1XgoM%3Ffeature%3Doembed

More videos will be added on a regular basis – stay tuned!

What’s with the Marble Wall? Explaining Why Companies Should Invest in a Signature Piece

by Josh

When I first told people about my idea for a custom designed marble wall, some asked me if I was losing my marbles. It’s not your typical office artwork. There are flashing lights, bells and things that twirl. But once they see the 10 to 1 Public Relations marble wall, everyone loves it and just wants to watch it for a while because there are so many moving elements. 

The response grows even more favorably when they hear the story behind it and recognize how it visually demonstrates our unique strategic approach to public relations. They love how we’re using the marble run to showcase our team’s success on a regular basis, too.

I’ve been asked several times for the backstory on it, so I’ll share that in a moment. What I really hope this article does is encourage companies to invest in and promote some type of signature piece in their office that describes their brand and approach to achieving success.  Not just for their clients that visit their office, but for their staffs as well.

There are actually two different audiences that you’re doing this for. First are your office visitors, as you’re trying to give them something visual that they can remember that ties them to your brand or strategic approach. The second is your staff who see it or interact with it regularly.  It serves as an excellent reminder of your philosophy and the company culture whenever they see it and provides reinforcement and acknowledgement for their great work in promoting the brand. 

With that out of the way, here’s the backstory on our marble wall.  We recently moved into new office space and wanted to create something that would really stick out as a signature for the office.  Something worthy of sharing on social media, but also something that fit the company brand. 

To create this signature piece, 10 to 1 Public Relations commissioned an art piece that is a 4 ft. wide by 3 ft. tall marble run with a public relations theme that reflects our philosophy. 

We believe it takes 10 good things to be said about a company to make up for one negative comment, and our public relations strategies for clients generate lots of positive stories to create a “good will bank.” This helps our clients inoculate and protect their brands and their people when that negative story eventually occurs. 

We started out with an idea for a selfie-friendly wall graphic in our conference room that would reflect our philosophies towards PR. While the designs on their own were impressive, none felt right for 10 to 1 PR. 

Our team was trying to think of something unique around the 10 to 1 philosophy, and someone brought up the “drip” analogy that I use when describing our strategy to prospective new clients. The drip analogy refers to how small seemingly minor stories on their own (like new hire announcements or minor contract announcements) can add up to have a big impact. Like drips out of a faucet, if collected the water adds up and can be used however it’s needed in the future. We tried to think of alternatives to a faucet analogy and thought of a marble run where the marbles could each represent a different story and could be collected at the end like drips. 

That night I searched for artists that created marble runs and found Matthew Gaulden of Rolling Ball Structures. I sent an email to him and we quickly started talking about what a public relations themed marble run might look like. Ultimately, we came up with the following.

  • Bells that sound like the NBC news theme
  • A spinning “Breaking News” sign
  • An “On Air” light that would turn on
  • A press conference scene which would flash like flash bulbs
  • A spinning microphone
  • Reference to print and online media
  • A television set
  • A social media carousel

Matt added some additional elements including a waterspout where the marbles would drip out and be collected.

Every week, our team now counts out how many stories we helped our clients earn, and we do a “Running of the Marbles” to celebrate these successes. We then collect those marbles and add the count to a separate jar for the year. 

Since January, we already have more than 900 positive stories for our clients, and that number continues to grow daily. 

Every time we run the marble wall and share on social media our new count of stories generated for clients, it serves as a reinforcement; reiterating to our team, our clients, and our supporters that our 10 to 1 long-game public relations approach and strategy work, making it an office signature piece worth sharing. 

Click here to watch a short video with a tour of our new offices including the marble wall.