Develop messages that fit the news stream.
Protect reputation and build brand equity.
Warren Buffett famously said that it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to destory it. Reputation is sacred. We help companies build their reputation by building trust and loyalty with their customers, employees, investors, and communities. We help them amplify their news and thought leadership in third-party media.
We help companies and executives build their images by fostering strong relationships with the media and the public. This is second nature for us. Why? We know what journalists want and we should; ASC’s team is made up of former journalists—so we think like reporters and develop messages that fit the news stream.
Our public relations services include:
- Media relations & strategies
- Media lists
- Editorial calendars
- Storymining & pitching
- Media kits
- Press releases, media advisories, etc.
- Ghostwriting services e.g., byline articles, op-eds, letters to the editor
- Executive thought leadership
- Media training
- Event publicity & promotion
- Business, project & product launches
- Audit share of voice in the industry & competitor analysis
- Conference presentations & preparation
Case Studies
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MEDIA TRAINING, MEDIA RELATIONS, CONTENT, BANKING & FINANCE
Challenge
Howard Bank contacted Atkinson to build the reputations of its CEO, Mary Ann Scully, and the bank. From the outset we believed the bank had a number of stories that weren’t being told, especially one regarding its CEO who had built a bank from scratch and was taking market share from the competition.
Solution
We worked closely with senior bank officials to develop a strategic plan around bringing Mary Ann’s story, and the story of the bank, to life. We initiated our strategy and soon began conducting interviews with local and national media. As various issues and trends in the banking industry emerged Mary Ann became an important source of information and opinion for reporters. To build credibility and name recognition, we urged Mary Ann and the bank to apply for various industry awards that were out of reach before Howard Bank officials contacted Atkinson.
Results
Mary Ann has been featured and quoted in both local and national publications ranging from the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times to the Baltimore Sun and American Banker. With the help of Atkinson, she has written Op-Eds and commentaries that have appeared in The Sun, Baltimore Business Journal and American Banker, spoken at numerous events, and has been recognized as not only a leader in the banking industry, but in business. In 2020, the bank recorded a total of 311 media hits ranging from the Washington Post to China Global Television Network to the Baltimore Sun to WBAL Radio. Over the years, we have encouraged Mary Ann and senior executives to pursue local and national awards that were out of reach with the bank’s prior public relations firm. The award submissions are drafted by Atkinson. The results speak for themselves. In 2020, the bank won nine awards, including three national awards. One of the national awards was American Banker’s highly coveted “Top Teams” awarded to only five banks in the country. Mary Ann was named one of the Top 25 Women to Watch on American Banker newspaper’s Annual Most Powerful Women in Banking list in both 2016 and 2017. In 2017, Ernst & Young named Mary Ann Entrepreneur of the Year. The same year American Banker recognized her as a Community Banker of the Year. The paper wrote that Mary Ann was a “combination of vision, charisma and chutzpah ….”
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MEDIA TRAINING, MEDIA RELATIONS, CONTENT, HEALTHCARE
Challenge
In July 2020, Pastor Derrick DeWitt, head of First Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Sandtown-Winchester, wanted publicity around his efforts overseeing the Maryland Baptists Aged Home, the oldest African American run nursing home in Maryland.
Atkinson had worked with Pastor DeWitt in 2016 on a pro bono basis and helped him gain local and national recognition for his work in Sandtown-Winchester keeping kids out of gangs, feeding residents who didn’t have enough to eat, supporting efforts around urban farming and overseeing a drug rehabilitation center for women.
Solution
Atkinson knew Pastor DeWitt had a strong story from the start, but it needed to be told. The story was this: As the pandemic surged the 100-year-old Maryland Baptist Aged Home had recorded zero Covid-19 cases and no deaths from the coronavirus. It was the typical “man bites dog” story taught to Journalism 101 students. It was news. The reason for the success? Pastor DeWitt and his team acted quickly once they heard word about pandemic by stocking up on personal protective equipment and by instituting stringent steps that prevented employees from bringing the virus into the nursing home.
Results
Atkinson pitched the story in June to the Baltimore Sun as well as other news outlets. The story exploded. Reporters clamored to speak with Pastor DeWitt about how the nursing home in an economically challenged area of Baltimore could have such success. From June to December, Pastor DeWitt and the Maryland Baptist Aged Home appeared in 117 news outlets across the country and around the globe including, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR News Hour, BBC, CNN, MSN, Business Insider and AARP. Pastor DeWitt evolved into an expert on aging and was invited to speak at several universities across the country. He also received awards including the Silver Innovator Award from the Alliance for Aging Research. In addition, money flowed in from readers who were inspired to donate, and Pastor DeWitt used the money to put a new roof on the nursing home and give staff bonuses.
