Case Studies

Situation

After experiencing the loss of a family friend to childhood cancer years ago, Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company (PLM) President and CEO John Smith chose to become involved with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest non-government funder of childhood cancer research grants. In 2023, PLM hosted a head-shaving fundraiser culminating with a head-shaving event at their 2023 annual meeting in hopes of raising $75,000 for the cause. Seventeen PLM executives and employees, including Smith and Assistant Vice President of Marketing Lindsey DiGangi, pledged to have their heads shaved live during the event.

With a personal tie to childhood cancer and a desire to promote a culture of giving back, Smith and PLM wanted to raise awareness of the fundraiser and head shaving event to drive funds to childhood cancer and continue to build on an already-established culture of giving at PLM. When Kimball Hughes PR learned of the event, we offered to develop and implement an integrated media campaign to promote the event and help foster and build excitement around PLM’s culture of giving.

Approach

Kimball Hughes Public Relations developed an integrated media relations campaign designed to drive donations, raise awareness of and promote the head-shaving event, as well as to enhance PLM’s culture of giving. Tactics used involved media alerts, press releases, social media posts, thought leadership, media pitching and more.

Kimball Hughes PR drafted a series of media and social media materials early in the campaign. This included a press release to be distributed to the lumber and insurance trades, a media alert for Philadelphia broadcast media stations, a blog for a key insurance trade, and thought leadership posted on LinkedIn from Smith sharing his personal connection and the importance of giving back that would be distributed across his network and reshared on PLM’s LinkedIn account. Kimball Hughes PR then supported PLM in the development of social media content, in sharing social media graphics and coordinated all outreach to the media.

As result of our outreach, Kimball Hughes PR secured the attendance of and interviews hosted by Philadelphia television affiliates ABC, CBS and NBC at the event, in addition to securing coverage from FOX 29’s Good Day Philadelphia morning show. This broadcast attendance raised the energy in the room so much that a recently hired team member decided to join the head-shaving effort at the last minute, and company President and CEO John Smith agreed to match donations up to $1,500.

Kimball Hughes PR secured additional media coverage across the lumber and insurance trades, including with leading publications such as PropertyCasualty360, LBM Journal, Program Business, World Millwork Alliance, HBS Dealer and Woodworking Network.

PLM blew past their $75,000 fundraising goal, raising more than $175,000 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

Situation

The Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) hosts an annual Corporate Council Symposium in Philadelphia for its exclusive membership. The event’s programming focuses on continuing legal education, legal technology training and updates, ethics, trends, compliance issues and a host of other matters.

Kimball Hughes PR was tasked with securing local and trade media coverage for the conference which features highly specialized legal topics for an audience that was part of an exclusive, members-only organization.

Approach

A last-minute addition to the speaker list was Josh Shapiro, attorney general for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Working with the attorney general’s press office, Kimball Hughes PR was able to secure permission to have media present for the attorney general’s speech, which would reference – in part – his office’s recent investigation into the Pennsylvania Catholic Church and allegations of sexual abuse.

As a result, not only did the local affiliates for ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX send camera crews to cover the speech, but American Lawyer Media – the dominant trade outlet in the legal marketplace – dispatched a reporter. While most coverage focused on the attorney general, FDCC signage was featured prominently on broadcast news and the association’s name was used in introducing the story. Since the story was rebroadcast on several segments over the next 24 hours, FDCC received significant media exposure which significantly raised the organization’s otherwise low-profile in the tri-state area. Additionally, media coverage of the Symposium was repurposed across all FDCC’s social media channels and shared with prospective members.

Situation

Facing an increasingly competitive real estate market in suburban Philadelphia, a boutique brokerage that distinguishes itself by focusing almost exclusively on high-end homes, engaged Kimball Hughes Public Relations to help it break out from several luxury market competitors and raise its public profile. With a portfolio of impressive estate listings, the brokerage wanted to showcase the types of homes in which it specializes while also demonstrating its success and leadership in the real estate industry.

Approach

Working with management, Kimball Hughes Public Relations created a plan that highlighted the expertise and experience of the brokerage’s real estate professionals, its rapid growth and record-breaking sales, the extensive community involvement of the firm and its agents, as well as promoting the most prominent, historic and visually stunning upscale homes in the region listed by the firm.

These efforts resulted in countless news articles featuring the brokerage – which previously enjoyed almost no news coverage – as well as its listings in major regional publications and network news. Going beyond its finite geographic reach, Kimball Hughes Public Relations secured coverage for the brokerage in several national outlets that included The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News and The Robb Report. Within one year, the brokerage went from being largely unknown in media circles within its own community to fielding inquiries from leading national media figures as a source for distinctive luxury property listings and insights, as well as recognized real estate market experts.

Situation

Founded in London in 2012 by former Hiscox executives Tim Hardcastle and Derek Hill, this no-code, cloud-based technology platform for insurance carriers and MGAs had designs on raising the company’s profile in the US for several years. Prior attempts by other public relations firms to accomplish this goal did not meet expectations as the insurance media was awash in insurtech stories from others, including US-based companies with a homefield advantage over London-based INSTANDA. By the end of 2022, INSTANDA’s U.S. share of voice among its primary competitors in the media stood at just 9.1%.

Approach

In late 2022, INSTANDA’s head of marketing was introduced to Kimball Hughes Public Relations by a representative of a U.S.-based insurance trade magazine as “the go-to resource” for successfully placing insurance organizations in the media. After a competitive bidding process, Kimball Hughes PR was selected as INSTANDA’s North American public relations agency, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Noting what had not worked previously, Kimball Hughes PR’s team took a decidedly different approach to re-introducing INSTANDA to North American insurance trade media. Relying on the dynamic personalities and interests of the co-founders, the agency leveraged aspects of each in creating narratives that highlighted not INSTANDA’s products, but the state of insurtech and insurance trends more broadly.

Leveraging CEO Tim Hardcastle’s race car hobby, the agency secured several placements analogizing the speed and performance of race cars with the agility and adaptability of insurtech. With interests and deep expertise in customer service experiences, the history and the complexity of technology and compelling opinions on AI applications within insurance, Kimball Hughes PR leaned on these perspectives and interests, as well as the backgrounds of the two co-founders, to generate a range of online, print and broadcast interviews and contributed article opportunities for INSTANDA. By avoiding outdated insurtech themes of disruption, de-emphasizing promotion of INSTANDA and its products in favor of educating insurtech consumers and analyzing industry trends, Kimball Hughes PR was able to secure dozens of media interviews as well as contributed articles on INSTANDA’s behalf. By the third quarter of 2023, INSTANDA was consistently the single, dominant voice among its competitors among insurance media. At the close of 2023, INSTANDA’s share of voice in North American insurance trade media had progressively risen to 77.8%.

In the wake of this work, INSTANDA’s visibility within the North American insurance market has increased considerably, leading to speaking engagements, in-bound media requests and opening discussions with several national and international business prospects for the company.

Situation

Across America Insurance Services, a wholesale insurance brokerage for the commercial trucking industry, had never prioritized public relations. In partnership with one of Kimball Hughes Public Relations technology clients, Across America was given the chance to collaborate on a joint press release announcing its integration of our client’s technology solution. This news announcement generated multiple phone calls from agents who wanted to learn more about Across America. Seeing the impact of a single thoughtfully written and distributed press release, and with a strong recommendation from our client, Across America engaged Kimball Hughes PR to learn if a sustained public relations effort could raise awareness of the company and generate business.

Approach

Insurance brokers can be found in nearly every community. Our mission was to distinguish what Across America could talk about that could set them apart within the guardrails of risk management for the trucking industry. We began with research, looking at their competitors and by learning their views on the most pressing economic issues facing commercial trucking companies. We benchmarked existing trade media coverage, and interviewed executives and subject matter experts within the company to assess their perspectives, opinions, experience and personalities to help us tell the stories that needed telling.

Across America had no trade media share of voice among its competitors in 2023. Based on our discovery, we focused our 2024 plan on leveraging the company’s dynamic personalities and subject matter expertise to build awareness among insurance journalists, to shine a light on its products and to develop original content that could also support the company’s marketing efforts. This included creating media opportunities to highlight dynamic female leadership, second-act careers that brought trucking and logistics expertise to the brokerage, relevant perspectives on emerging tech in trucking, valuable insights on claims challenges and proven-solutions to the continued talent shortages and supply chain issues impacting both trucking and insurance.

Results

Between January 1 and September 12, 2024, Across America secured a 54.2% share of voice in insurance trade media, eclipsing its four primary market competitors. This included securing nearly two dozen published thought leadership articles, on-camera interviews and news media mentions – with at least another half dozen opportunities planned for September and October. The CEO reports this coverage, amplified using our recommendations across the company’s owned media, continues to help in generating new business. Additional efforts and an increased public relations scope are being developed for 2025.

Situation

In 2019, Kimball Hughes PR conducted an exhaustive communications audit for the Association of Immunizations Managers (AIM), which represents immunization managers and department in all 50 states and U.S. territories. After the audit, the association asked Kimball Hughes PR to help implement the audit recommendations and then support a joint effort with the CDC to improve awareness of the need for childhood immunizations around the 2019 CDC Childhood Immunization Champion Award.

Approach

Working closely with AIM, their members, and their partners, we created a media relations toolkit and supported media outreach for immunization managers in 37 states, resulting in a significant increase in media coverage compared with previous years. In addition, we developed sample social media messages and graphics for immunization media managers, while planning and executing a social media plan for AIM, which resulted in a sizeable jump in social media mentions and engagement. We also tested an ADA-compliant video concept with one award winner that is expected to be used more widely in 2020.

As part of comprehensive effort to expand the scope of our services and the breadth of our expertise, we’ve built a number of strategic partnerships in recent years. A key partnership in 2019 was with digital media agency 4Core Media, which added expertise in three important areas and resulted in expanded engagements and better outcomes for our clients.   The digital marketing capabilities of 4Core expanded the scope of our content marketing services, giving us the ability to better identify and utilize distribution channels, and helping our clients build brands through integrated digital campaigns across all owned and earned channels.    In addition, 4Core’s social media analytics gave us better tools to target audiences with authentic, valuable content and drive engagement, while their SEO services expanded our crisis communications and reputation management services, enabling us to better analyze, repair and monitor online reputation damage.

Situation

With 33 offices and more than 1,400 agents completing more than $12.2 billion in sales in 2018, Alain Pinel Realtors (APR) was already a Bay Area success story before joining national brokerage Compass in early 2019.

In 2016, their new vice president of marketing wanted to reinvigorate the company’s social media practice, which was uneven following the departure of their long-term, in-house social media manager. They were unsure who comprised their social media audiences and if they were sharing content that reached those audiences. They asked Kimball Hughes Public Relations to create a social media protocol that the company could sustain, establishing best practices that support other public relations and marketing goals.

Approach

The Kimball Hughes PR team began with a thorough assessment of APR’s social media profiles as well as the brokerage’s competitors. We knew it was also critical to understand how other brokerages approached social media in the highly competitive and tech-savvy Northern California market.

We used these assessments to systematize a campaign-based approach to social media. Our refined approach to content curation drew from sources we knew APR’s agents and customers read. We maximized exposure for company news, announcements and events, highlighting volunteerism, fundraising efforts and open houses in a way that was most appropriate for each social network. All of this was done in conjunction with APR’s marketing team, working collaboratively to share the brokerage’s mission and amplify the brand.

As a result, we saw sustained, steady engagement with APR’s posts on all networks—particularly Facebook, during a time when all brands were seeing declining reach and engagement for posts. We grew their Facebook and Twitter audiences by about 500 followers each between April 2016 and April 2019.

But how effective were these efforts to drive real engagement? Here’s one indication: using APR’s social media to raise awareness of its charitable campaign to support the victims of the 2017 Wine Country fires, the brokerage raised $50,000 in donations in just 11 days, which APR matched dollar for dollar.

Situation

The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation began 2020 following a record-breaking year of media coverage achieved in partnership with Kimball Hughes Public Relations. Many of the 75+ articles, interviews and media mentions were related to the non-profit’s in-person 2019 Women in Insurance Global Conference. With IICF’s four Regional Forums scheduled for Summer 2020, the international foundation expected continued year-over-year growth in media coverage, as had been its tradition since first engaging Kimball Hughes PR in 2017.

Of course, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to nearly all 2020 in-person events around the globe. IICF was no exception. The organization pivoted its Regional Forums to virtual formats as concerns about pre- and post-event media coverage — an essential component of attracting and retaining valued sponsorship partners, as well as attendees — came into focus.

Approach

The Kimball Hughes PR team devoted additional time and resources to ensure coverage of IICF’s critical industry events, focusing on topics of diversity, equity and inclusion, were not overlooked in a once-in-a-generation crisis impacting public health and driving the global economic response. We leveraged then little-used video technology, developed themes around the pandemic’s impact on DE&I, and found creative ways for media to participate in IICF events. We also worked to secure expert insights on the shifting landscape of issues intersecting work, home life, the economy, and insurance industry, as well as health safety issues. We were successful – securing more than 90 articles, interviews and media mentions for IICF in 2020.

We supported IICF as they launched a new virtual leadership program, Dialogue for Diversity, which allowed the industry to continue critical discourse on DE&I as we navigated a virtual business world. We assisted IICF in rebranding the Women in Insurance Global Conference Series, now known as the IICF International Inclusion in Insurance Forum. We also helped the organization to create and promote its 2020 Step Up Challenge, a virtual fundraising campaign designed to promote both team-building and individual wellbeing in socially distanced times. The 2020 IICF Step Up Challenge raised nearly $50,000 to benefit IICF’s COVID-19 Crisis: Children’s Relief Fund.

And, by far, our proudest contribution to IICF’s success in 2020 was in promoting the IICF COVID-19 Crisis: Children’s Relief Fund. The fund raised more than $1.3 million to combat food insecurity and missing educational resources for children and families made vulnerable by the pandemic. We were honored to align ourselves with a charitable fund that provided children in need with 2.5 million meals, awarded more than 60 grants to non-profits, provided funding to an additional 26 nonprofit partners of IICF, received more than 1,500 donations from individual insurance industry professionals, and aided hundreds of thousands of children and families negatively impacted by the global shutdown brought about by COVID-19.

Situation

When a consortium of international risk management experts announced the launch a risk mitigation, crisis response and insurance program led by Beazley Syndicate at Lloyd’s, they needed to raise awareness of both the program and their unique expertise in guiding and protecting operations in hostile or complex environments.

Approach

Beginning with the initial launch of the Hostile Environment Liability Protection (HELP) program in January 2015, Kimball Hughes Public Relations combined aggressive outreach in insurance trade media with a targeted thought leadership program aimed at decision makers in the vertical industries it serves. We also created branded content for the program’s website, which served as the primary portal to HELP and its international team of experts.

The result was ongoing and meaningful coverage in leading insurance media and critical thought leadership in media serving oil & gas exploration, logistics, security and government contracting industries. More importantly, as international and domestic terror took center stage in 2015, awareness of HELP as a unique and comprehensive solution for organizations operating in these complex and hostile environments drove strong premium growth.

Situation

The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), conducted a search for a public relations agency to assist IICF in promoting its bi-annual Women in Insurance Global Conference in New York City in June 2017. Founded in 1994, IICF is a 501©(3) tax exempt charity funded and directed by insurance industry professionals. IICF sought a public relations agency to help gain increased media exposure beyond that of the 2015 conference for the 2017 theme, which was The Power of Diverse Thought and Innovation.

After a national search, Kimball Hughes Public Relations was selected to not only conduct public relations on behalf of IICF and the conference, but also to manage all social media messaging related to the conference and develop thought leadership content related to the event and the expertise of its speakers.

Approach

Kimball Hughes PR established a weekly call with IICF leadership, and worked to best understand the goals of the conference and its audience. Analyzing the PR efforts undertaken in 2015, we developed a timeline and plan of action to go beyond those results and maximize media opportunities before, during and after the 2017 conference.

First, we reached out to conference keynote speakers to develop bylined article concepts related to their planned presentations, as well as diversity in the workplace issues in the news. Using our relationships with trade and North American media outlets, we pitched and secured numerous media interviews and article placements with targeted outlets. Second, we created a content calendar for social media, highlighting key topics and speakers over a series of weeks leading up to the event. We also modernized IICF’s media materials, creating a branded and highly sharable digital press kit.

At the conference itself, the Kimball Hughes PR team provided live social media coverage of the event and coordinated 16 on-site media interviews with six different media outlets, including Reuters and Dow Jones. Of those 16 on-site interviews, six were live-to-tape for broadcast trade media.

Exceeding the nine media placements that highlighted the 2015 conference, Kimball Hughes PR’s work resulted in approximately 30 news stories, interviews and bylined articles published in relation to the 2017 Women in Insurance Global Conference. Sixteen of those media placements were secured or published post-conference.