Insurance & Financial Services
Recognized communications specialists for the insurance and financial services industries.Serving insurance carriers, MGAs, brokers, program administrators, trade associations and alliances in the U.S., U.K. and Bermuda markets for more than two decades. We’re active in the insurance community, serving on boards and offering thought leadership for the industry. And we’ve extended our expertise throughout the financial services industry, from banking and asset management to venture capital and financial advisory firms.
The challenge
The Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012 and the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013 brought the role of private security into a national debate. We realized Brownyard Group, provider of specialized insurance for security guards, could provide a valuable perspective on the prevention of further tragedy.
The solution
Kimball Hughes Public Relations worked with Brownyard, a longtime client, to provide thought leadership on arming security guards in schools and the need for more security. Kimball Hughes garnered features for Brownyard Group in eight insurance trade and leading security magazines, such as American Agent and Broker and Security Management Weekly.
At the same time, municipal budget cuts were creating a need for more private security guards, so Kimball Hughes created an Infographic with relevant statistical data. The infographic not only not increased engagement on social media, but also led to a feature article in Security Magazine.
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Healthcare
Deploying strategic and sensitive public relations solutions for hospitals and public health nonprofits.We have broad-based experience in private and public markets. Our work spans hospitals and health networks, pharmaceutical companies, managed care, physician groups, specialty centers and public health. We also dedicate time and resources to public health nonprofit organizations, many targeting underserved populations and some offered in our communities on a pro bono basis.
The challenge
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.
The solution
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.
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The challenge
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.
The solution
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.
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Associations & Non-Profits
Meeting the complex internal and external communications needs of professional associations.Our award-winning work nearly 20 years ago for a large membership association serving the insurance industry developed into a specialty practice. We represent national and international associations, large and small and in many industries, working with their boards of directors, elected officers, executive directors and members at large. Our team has led successful campaigns to facilitate bylaw or name changes, drive membership growth, build awareness with thought leadership, and conduct communication audits and long-term communications plans. We also work directly with major nonprofit associations and organizations across the insurance, legal and healthcare industries promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, raising awareness of critical issues impacting underserved populations and highlighting significant industry trends and topics.
The challenge
In 2013, 87-year-old American Association of Managing General Agents (AAMGA) sought to change its bylaws to expand the definition of who could be an AAMGA member. The amended bylaw would require a vote of three-fourths of the members voting. A failed vote would damage the board’s reputation and ability to lead.
The solution
Working in partnership with the board and its executive director, Kimball Hughes Public Relations developed a communications plan around the name change. It incorporated significant trade media coverage of the association, its educational endeavors and its leaders, along with a robust internal communications strategy designed to win support for an expanded membership. The bylaw amendment passed by an overwhelming majority, and we were retained by the board for ongoing media outreach and internal communications consultation.
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The challenge
TRSA, the leading global textile services trade association, wanted to raise its profile. After an extensive search, Kimball Hughes was selected by the Virginia-based association to develop a communications plan focused on securing coverage in trade media. Within the first 30 days, TRSA learned a non-member commercial laundry in New Orleans would be the subject of an imminent New York Times article about bacteria infections, hospital linens and patient deaths. Absent industry-wide information on existing safety protocols and procedures, the resulting article risked damage to the region’s entire commercial laundry industry.
The solution
We worked quickly with individuals on the ground in New Orleans and TRSA’s board to sort through a fast-moving situation. We determined an appropriate response and put TRSA’s CEO in front of a Times investigative reporter who was only hours away from deadline. The story ran, industry-wide safety protocols were referenced and TRSA’s members avoided inaccurate and unflattering media coverage. We continue to work with TRSA, successfully meeting their goal of increased coverage in a variety of trade newspapers, magazines and online publications.
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The challenge
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.
The solution
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.
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Legal Professionals
Where legal professionals turn for solutions to communications challenges.With experience representing multiple leading membership associations for attorneys and other legal professionals, we offer legal professionals effective strategies to communicate their messages. We’ve built successful campaigns for attorneys, law firms and associations, using tactics from thought leadership in leading legal trade and business media to digital communications at conferences.
The challenge
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.
The solution
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.
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Real Estate
Building communications campaigns for real estate brokerages big and small across the U.S.We’ve helped put our clients and their properties on the pages and screens of the country’s largest newspapers and broadcast programs. These include some of the most exclusive and largest real estate brokers in the country, as well as architects and residential and commercial real estate developers, who we positioned as thought leaders on pressing economic issues of the day.
The challenge
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.
The solution
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.
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The challenge
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.
The solution
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.
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Technology & B2B
The B2B communications solution for businesses in technology and beyond.From app developers, manufacturers and technology start-ups to clean-tech innovators and non-profit enterprises funding sustainable energy initiatives. Technology is a key part of the B2B specialty we’ve developed over our nearly 30 years in business. Since, we have extended our capabilities to guide trade associations, data analytics firms, manufacturers, creative agencies, security consultants and others toward valuable media and audience engagement.
The challenge
ReSource Pro had only been in business for two years when it approached Kimball Hughes Public Relations in 2005. The company began as a novel start-up offering a much-needed solution to back office operations for insurance program administrators, brokers, agencies and carriers. They had solid metrics in place to demonstrate a healthy return on investment for clients. But two years in, what they didn’t have was name recognition or industry awareness.
The solution
Kimball Hughes Public Relations began by sharing the ReSource Pro story with leading insurance industry media that served their market, focusing on the company’s expertise and service offerings. The company and its media profile grew. The CEO became a regular contributor to industry media and featured in broad management and business trend stories for media outlets that include HumanResourceIQ.com, Chief Learning Officer magazine and Forbes.
In 2013, Inc. magazine included ReSource Pro in its 500|5000 list citing the company’s 122 percent revenue growth over three years, and annual revenue of $24.3 million. From its Manhattan headquarters, ReSource Pro now manages more than 1,200 employees on two continents and serves hundreds of insurance industry clients throughout the U.S. and abroad. And Kimball Hughes Public Relations is still their trusted PR partner.
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