Pointman News Creation

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Magalive was a supporting partner of the Super Bash event.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointman News Creation?

We were in desperate need of media attention to sell more tickets to our Super Bowl party.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They devised a viral PR strategy to create a buzz around our Super Bash party. After sending a music survey to Texas residents, they compiled a list of the worst songs that were ever written about the Lone Star State. Pointman News Creation sent a press release to all of the local music journalists, emphasizing beloved country music legend George Strait getting first place with “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.”

What is the team composition?

We mostly worked with Patrick McCaully, Pointman News Creation’s founder, owner, and creative director.

How did you come to work with Pointman News Creation?

They’re the first agency that we go to whenever we want to take an edgy and innovative approach.

How much have you invested with them?

Their services cost us $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We reached out to them in a few days before Super Bowl LI in February 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Their viral campaign generated a ton of visibility, making our event the most attended event during the Super Bowl weekend. We generated 44 pieces of media coverage, including television and print; our story was picked up by every morning show in Houston. With more than half a million in ad value, their efforts proved to be widely successful.

How did Pointman News Creation perform from a project management standpoint?

Their frequent phone and email correspondence made our long-distance relationship seem a lot closer.

What did you find most impressive about them?

McCaully is brilliant; within a few hours of our engagement, he created a cunning strategy to promote our unpublicized event. Their work is disruptive yet calculated in pitching stories to the appropriate media outlets. Pointman News Creation knows what’s newsworthy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They already have the perfect formula for success. We didn’t expect all of the media coverage that we received.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Pointman News Creation is the standard for non-conventional PR strategies.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the board director for a children’s fundraising foundation that raises funds for sick kids and their siblings, specifically by providing access to music and dance therapy. We are based in Toronto but focused on all of Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointman News Creation?

We needed to facilitate a fundraiser. It was an opportunity to raise our profile, promote the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, and raise funds.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were engaged and involved with brainstorming from the very beginning. They presented multiple proposals, helped us drill down into the pros and cons, and the budgeting of the different options.

They helped us liaise with the beneficiary, Sick Kids Hospital. As a hospital, they must adhere to many processes and protocols, and our charity is empowered by volunteers who also have limited resources.

Throughout this process, they also became a sort of conduit between multiple public relations experts. They also maintained in dialogue with their legal and property departments.

In the end, we decided to host an outdoor event at Sick Kids Hospital, which would include some famous musicians helping us with an interactive photo op. They also helped us recruit those musicians, who were a real anchor to the event.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Patrick [Founder, Pointman News Creation].

How much have you invested in them?

They are very good about doing pro bono work for us. We gave it a value of $25,000 CDN ($19,401 USD) at the time.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2001, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We had live eye hits from the biggest station in Toronto, we had nationally recognized award-winning musicians onsite, and we acquired some long-term volunteers and nice donations during the event.

How did Pointman News Creation perform from a project management standpoint?

They were perfect. Organizing volunteers at a major Toronto hospital, and then pulling off the event and follow-up, was incredibly complex. They are very good at asking for feedback along the way.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Patrick used to work in the news industry, which gives him credibility and knowledge of how newsrooms operate. He has a network of past colleagues and friends, and considers pros and cons that only someone that works in the industry would think of. You can train for this work, but he lived it 24/7 and knows what happens behind the scenes.

He has business sense. His outstanding journalism and communication skills helped us improve our stakeholder relations and refine our approach to the musicians that we were trying to attract. He had access to a famous Canadian band called The Barenaked Ladies. We would never have been able to contact them without his network. They really are an outstanding group.

They are lean, agile, and able to pivot quickly. There isn’t a lot of bureaucracy. If you try to get Patrick or his team on the phone, you will talk to them. There is no delay.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the manager of communication and brand for a mutual insurance company. We're a member-based company that provides Property and Casualty lines of insurance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointman News Creation?

We’re a fairly new brand—created when three insurance companies amalgamated in 2014—so people didn’t know who we were. While we had an advertising plan, we needed a public relations plan to generate earned media coverage and get our name out there.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Pointman took the time to really get to know us and understand what makes us different. As a member-based institution, customers own a piece of the company and have voting rights when they purchase insurance with us. They also learned about our connection to the communities we serve. Their best ideas focused not on insurance products but on creating events or other opportunities to give back to the community.

They've done various campaigns with us. Some were public service like the "Steer Clear of Deer" campaign to caution people to be aware of animals in the road. Another one was called Common Kindness Day that grew out of a conversation about what we can do to build communities and why communities are so important. They launched that a year ago with advertising and they got several local coffee shops involved in a “pay it forward” effort.

We actually moved some of our advertising budget over to Pointman because of their success in getting media traction. They’ve also helped us with reputation management when we have customer complaints.

What is the team composition?

There's a team of people that I work with but everything is funneled through an operative [project manager]. I also deal with Pat McCaully [founder, Pointman News Creation].

How did you come to work with Pointman News Creation?

I was pretty new to this area of business so I got Pat’s name as a referral from a colleague. Once I met with him and he took the time to explain how things in PR really work, it was an easy decision.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began around March of 2014 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

For the "Steer Clear of Deer" campaign, they suggested we have some swag items to give away and used that to generate media interest. A ton of media outlets latched onto the story because of the free items. The story got a lot of attention in print, online, and through tv interviews.

The Common Kindness Day campaign was also an incredible success. Their coffee shop idea helped it go viral in earned media. They’ve shared with me what it would cost if we’d had to pay to generate the same amount of readership and the number was huge.

How did Pointman News Creation perform from a project management standpoint?

We work with Pointman to create a plan before every project or event and I haven't had any issues. For every campaign they give me a coverage book that has a live update of all news hits. It shows readership, interaction with the media, who's picking up the story, copies of articles, and links to other pieces.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What’s really impressive is that Pat truly knows the business because he worked on the other side. He knows what does and doesn't work, what annoys people, and what buzzwords or taglines get people to stop and read that next line.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think it's specific to Pointman but it seems that everything in PR is very time sensitive. They'll come to me and say we need this now. It’s not that they didn’t plan ahead but it’s because the media has an urgent deadline, like they’re going to print in two hours.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a real estate broker who runs their own team under Royal LePage Terrequity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointman News Creation?

We needed exposure through brand recognition. We also had special projects we wanted to do in order to increase awareness around how differently we work from the majority of real estate agents.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a few initial meetings to go over what we were trying to achieve. I was pleasantly surprised that Pointman was able to come up with the majority of the ideas. Afterwards, they sent us a few emails and had follow-up phone calls to flesh out the possibilities. It was a matter of being connected to some of their service providers.

The most successful project has been a video. I consulted a videographer that Pointman put me in contact with. We produced the content which Pointman then used to create new releases and pitch to media. We were receiving emails and calls from Pointman asking if we were available for an interview at a media outlet not even two days after we released that video.

We have one project that is 80% complete in regards to the media involved. We have a meeting set up next week to start discussing the next project.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with their director of international media.

How did you come to work with Pointman News Creation?

I believe in working with people who are referred to me. Pointman became part of my professional network over a period of years. I started hearing about their director of international media and what his company was doing, including projects he’d worked on with our common contacts. I heard great things about their capabilities.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $12,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2016 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We did an analysis with the larger project they did for me. We had more than $1 million worth of media exposure directly through the story they pitched for us. Both campaigns that we ran with them generated revenue for my business through inquiries and follow-ups from the public.

How did Pointman News Creation perform from a project management standpoint?

They managed it very well considering how unpredictable the media can be.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with their creativity. Their ideas are astounding. They’re the type of visionary company that’s so good that some people may not be able to appreciate them. They’re able to take ideas and tackle them independently.

I love how creative they are in getting exposure as well. I’ve tried running with a few ideas but haven’t gotten anywhere close to what they’re able to do when they see everything through.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They sometimes have an idea they know is so good that they keep it in the forefront even if a client isn’t sure about it. Every time that’s happened, I’ve been convinced that it was the right choice. I may have arrived at that conclusion sooner had they shown me other ideas to compare the first one to.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m with Hennick Wealth Management. We’re money managers and wealth advisers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Pointman News Creation?

I wanted to generate new leads by raising awareness of my practice and bringing attention to the good things that we do for our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Through a series of campaigns, Pointman has developed unique ideas to help place my business in the public eye. They create press releases in an effort to draw the attention of Canada’s financial press. These targeted news release campaigns typically last around month.

What is the team composition?

I work with a two-person team that includes Pat McCaully (Director of International Media Domination, Pointman News Creation). Pat comes up with campaign ideas and his partner helps amplify the message.

How did you come to work with Pointman News Creation?

I had written a book about my practice to share with clients and potential clients. A friend of mine recommended contacting a PR firm to promote the material, so I reached out to various agencies. Pointman was the best of the six or seven that I contacted.

While we ended up not focusing on the book promotion, I trusted their vision.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2016 and our relationship is ongoing. We just completed a campaign and have begun developing a new one.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I'm a big fan of what they do. I believe in their vision and they’ve produced positive results. Our first campaign led to a number of new referrals. My business was featured in The Globe and Mail, Canada’s leading business newspaper, and I landed a few radio interviews. Subsequent campaigns achieved similar results, and I’m now on a regular radio show guest.

How did Pointman News Creation perform from a project management standpoint?

The way we work, I typically approach Pat with a need to generate new clients and he develops a unique strategy. Their communication is excellent. They report the progress of any campaigns and provide all pertinent data regarding results. If I’m ever frustrated, they address my concerns immediately. They’re really good at what they do.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re focused and they care. We did a video shoot once, and Pat and his team were onset even though they didn’t have to be. They wanted to remain a part of the process.

They’re also flexible. If a campaign wasn’t working, they recognized that fact and shifted focus to a new strategy, keeping the initial financial metrics in place. This shows their personal investment in the success of their clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's always room for improvement, but at the end of the day, they’re the team that I trust the most.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Former Lawyer of Devry Smith Frank

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Law firm

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pointman News Creation to accomplish?

• Attract attention of the general public to various practices of law

SOLUTION

How did you find Pointman News Creation?

Referral

Why did you select Pointman News Creation over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Pointman News Creation were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Pointman PR was tasked to raise the profile of the family law and tax law group of Devry Smith Frank LLP through a series of campaigns aimed at ideal clients. Key deliverables included survey data, press releases and media outreach. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Thanks to the campaigns aimed at highlighting that divorces peaked during the first months of the new year and alerting the general public to tax scams, the firm got more inquiries on divorce law and tax law than without those campaigns.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

On time, on budget and extremely responsive.

What was your primary form of communication with Pointman News Creation?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

A unique take on a mudane and stressful area for the public. They provided a nice touch to tone and approach, given the sensitivity of divorce and taxes.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pointman News Creation could have done differently?

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Executive Director of a non-profit company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help change the lives of unemployed and underemployed Canadians by providing free technology and professional skills training that will help them secure in-demand careers in technology in their community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pointman News Creation to accomplish?

• Brand awareness
• Market research

SOLUTION

How did you find Pointman News Creation?

• Online Search
• Clutch Site

Why did you select Pointman News Creation over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Pointman News Creation were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We hired Pointman todesign and run 3 surveys for our organizations. With the results, they provided an analysis and then proceeded to create press releases to pitch to traditional media.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

1. Survey execution 
2. Media response in the form of articles and interviews

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Our interactions with Pointman went great, and we had some big media hits because of that.

What was your primary form of communication with Pointman News Creation?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They try to generate an impact, providing a different angle and analyzing data

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pointman News Creation could have done differently?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive of a Consulting company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Employer Branding Agency

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pointman News Creation to accomplish?

• Build Share of Voice
• Promote Healthcare Research Insights
• Drive PR campaign management

SOLUTION

How did you find Pointman News Creation?

• Referral

Why did you select Pointman News Creation over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

What was the size of Pointman News Creation’s team?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Patrick listened to our objectives with building top of mind awareness,elevating media coverage on employer brand topics in US market and within healthcare industry space. He supported and advised on key messaging, pitched media outlets, monitored media and advised on supporting research

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Significant media coverage, radio, tv, print. Uptake in share of voice by 6% in 2 months. Increased lead traffic to website

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Responsive, supportive, advisory

What was your primary form of communication with Pointman News Creation?

• Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Patrick really cares, and Pointman News Creation goes above and beyond to drive impact. He is thoughtful, confident and flexible.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Pointman News Creation could have done differently?

no

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Executive Director for a national chapter of a global non-profit organization that promotes and awards student entrepreneurship.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Pointman News Creation, and what were your goals?

We hired Pointman News Creation to build and run a press release for us to help gain awareness across the country for our program. Our goals were to be picked up by many news outlets and hopefully generate interview opportunities too.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Patrick came through a recommendation based on his experience with EO companies.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Create a survey, run a survey, build a story around the survey incorporating key facts and information about our program, and send the story out multiple times to national and regional news outlets.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

1 - owner

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were extremely please with Pointman's story creation and ability to capture eyes across the country in the midst of a VERY very challenging and robust news cycle.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Extremely responsive, quick, generous, thorough, provided recommendations through his expertise.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They were very enjoyable to work with. I was greatly appreciative of Patrick's communication style and his dedication to helping get our story out there.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No