Crowe PR

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Onyx Offsites & Trainings, a premier experiential education company that provides custom retreats, business consulting, executive training, team building, and wellness initiatives to organizations around the globe.

For what projects/services did your company hire Crowe PR, and what were your goals?

Our business was a new venture that spun off the parent company Positive Adventures and build a new brand and company that elevated the corporate program services we provided. Our goal in hiring Crowe PR was to help build Onyx brand awareness and recognition, alongside the credibility of our leadership and expertise in delivering quality, impactful and life-changing programs. We wanted to have Crowe PR provide us with strategic planning and execution on how to effectively do this both within our community as well as within our industry space.

How did you select this vendor?

We evaluated a handful of PR company considerations, but in the end, we had heard from multiple companies who had and were currently working with Crowe PR to provide similar types of services, and the recommendations and referrals were stellar! Anna Crowe (Founder & CEO) was incredibly responsive, helpful and worked diligently with me to customize a proposal that fit within our budget and acknowledged our goals and objectives of the partnership.

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

They began with a scope of work that clearly outlined the key deliverables and what the initial 90-day launch plan looked like. After some detailed and thorough research on our competitors and within our industry, they conducted interviews with key executives and key personnel to get a well-rounded understanding of where the great opportunities lie to share the Onyx brand within the market.

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

We initially worked directly with the Founder and CEO Anna, and then we're introduced to a team of four talented women who all held specific roles and responsibilities, but regardless of what was being discussed during meetings/calls, all of the Crowe team members participated, so no communication was missed. I was incredibly impressed with how the team was able to pick up on keywords and comments and recognize them as opportunities for various story pitches or content development.

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

Since we have been working with the Crowe team, we have already had a number of interviews, content pieces, PR releases, and podcasts published, and the media has been incredibly supportive and interested in what Onyx is trying to accomplish within our space (creating culture, connection, and change within groups and teams within the corporate space).

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

In addition to a comprehensive initial plan and timeline that was presented to Onyx from Crowe, we also participate in a monthly planning call and have continuous communication with the team multiple times each week via email and one-off calls to monitor progress and to discuss newly pitched ideas and opportunities. The Crowe team set up a group email account for the Onyx team to deliver all communication through, and all of the assigned Crowe team members receive all of the communication. They are prompt in follow-up and follow through, and we are able to stay on task and on timeline due to their continued follow-up efforts, all done professionally and respectfully.

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

I am most impressed with their commitment and dedication to not only understand our company and the programs and services we provide but that they embrace contributing in our brainstorms and ideation of what type of programs companies are looking for in order to rebuild their culture and reconnect after a year of lockdown and restrictions due to COVID. They appreciate the value of what we bring to our clients, supportive and proactive in sharing this within the media.

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

It would be awesome to get the Crowe team on Onyx's internal Slack communication channel, as our team uses this regularly and it really helps expedite the response times for both companies when a chat and communication can happen in real-time versus email. I would think that they would be open to that, I may actually suggest we try this out!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the corporate director of sales and marketing for a hospitality company. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Crowe PR?

We needed to find a PR partner to help launch our new hotels and ensure that we start strong. We also wanted to reach as many target customers as possible.  

What was the scope of their involvement?

Crowe PR serves as a PR agency for our corporate companies. Their purpose is to position our hospitality company as a global leader in management and thought leadership. 

As our PR partner, Crowe PR typically spends a good amount of time learning more about our business or specific hotels. That way, they can understand our goals and objectives, and where we are coming from. 

They do the same thing to every hotel that we have, and after that, their team comes up with a solid 90-day plan based on our desired goals and objectives. Then, we review the plan together and take into consideration the comments and opinions from several stakeholders of the company.

Sometimes there are also ad hoc requests that we assign to Crowe PR, and they take those and run with them as well. From a social media perspective, they help us drive ideas. Sometimes, that happens in the form of crafting hotel packages, press releases, press kits, and monitoring the awards we can receive. 

From a content writing perspective, they write all of the biographies of our executives. They also write blogs for us and publish articles for our company. From a marketing opportunity perspective, they help us plan our grand openings and on the day itself, they also assist us on site. Overall, they do a little bit of everything.

What is the team composition?

Anna (CEO) is involved in every project that we have, and she has a team of 10–12 people. We’ve dealt directly with four key people in Crowe’s organization including account managers, creatives, and media specialists. 

How did you come to work with Crowe PR?

We were going out to market with an RFP for a PR company. About the same time, we were at one of our hotels that we were getting ready to launch and the general manager of that hotel met Anna.

He sent me her information and said that she seemed super sharp and smart, and more importantly, she was well-versed in the PR industry and was familiar with a lot of areas. When I reached out to Anna, we also reviewed four proposals from other PR agencies around the country.

However, Crowe PR stood out because Anna gave me a personalized service that I was looking for instead of assigning me to an account manager — which was what the bigger agencies did. I liked the fact that Anna stayed engaged in the whole process, and she also met quite a few people and answered their questions.

Furthermore, Crowe PR had a solid plan, and we felt like they understood us. Anna’s ability to relate to us, their history with some great companies, and their plan convinced us to choose them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in August 2019, and we’re still working together. 

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

For our hotel projects, we have a couple of metrics and KPIs to measure Crowe’s work such as the number of impressions that we get in the marketplace, where we get those impressions, and the media coverage we receive in general. Then, on a corporate level, we check how many leadership and interview opportunities as well as awards that we get from the team’s PR efforts. 

How did Crowe PR perform from a project management standpoint?

Most of our communication is done through email or phone calls. We’ve also used Microsoft SharePoint to share documents. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Crowe PR is incredibly responsive, and they do what they say they’re going to do, which doesn’t happen often these days. Moreover, they’re professional and super flexible. Above all, they know their jobs well which is a great combination of their other amazing qualities.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

Perhaps, they can be more forceful with trying to get information from some of our stakeholders. They do it, but it’s a fine line to walk as a third-party and a customer who’s getting paid.

I also tell them that if they’re not getting what they need from somebody, they should be firm and give them a date. However, I’m not sure if it’s something that's necessarily a good thing to fix. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask for examples of their work and its results, and it should be similar to what you’re looking to do. That’s pretty important to make sure that you’re getting real data. Moreover, ask Crowe how they did it and what happened. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Everyday California, an ocean sports company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Crowe PR?

They handle all of our public relations.

What was the scope of their involvement?

In addition to handling our public relations, they do our outreach to media and general marketing.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Anna (CEO) since the beginning. We’ve also worked with others, like Natalia (Director).

How did you come to work with Crowe PR?

We worked with Anna in the past. When she went independent, we followed her.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2015.

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

We track all of our media links, every media hit. They’ve performed great.

How did Crowe PR perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great with project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that they’re responsive and meet deadlines.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve worked great for us over the years.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

PR is never a one-off project. It’s something that’s ongoing.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was Director of Global Communications for Callaway Golf Company, tasked with leading corporate communications and all earned and owned media activities for the $1.7B company's products and services.

For what projects/services did your company hire Crowe PR?

As Callaway acquired lifestyle companies to accelerate growth and diversify its portfolio in ways complementary to golf, we were looking for public relations support to broaden Callaway's media coverage outside of endemic media, and, importantly, support the growth of the active lifestyle brands that were now part of the family.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals for this project were primarily based on meaningful national and regional media placements across three certain themes: corporate, product innovation and marketing.

How did you select Crowe PR?

My team vetted three agencies for this work. The other two were larger shops, yet Crowe PR differentiated itself by creating an sincere connection with our mission and an immediate grasp of our brand identity, by demonstrating care and attention to our business, and by being great people we were thrilled to spend time with during the course of working together.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We worked closely with the Crowe PR team in the first months to develop and refine a scope that included quarterly plans and deliverables around public relations activities. My role in the project was to arm the Crowe PR team with information, data and timely news to generate plans and pitches for targeted media outreach, and to oversee the results. The team was particularly passionate about supporting our growing women's business, which was an area that our in-house team - at the time - did not have bandwidth to focus on.

What was the team composition?

I often connected directly with the Founder and CEO, who was regularly present on weekly calls or ad hoc meetings. The day-to-day activities were managed by a capable member of the Crowe PR team. Other brands under the Callaway umbrella had dedicated staff as well, and as a collective we coordinated our conversations and activities for efficiency.

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

One particular success story surrounds a product media tour Callaway hosted in New York City. The Crowe PR team supported this event not only by inviting and hosting media alongside our internal team, but by staffing and bringing energy and excitement to the event. Which, when we're talking about golf, is greatly appreciated!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication between the teams was always direct and free-flowing. Although we had regularly weekly calls, there was never any hesitation on either side to reach out directly to discuss pressing matters. The Crowe PR team adapted quickly to the company's often rapidly changing plans, and responded well to feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Crowe PR aims to be an extension of our team, caring deeply for our business, our success, & our professional growth. As a professional who has managed many external relationships over the years, proactivity is the most important quality, and the Crowe PR team demonstrates that with passion and pride.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of a holistic healthcare facility.

What challenge were you trying to address with Crowe PR?

We needed someone to act as our PR team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Crowe PR does all of our promotions and anything related to PR.

What is the team composition?

We work with about five people on their team on average. They're different strategists, like media strategists and so on. 

How did you come to work with Crowe PR?

I interviewed a number of PR companies and Anna (CEO) really stood out to me as being the best. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2019, and it’s still ongoing.

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

The results have been great. We’ve become a destination wellness center as a result of Crowe PR's work on PR and media relations — we have customers flying in from Miami, New York, and Chicago to see us as a result of their work.

In terms of key publications, they’ve gotten us featured in Forbes, Modern Luxury, Parade, Glamour, San Diego Tribune, Bustle, Best Life, C California Style, San Diego Business Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, Well+Good, and so on. In terms of broadcast media, we’ve also been on CBS, Fox 5, and NBC.

How did Crowe PR perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well in terms of project management. They’re very responsive and get back to us quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really delivered on results. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have all of the content that they need, such as images and descriptions.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a nonprofit with educational programs distributed online through video and social media.

For what projects/services did your company hire Crowe PR, and what were your goals?

We hired Crowe PR to build awareness of our brand, increase engagement, and help us crowd-source content.

How did you select this vendor?

When we originally found Crowe PR they came highly recommended by a colleague. We interviewed several firms and selected Crowe because they stood out as highly capable and committed.

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

They spent a lot of time interviewing us, getting to know our brands, and understanding our mission. They provided consultative feedback and then designed a plan. They communicated with us throughout the program providing analysis of how the campaigns were performing and adjusting the model to adapt to those responses.

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

We have worked with about six different people from within the organization from the Founder/CEO to account managers.

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

Crowe PR was able to get us major coverage (a full page spread) in the largest newspaper in San Diego, to help us create consistent branding and "voice" in all of our online communications, and to 4x our followers.

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

They are organized, hard working, very communicative, positive, and most importantly effective. When it was time to wrap up our project, they worked just as hard afterwards as they had worked to earn our business - a real tribute to their character and integrity.

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

They went the extra mile to deliver a high return on our investment.

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

With their expertise, the more input and guidance they can give, the better. They are a wealth of knowledge.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of Fashion Week San Diego

For what projects/services did your company hire Crowe PR, and what were your goals?

Many challenges in recent times/ years in the event landscape and Crowe PR has been able to help us maintain our branding and legacy despite challenges. They have been a critical part of our marketing PR support for years.

How did you select this vendor?

We were fortunate to be one of the original clients when the firm launched and had been wanting to work with the CEO Anna Crowe for years.

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

Ever year they help us keep on brand with full campaigns targeting and promoting our signature events.

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

We have a dedicated client rep and access to the whole team as needed.

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

Sine working with them we have never dropped under $94mil media impressions in local market.

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

Crowe PR despite their impressive client roster makes even smaller clients such as our company feel special, communicated with and still a priority.

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

The communication, education, and true dedication to the craft of storytelling.

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

None

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the General Manager of The Harpeth Hotel in Franklin, TN.

For what projects/services did your company hire Crowe PR, and what were your goals?

We utilize CrowePR for all of our public relations management and strategies.

How did you select this vendor?

Through professional referrals and recommendations.

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

The CrowePR team took a very detailed approach in getting to fully understand the property (Type, Uniqueness, the team, etc). They develop quarterly plans and work closely with the hotel team on a monthly, even weekly basis to ensure the hotel's success.

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

We have worked with multiple team members that support our dedicated property manager.

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

Since working with CrowePR the property has been covered in multiple publications and they have created a sense of awareness we couldn't have done alone.

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

Monthly calls, Quarterly Plans, Calls, Teams meetings, etc

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

Their responsiveness is incredible. Especially being in a time zone 2 hours behind the property. We also feel like they are part of our extended team. Not sure another vendor.

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

Honestly just continue to push the property. We oftentimes get caught up in the daily operation of the hotel and our response time is lacking. But that is on us at the property.