Power Collective

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Mana Common, a real estate platform for urban development and revitalization. We are the single largest landowners in Miami with significant holdings in Jersey City, Colombia, and elsewhere.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Power Collective, and what were your goals?

We needed a publicist of record to be our go-to representative to the outside world. We wanted to clean up our messy reputation in the media and get our correct messaging out there.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We created a rigorous formal RFP process with three rounds, each increasingly challenging.

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

They are the ultimate authority through which we route all media inquiries and communications.

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

Their CEO was directly involved in each step of our process, but as we got into a routine the account executive began handling the day to day management of our needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have helped us completely rehabilitate our public image and clarify our goals and vision for our projects. We have been able to achieve the best possible publicity outcomes for our company with their help.

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

We have weekly calls to go over things in detail, but we communicate virtually daily as relevant articles are published or we need to coordinate responses to media outlets.

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

They are small and tight-knit but still have deep expertise and connections within the relevant industry. I could not be happier with their performance.

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

I wish we had hired them sooner!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I lead the Miami practice of Perkins & Will. We are a global design practice specializing in architecture, interior design, landscaping, and planning.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Power Collective?

When I joined the office almost six years ago, I recognized that although we were delivering buildings with great designs, we didn’t have a profile and visibility in the community in South Florida. I hired Power Collective to evaluate our firm, understand our business, and help us gain more awareness in our community and across South Florida.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We rely on Power Collective to run PR campaigns to publicize our projects and elevate the standing of our firm. We wanted our name to be recognized more within the design community.

Over five years, they have prepared press releases of new colleagues joining the firm and any recognition of design awards that we’ve won. Power Collective also makes sure that coverage of our projects gets published in local and national design publications and magazines. Further, they organize symposia and lectures sponsored by our firm, and they coordinate our activities with the local American Institute of Architects chapter.

What is the team composition?

We’ve primarily worked with Marcia (Founder & Principal, Power Collective), but she’s had 2–3 colleagues help along the way.

How did you come to work with Power Collective?

Our Chief Marketing Office in New York found Marcia through her channels and recommended that I interview her. I did so and determined that she and Power Collective would be a great fit.

How much have you invested with them?

Our monthly retainer has been $4,000 since we started working together.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in 2014 and remains ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

During a recent regional meeting with our Atlanta and North Carolina offices, Marcia led a presentation about PR and raising the firm’s standing. The leaders of both visiting firms took away a positive understanding of what Marcia brings and how she’s evolved the profile of our Miami office. She’s gone beyond Miami and spoken to our colleagues across our company. Her message has resonated with our offices about how to approach PR.

How did Power Collective perform from a project management standpoint?

The quality of work is exceptionally high. Marcia checks in every two weeks to discuss what’s happened and what sort of visibility and feedback we've received. We’ll also meet in person every couple of months.

Marcia has proven that she can connect with the appropriate editors at newspapers and magazines to get our name out there. She’s always looking six or nine months ahead to determine how to place the firm and the buildings so that we get exposure.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Marcia is extremely well connected in the design community. As an architectural firm, we need a PR partner that understood our practice, and we’ve found that. Power Collective knows how to place our work in publications that appeal to the audience we need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything negative.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to be mindful of the kind of exposure you want. We didn’t want coverage in real estate magazines that are popular just with other architects. We had to focus on the delivery of information in appropriate spots to find the clients we were looking for.