MMGY NJF, the North American PR practice of MMGY Global, has been diligently supporting travel brands all over the world for years – which was not a light ask during the most challenging time in travel history. Still, the team did its part to lift up the industry from the pandemic to date, successfully opening and reopening 15 hotels in 2021 and 2022. The agency also reignited its experiential marketing prowess, producing and promoting multiple large-scale consumer activations so far this year. From airlines and cruise companies to tourism commissions and high-profile hotels, it has been a busy year of launches and partnerships for the team. Along with welcoming over 25 new travel and hospitality clients to their roster, MMGY NJF bolstered their team outside of its NYC HQ with growth in Los Angeles, Austin, Kansas City and Miami.
Leadership team:
Julie Freeman, EVP & Managing Director
Notable long-term clients:
The Algonquin Hotel Times Square, Amtrak, Berkshire Hathaway Travel, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, British Virgin Islands Tourist Board & Film Commission, CheapCaribbean, Apple Leisure Group, Etihad Airlines, Eurail, Fitler Club, Visit Greater Palm Springs, HEI Hotels, City Experiences, Hotel Vermont, Fort Myers Islands Beaches and Neighborhoods, Marriott International, Marriott Marquis, Oceania Cruises, Pod Hotels, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, Visit Steamboat Springs, Travel Texas, Visit California, Visit Costa Rica, Visit Dallas, World War II Museum
New client wins:
American Queen Voyages, Aurora Expeditions, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Visit Corpus Christi, Destination Greater Victoria, Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), Discover Newport, Explore Worldwide, International Insurance Group & International Citizens Leisure Pass Group, Go City, LATAM Airlines, Laura Hotel Houston, London & Partners, Meet AC (Atlantic City), Marival Resorts, Montauk Chamber of Commerce, North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, Planet 9, RoofTop at Exchange Place, Signia by Hilton, San Jose Travel and Adventure Show, Visit Elizabeth City, Visit KC (Kansas City), Visit Santa Barbara, Visit SLO Cal
How are you innovating and moving the industry forward?
“We invest in truly understanding the traveler and conduct proprietary research each year, collecting more data on travelers than any other U.S. organization. For example, our agency launched The Black Traveler: Insights, Opportunities & Priorities, a groundbreaking research report on behalf of Black traveler advocacy organizations to identify the needs, behaviors and sentiment of the Black travel community. We then partnered with the Black Travel Alliance (BTA) and the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP) to award 30 financial grants totaling US$70,000 to Black travel organizations and content creators to help amplify Black voices in the travel industry. We also conducted Vistas Latinas: A Landmark Study on U.S. Travelers of Hispanic Descent to provide a better understanding of the diverse and growing Hispanic population in the U.S. making it the most significant study on this traveling group to date and culminating in support of Latino and Latina small businesses through Travel Unity.”
Led by founder Danielle Finck, Elle Communications is on a mission to showcase the good in the world by amplifying stories of progress, innovation and the pioneers who are driving it. The conscious communications agency has teams in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco, and works with mission-centered brands, nonprofits, social enterprises, CSR teams, sustainably-made products, political activists, and leaders who are making the world a better place through their ideas and endeavors. Most recently, Elle has expanded into social impact consulting for various clients, either as part of its full suite of services or as a standalone offering. As experts in the space, Elle works with individuals and brands to identify areas of opportunity within CSR, helping to expand this area of the business ensuring that meaningful impact is made organizationally. DEI is inherent to the work the team does; more than 45 percent of its clients are led by Black and Brown leaders.
Leadership team:
Danielle Finck, Founder & CEO
Silvie Snow-Thomas, President
Catherine Pope, Vice President
Notable long-term clients:
Seed, Glo, Cleobella, Nisolo, Civic Responsibility Project, National Voter Registration Day, Pizza to the Polls, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Protect the Sacred, National Immigration Law Center, Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, Resilience Force, Dr. Edith Eger, Helena Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, Ai-jen Poo, Mónica Ramírez, Michael Tubbs
New client wins:
Starling Jewelry, Helpsy, Nowatch, Copper Books, goodbuy, Mission:Joy, End Poverty in California (EPIC), Advancement Project, The Latinx House
How are you innovating and moving the industry forward?
“Commitment to discernment of social and environmental impact is pushing the most deserving ideas forward in the impact landscape. Leading with a unique brand of kindness and compassion in our storytelling efforts that keep both media and clients coming back to Elle time and time again, especially as it relates to issue areas and human interest stories that can be challenging. Just some of these areas include criminal justice reform, guaranteed income pilots for struggling families, policing, immigration, abortion rights, and changing the narrative around marginalized groups in our country. Helping to shift the way PR people think about and communicate with our colleagues in the media, ensuring journalists and producers are seen as the humans they are, providing them the best and most interesting stories, never ‘pitching just to pitch,’ and building thoughtful personal and professional relationships with journalists that strengthen their trust in publicists and the industry.”
