The PR and influencer marketing pros at Communité had their hands particularly busy this year, especially in navigating Hill Home House through its giant viral success of the Nap Dress (and the brand’s subsequent growth). Led by founder Danielle McGrory, the agency has remained a leader in the fast-paced world of social media by staying at the forefront of trends, like shifting its influencer campaign focus from images to video and TikTok. Another noteworthy focus on the influencer front: keeping clients accountable for consistent representation and inclusion, with strong representation across ethnicities, age, body types and geography across campaigns. Their work with BarbieStyle shows solid examples of their efforts to ensure strategy and resources are allocated to a diverse set of partners and collaborators. They were the brains behind the BarbieStyle x Harlem's Fashion Row project celebrating Black History Month, and also executed the first-ever BarbieStyle Collection for International Women's Day, representing a diverse range of female founders across brands like Live Tinted, Autumn Adebigo and Nette candles.
Leadership team:
Danielle McGrory, Founder
Notable long-term clients:
Hill House Home, Megababe, Katie Sturino, BarbieStyle
New client wins:
Tenoverten, Catbird, Bonberi, Jamie Beck's forthcoming book, "An American in Provence"
How are you innovating and moving the industry forward?
“As a digital-first agency, we are constantly innovating our approach and evolving with the ever-changing media landscape. From print media and broadcast to Instagram and TokTok, we are constantly placing our clients in front of best-in-class outlets and platforms to reach broad and diverse audiences.”
A leader in travel-focused public relations, founder Laura Davidson built her eponymous agency back even stronger post-pandemic – and 2022 is looking like their best year yet. LDPR has secured over 20 new accounts in the past 18 months, and the agency also saw a 70-plus percent retention rate, including organic growth from clients like AMAN. To address new and existing clients’ needs for creative integrated communications, LDPR expanded its digital and social expertise, especially in the influencer and social media spaces. And as media relations continues to be a challenge, the team is turning more towards partnerships and strategic alliances to help clients amplify their brands and reach new, like-minded customers. At the end of the day, it’s this integrated PR approach of media relations, social/influencer and partnership that drives success for LDPR clients.
Leadership team:
Laura Davidson, Owner
Notable long-term clients:
Abercrombie & Kent; Aman Resorts; The Resort at Paws Up, Montana; The Allison Inn & Spa, Oregon Wine Country; Chatham Bars Inn, Cape Cod; Andaz Maui, Hawaii; Alila Napa Valley (formerly Las Alcobas); Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, Florida; VisitScotland; Travel Portland, Oregon; Briggs & Riley Luggage
New client wins:
One Aldwych, London; The Langham, Chicago; The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, Colorado; Ani Private Resorts; Cielo Lodge, Costa Rica; Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts in Scotland and Ireland; Kensington Tours; TravelEdge; Solo Luggage; Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, Bermuda; The Charleston Place in South Carolina; Las Alcobas Mexico City
How are you innovating and moving the industry forward?
“We realize that the way agencies and our industry operate is different now and we remain nimble and innovative in our approach. Internally, we have shifted to a hybrid work schedule two days a week, and our staff is more productive than ever. We have focused a lot on diversity in our staff and hiring folks with varying backgrounds and experience. We talk about ‘what works’ and ‘what needs improvement,’ and much of this innovation comes from new, energetic junior and mid-level staff. And perhaps most importantly, we are focused just as much on ‘employee retention’ strategies as we are ‘employee acquisition’ strategies. We have had very little turnover and our own staffers recommend new hires to LDPR. To help us fuel the positive culture at LDPR, we use an outside executive coach (Grace Andrews, Ignite) who works with us on team building, individual professional development, and group dynamics – this is so important to the success of each LDPR team member as well as the agency as a whole. ‘Culture’ is one of the leading drivers for new employees.”
