BMFBMF is an award-winning experiential and PR agency headquartered in New York City. The innovative team creates experiences through an experience-led PR lens with rich strategy and cultural relevance at its core. In June 2021, travel and tourism PR Industry veteran Ty Bentsen joined BMF as its new Head of Business Development. Under her leadership, BMF is reimagining its Earned Practice (PR) to more effectively suit the needs of travel/hospitality clients and to help internal teams focus on the most meaningful and impactful client work. Among the agency’s key client successes this summer, BMF partnered with Moxy Hotels to bring to life the Great British Road Trip. This fully integrated campaign not only lifted awareness for the brand and showed-up at property-level, but also engaged consumers via PR, digital and experiential extensions.
Notable long-term clients
Marriott International, Visa, Amazon, TikTok
Recent client wins
Sorel Liqueur, Rosewood, Clinique, Moxy UK (Great British Road Trip Campaign), IHG (US Open), Sheraton (Brand Transformation Immersion FAM), Lyft
Is there a big industry trend you’re backing in terms of your agency offering, and why do you think this area will continue to grow and influence the PR practice?
BMF’s central thesis in terms of our clients and the work we deliver is “made to inspire.” An industry trend that has always been at our core – but that is now influencing the broader PR conversation – is the idea of supporting minority-owned brands and clients with a purpose-driven narrative.
A prime example of this is our newest BMF Earned client - Sorel Liqueur from Jackie Summers, founder of JackFromBrooklyn Inc. Based on a centuries-old elixir, Sorel is the hibiscus-based liqueur expertly hand-crafted in small batches in Brooklyn. It is the first shelf-stable version of “the red drink” – a 500 year-old recipe born of the spice trade from West Africa and Barbados. Having originally introduced the product in 2012 to critical acclaim, Sorel is days away from it’s formal return to market on ReserveBar.com following a substantial investment from the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund, a $50 million fund intended to help Black-Owned companies achieve their goals in the competitive spirits market. We love supporting a brand that is more than just another must-have spirit for your bar cart - Sorel is a brand with depth, nuance, and one that amplifies important stories.
Blue Medium, Inc.Founded by John Melick, Blue Medium is a PR company serving the visual arts, architecture and design communities. Based in NYC, the firm has been working with galleries, museums, foundations and architecture and design studios for over two decades. Melick’s successful approach is centered on sharing clients' stories via editorial-quality content while also respecting the essential need for independent, reputable media coverage. While the new hybrid work model has prompted Blue Medium to switch to a smaller office space in Chelsea, the team continues to grow to keep up with updated service offerings across visual arts PR and digital content strategy. Most recently, the company has shown their innovative capabilities with new exhibitions, a podcast launch and a film promotion.
Notable long-term clients
Acquavella Galleries, Archives of American Art at Smithsonian Institution, City of Miami Beach (Art in Public Places), Fabric Workshop & Museum, Friedman Benda Gallery, Galerie Lelong & Co, Galerie St. Etienne, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), SWA Architects
Recent client wins
Megan Fox Kelly Art Advisory, Sony Pictures Classics, Woodmere Art Museum
What was your biggest business challenge this year and how did your team overcome it?
Most of our clients need a physical audience, so this was a massive challenge. "Let's keep them visible" was our main tenet in Q2 2020 into Q2 2021. We needed to be a lot more creative with our PR tactics and quickly learned to pivot our resources to advise on, and sometimes produce, robust digital content. Most of our colleagues know the drill. It's worked well, but it's still not the essence of what we do as PR pros. Media engagement remains the focus of our work. Digital content complements in a controlled way. The hybrid work model has sometimes been a challenge for us, but we have also learned that we can work differently and still be effective. The hybrid work model is still a work in progress, as we still believe that nurturing "social capital" IRL is fundamental to PR excellence.
What are you most proud of as a leader?
Respecting our clients and media, attempting to be kind even when stressed and providing exceptional benefits and incentives for my crew.
