PR’s Top Pros Talk… Working with Clients in a Modern Day Ecosystem

Rob Bronfeld, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of MikeWorldWide, shares how he set himself up for success after joining the agency. He emphasizes the importance of an earned-first approach through multiple channels. Rob stresses the value of transparent communication with clients. Rob also highlights the significance of mentorship.

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TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: Can we start by having you give us sort of some top headlines about key steps to attract new clients, especially when you’re joining a new agency?

ROB: Of course. Thank you for having me here. And there’s a number of things that when I started here that I really wanted to do, to get off the ground as it relates to biz dev and growth. And, I would say leveraging my existing network would be was first and foremost really understanding and being able to sell our unique value proposition. What do we have to do to bring to market? And then really understanding our client’s business to look for organic growth as well with our existing client base.

DOUG: Did you have a process for learning about the value proposition of the agency after you had just joined?

ROB: I have spent a considerable amount of time with our existing, with our staff, really understanding what our differentiator is in the marketplace, what has worked with existing clients, what has worked with new clients, and really try to understand and ground myself in that. So, I could then bring that to the marketplace to have conversations with my contact base and identify opportunities.

DOUG: That makes a lot of sense. Now, if you’re looking to create that long-term relationship, what are some of the questions that you might want to be asking the prospects?

ROB: Understanding their businesses first and foremost. So yes, we can understand and look to put out our unique selling proposition, but even more so, to your point, understanding our client’s business or prospects and how we could be a different differentiator for them. So, I would say is really understand what the business challenges are. We have a very in-depth research team that research and insights team that has a significant amount of tools that could help us identify and develop programs to help overtake their business challenges. And I think that’s a big part of it. So first, understanding it and then how do we develop programs or make recommendations from a communications perspective to tackle those challenges?

DOUG: We both share a belief in the importance of an earned media mindset. How do you go about sort of selling that concept in to prospects that you have?

ROB: So, I think there’s multiple ways to look at it. And first and foremost with an earned approach, which is what we really built my career on. But I think it’s a, I do think it’s a lot more than that in, in how consumers and people, our target audience digest information. It’s really a modern-day media ecosystem so earned being at the center of it all to a certain extent. But really, how are you engaging consumers through social channels, through digital channels? All within an earned lens. So, this way you do get the third party recognition from it as well. But I do think it needs to be an integrated approach. And you need to be able to pull the levers of the different channels that you want to reach, all through the lens of earned. And a lot of that is done through our creative development, our creative executions. We’ve recently brought on a new executive creative director who has an earned approach to it as well and it really helps us develop programs that have an earned first approach, but also with the mindset of how do we pull other channel levers to, uh, to really go at it from a modern-day media ecosystem?

DOUG: For us, as a satellite media tour company. We always thought of ourselves as predominantly earned. The clients perceived of us is paid because they were paying us to do it. So, it’s sort of an interesting dichotomy there. And of course, the growth of brand integration has created opportunities and the content can be shared, etc. Another key point, you know, for keeping a relationship long term is making sure you understand if you are working for the clients effectively, any strategies for accomplishing that?

ROB: Yeah, I firmly believe in transparency with clients and having ongoing conversations with the most senior client leads that we have. Regular check-ins have two-way dialogue. The worst thing that I’ve seen in my career are surprises from clients, so I try to avoid they avoid those. But ongoing communication, um, both with our clients, with our teams, um, one one-on-one conversations, but also through team status meetings. To me, that’s the way we understand what we’re doing. Well, but more importantly or equally important is to understand what we are areas for improvement. So this way we could then adjust and pivot and what we need to do and ensure that we do provide the best client service, the best partnership from a strategic lens, but also the best results. And that’s what they’re looking for us. And that’s what I’ve built my career on, on really what I would say is superior client service.

DOUG: Yeah. And I think it’s important point that areas that need improvement sometimes you might be executing perfectly, but the client’s needs have change. And so the work you’re doing there isn’t providing value to them, even though your team is, quote, doing a good job at that, it’s just become less relevant and you’re not necessarily aware of that, which is where problems can really start. You know, given your leadership role in the consumer brand space, what are some of the trends that you see emerging there?

ROB: Again, it goes back to what we talked about is really understanding the client’s challenges and their business challenges and what’s moving, what’s moving the needle from a or how or where they need to go from what’s their business goals to move the move their business forward because they may have communication goals that to your point that we’re executing and we’re doing a very good job in doing so, and the team is operating very efficiently and delivering strong results. But if they’re not and this is hopefully not the case, we continuously understand what our client’s needs are and their business needs. But if they’re not helping the business move forward, that is a watch out, right? So, understanding where the client’s challenges are, the business challenges, and how communications could play a role in that. And just because we have this program that may generate a lot of awareness and engagement and conversation, if it doesn’t hit on what the business priorities are, it’s really not helping us enhance our client relationship to the point where we’re becoming that resource for them. So that’s what we strive to do in all of our programming.

DOUG: Any special notes as we get close to wrapping up the conversation, on how to get your staff fired up to be most effective with clients in the consumer space? Traditionally, it’s a very fun area of PR, so that’s a good start. But what are some of the things you’re looking for in staffers and people on your team to help the whole process work? Well.

ROB: To me, we’re as good as the team that’s around us, right? So, I firmly believe in the empowerment of the staff, giving them responsibility, but also holding them accountable to deliver results. Everybody, if we’re in this business, we all have this personality that we’re aggressive. We want to be successful. We want to grow and give them the opportunity and really, I know it’s a little bit cliche, but my door is always open to have a conversation. And I firmly believe that, that why and why I think it’s important to have, personal interpersonal discussions with the with our staff, I should say, in terms of how we could help them grow, things that may or may not be able to be done through Zoom or through Teams. So, I think spending time with, with our, especially our more entry-level staff and junior staff to give them the lessons and the ear as well as the guidance to get to the next level. I really try to spend considerable time with our teams and really teaching them about the business but also empowering our senior level executives to do that with our younger level, younger staff, because I think it’s super, super important to really get them to the next level.

DOUG: Yeah. And I think given how smart a lot of the younger people are, it’s an opportunity for senior people to learn from them as well.

ROB: 100%. I mean, I think I learn as much from them as they learn from me. They don’t even realize it. And just absorb what you hear. I mean, I’m, I have a lot of and a lot of our brands that we’re working with. My children are the target audience. So, if I’m not asking them how they’re getting information through platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, whatever it may be. And they’re now sending me stories that they read. It only makes me better at my job. And I do that with our staff as well. It’s like, feed me more. Tell me where you’re spending your time, what information you’re digesting. And when we develop programs, they’re a little bit of a pressure test, because in a lot of cases we’re trying to reach them and that sector of the target. And if it’s not going to resonate with them because they’re our colleagues, it’s not going to resonate with the average consumer.

DOUG: That’s great information. Thanks so much for your time and your presentation and great performance that your whole team is known for.

ROB: Thank you so much. It was great to spend time with you.