Pinkston

We were pleased to host a NVC Luncheon yesterday at Pinkston on the topic of government contracting. Former GSA Administrator Emily W. Murphy shared some valuable insights about the shifting federal procurement landscape for GovCon businesses in our region.

Last night, our Pinkston team had the incredible opportunity to support and walk the red carpet with our clients, The Chosen and Come and See Foundation—the nonprofit organization that makes The Chosen possible—at the Season 5 premiere in Texas! We’re truly honored to serve clients across a wide variety of industries in their mission to change the world. 

Pinkston collected another ADDY last week! #wonanaddy The American Advertising Awards are the ad industry's largest national competition, and so far this year, we are honored to have brought home gold awards for two very powerful campaigns: For our D-Day 80 "Remember Them" campaign, on behalf of the American Battle Monuments Commission, Pinkston won Best Film/Video in D.C. for branded content, over 60 seconds. This powerful tribute ensures the sacrifices of our heroes are never forgotten. For "It Only Takes One," a campaign to reduce the prevalence of fentanyl overdose, in partnership with the First Lady of Virginia and Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY), our team won Gold for Integrated Campaign and Best in Digital for the Roanoke launch. It's not every day that you get to work on a project that literally saves lives! We are so proud of the creativity, skill, and collaboration our teams demonstrated throughout these meaningful campaigns and it’s an honor to be recognized by our peers. Congratulations to Collin Ausbury, Michael Hartman, Margeaux Van Horn, Zach Crenshaw, Justine Gaetano, Tanvi Walanj, Jon Aragon, Lauren Rasmussen, Nicole Tidei and so many more for your contributions to these award-winning advertising campaigns! #ChangeTheWorld

Meet Josh Robinson, Pinkston's new President and Chief Brand Officer. Josh brings a wealth of expertise to lead brand strategy for our clients and drive integration across Pinkston’s full suite of branding, marketing, and communications services. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the team! Read more about Josh here: https://lnkd.in/gzZZ6Vna

A potential #TikTokBan is looming tomorrow. If your company uses the platform as a part of your social strategy you should prepare. In my latest blog post, “𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸 𝗕𝗮𝗻,” I explore what this development means for companies of all sizes and offer actionable strategies. 📖 Read the full blog on the Pinkston site here: https://lnkd.in/e3Jg5YZg #DigitalMarketing #TikTokBan #MarketingStrategy #BusinessResilience #SocialMedia #SocialMediaStrategy #TikTok

We’ve teamed up with NVC to release our first “NVC/Pinkston Business Leader Survey” —packed with insights and forecasts for Greater Washington’s business leaders and policymakers. 📊 The survey addresses some of the most pressing topics in today’s business landscape, including: 🔎 Economic projections for 2025 📜 Policy shifts under the incoming Trump administration ⚖️ Virginia’s legislative focus as Governor Youngkin’s term winds down and more Read more in Axios! 👉 https://lnkd.in/eJJAzFck

Pinkston is now accepting applications for our Summer 2025 Strategic Communication Internship Program! Our nine-week internship offers: ✅ Six specialized intern training track options ✅ World-class training in strategic communications ✅ Hands-on experience with real-world projects ✅ Opportunity to engage with and learn from Pinkston Partners, senior thought leaders, and personal mentors with a focus on professional growth, relationship building, and meaningful impact Our internship is designed to prepare rising and current college seniors for careers in their respective fields with training driven by core competencies. 👉 Join us this summer! Apply today: https://lnkd.in/e5CaMq7K

What’s the worst thing you can say in response to tough media questions? Nothing. It’s as bad, if not worse, than “no comment.” Both are interpreted as “I’m guilty.” The mayor of Los Angeles, facing perhaps the biggest crisis of her political career, just learned that lesson the hard way. This video from Sky News is one of the worst deer-in-the-headlights moments I’ve seen in 30 years. How was the mayor not prepared for this? It’s not as if she was ambushed with questions about a criminal or legal matter. The mayor had been in Africa for the swearing-in of Ghana’s president. Her absence had been the source of criticism since the fires broke out. Her team had to have known reporters would be waiting at LAX, armed with hot mics and tough questions. Here are three things her team should have done differently: 1. Cut the trip short and return as early as possible. Crises require strong, present leadership. Effective crisis communication hinges on solid operational response. If you’re not responding well on the ground, it will be impossible to communicate well. Not every crisis requires physical presence, but a deadly, unprecedented wildfire certainly does. 2. Prepare the mayor to lead and communicate. It’s a major indictment of the mayor’s team that she wasn’t prepared to confidently answer questions when she stepped off the plane. The Ghana to LA journey takes nearly 20 hours. Did they not use that time to prepare talking points for obvious questions? It took my team 15 minutes to put together this statement that she could (read: should) have used to respond to the reporter: “I’ve been in constant communication with emergency response officials to ensure we’re doing everything possible to save lives and property. I’m aware of the challenges and understand people’s concerns. I got on the first flight back to lead on the ground and leverage every available city, state, and federal resource. I’m headed to the command center now, and I’ll have more to share with you once I’ve received the latest briefing.” 3. Get the spotlight off of her! Ignoring questions works in limited circumstances – like if you’re on the move toward a secure location. Comms staffers – if your leader/spokesperson is in the spotlight and floundering, you’ve got to get them out of there. You cannot stand there silently while their reputation plummets. If you can’t physically leave, step in and engage the reporter yourself. Say something, even “We’re heading to the command center and will have more for you once the mayor is briefed.” This comes down to two main points of failure: planning and staffing. Thinking through how you’ll respond in potential crisis scenarios beforehand puts you in a better position to engage effectively. Also, make sure you have a team that is looking around corners, anticipating questions, and ensuring you’re prepared with talking points that demonstrate strong leadership. Video credit: Sky News

Who is heading to #CES next week? I'll be there with our client, Consumer Technology Association in support of Gary Shapiro's latest book, "Pivot Or Die", and I am so excited to connect with people on the ground! Are you a.... ...innovative business in search of the perfect PR and branding agency to supercharge your brand? 🚀 ...executive who is looking to boost your profile & start a thought leadership campaign? 💡 ...talented communications professional looking for your next big role? 💼 I want to meet you! Send me a DM or an email at nicole.tidei@pinkston.co and we can connect! #CES #Networking #publicrelations #innovation #CES2025 #CES25

"Give people more insights and less data." On the latest 'To The Point' podcast episode, Shannon Buerk shares how her organization engage2learn is helping public schools measure inputs to improve student outcomes and teacher retention.