Tag: Public Relations

The New Media Map: Where Smart Ad Budgets Go Next

Posted on by Ryan

The New Media Map: Where Smart Ad Budgets Go Next

The New Media Map: Where Smart Ad Budgets Go Next
October 13, 2026

The media map is being redrawn

Media planning used to be simple. Social created demand. Search caught intent. Display and online video filled in the gaps, and linear TV did the heavy lifting for brands with big budgets. The names on the invoices changed a little from year to year, but the shape of the plan stayed the same.

That shape is breaking. Two forces are pulling budget away from the classic media mix and toward a new set of channels that most media plans still treat as “test budget” line items.

Search is fragmenting. The Google search box is no longer the only place people look for answers. They ask chatbots, browse maps apps and dig through online communities, and each of those moments now has a paid layer. Ads inside ChatGPT went from launch to a billion-dollar run rate in roughly seven months, and Apple Maps started selling ads in August.

Commerce data is going everywhere. Retailers know what people actually buy, not just what they click. Amazon and Walmart have turned that knowledge into full-funnel ad businesses that reach far beyond their own websites, onto streaming TV, the open web and even the screens inside physical stores. Delivery apps, banks and travel brands are following the same playbook.

This guide is organized around those two shifts. Part 1 covers search: ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Apple Maps and Reddit. Part 2 covers retail and commerce media: Amazon DSP, Walmart Connect, the delivery apps and the streaming inventory they sell. After that, we look at how these channels fit a digital marketing strategy across industries, and share a practical framework for testing any new channel without wasting budget. It’s the same playbook we use as a digital marketing agency when clients ask where their next dollar should go.

One caveat: these channels are moving fast. Minimum spends, ad formats, and country availability have changed several times in 2026 alone. Treat the specifics below as a snapshot as of October 2026, and check each platform’s current documentation before you build a plan around it.

Part 1: Search is fragmenting

 

For two decades, “search” meant typing keywords into Google. Today the same intent is spread across LLMs, maps apps and online communities. People ask ChatGPT for advice, open Apple Maps when they’re ready to visit, and add “reddit” to a query when they want real opinions. Each of those moments now has a paid layer, an organic layer, or both. A modern digital marketing strategy has to cover all of them.

ChatGPT: advertising inside the answer

ChatGPT is the fastest-growing new ad channel of 2026, and also the least proven. OpenAI published its ads principles on January 16, 2026 and began running paid ads in the US on February 9. By August 31, the company said ChatGPT Ads had passed a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate, was used by tens of thousands of advertisers, and was available in more than 40 countries.

How the ads work

ChatGPT ads appear as a clearly labeled sponsored card that sits beneath the AI’s answer, not inside it. OpenAI matches ads to the topic of the current conversation, and it has publicly committed that advertising does not influence the answers ChatGPT gives and that conversations are not shared with advertisers (and, as advertisers on the platform, we can confirm). Ads run only for users on the Free tier and the low-cost Go plan. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu users don’t see them, which requires deeper thought and strategy around audience alignment.

Targeting is contextual rather than keyword-based. Instead of bidding on “running shoes,” you’re effectively bidding on conversations about training for a first marathon. The intent signal is richer than a keyword, but it’s also harder to plan against, because there’s no keyword report showing exactly what people typed. A newer format lets brands share product feeds with OpenAI so relevant products can surface in shopping conversations.

What it costs

The price of entry has fallen fast. At launch, OpenAI priced ads at roughly a $60 CPM with commitments around $200,000. In April it launched a self-serve Ads Manager and cut the minimum to $50,000. In May, it added cost-per-click bidding, a measurement pixel and a Conversions API. Ad-tech partners have pushed entry costs lower still.

Why marketers are paying attention

ChatGPT is used by nearly three-quarters of the roughly 153 million US adults who use generative AI, and it accounts for about 70% of AI assistant traffic, according to figures EMARKETER compiled in June. Conversations also reveal intent in a way keywords rarely do. Someone who writes “I have a 12-year-old Honda with 150,000 miles, should I fix the transmission or buy something new?” has told you their budget pressure, timeline and decision stage in one message.

The caveats

Measurement is the weak point. Early advertisers got little beyond impressions. Click pricing, the pixel and a LiveRamp partnership are meant to fix that, but the tooling is months old. Trust is the other risk: a January 2026 Ipsos survey found 63% of US adults said ads in AI search results would make them trust the output less. And EMARKETER expects ads in AI chatbots to stay under $1 billion in total 2026 revenue, a rounding error next to search.

How to approach it

  • Buy on clicks where you can. CPC pricing gives you something to compare against your search benchmarks.
  • Craft careful copy. An ad under an answer competes with the answer. Lead with a specific, useful message, not a brand slogan.
  • Invest in organic visibility. What ChatGPT says about your brand in its unpaid answers probably matters more than any ad today. Earned media clips feed LLMs as credible sources about your brand, making public relations efforts more important than ever.
  • Treat it as learning budget. The goal of a test is to understand the audience and general performance, not to hit a scaled ROAS target. Learn from the campaign before deciding if the channel stays in the mix.
 

Google AI Mode: Google’s answer to the answer engine

ChatGPT isn’t the only answer engine selling ads. Google has been showing ads in AI Overviews for some time, and at Google Marketing Live in May 2026 it introduced new ad formats for AI Mode, its conversational search experience.

  • Conversational Discovery ads use Gemini to write ad copy tailored to the user’s prompt, drawing on a brand’s own site and assets.
  • Highlighted Answers place offers inside AI-generated recommendation lists.
  • AI-powered Shopping ads add short explanations of why a product fits what the shopper asked for.
 

A tool called AI Brief lets advertisers emphasize or remove phrases in the AI-written copy. Google is also testing a Business Agent for Leads, which lets people ask a brand’s AI agent questions directly in search.

The practical difference from ChatGPT is access. You don’t buy AI Mode as a separate channel. Eligibility runs through Performance Max, AI Max for Search, Shopping and broad match campaigns you may already be running. That makes it easy to start but hard to isolate. If you want to know how AI Mode performs, push for placement-level reporting and watch your search term data closely. And because Gemini writes the ad from your materials, clean product data and clear site content matter more than ever.

Apple Maps: paid placement at the moment of the visit

Apple Maps is the most local channel on this list, and for businesses with physical locations it may be the easiest win. After thirteen years without ads, Apple Maps began showing sponsored listings to iPhone and iPad users in the US and Canada in late August 2026, with the rollout ramping through the following weeks.

The move had been coming for a while. Apple rebranded “Apple Search Ads” to simply “Apple Ads” in April 2025, a clear sign it planned to sell inventory beyond the App Store. In March 2026 it announced Apple Business, a single platform that replaced Business Connect, Business Manager and Business Essentials, and confirmed Maps ads would be part of it. Adweek reported that Apple’s ad business was on pace for about $8.5 billion in 2026.

How the ads work

There are two placements. Before someone types anything, a sponsored business can appear at the top of Suggested Places. After they search, a relevant sponsored listing can appear at the top of the results, with only one ad per search. The ads look like ordinary listings with a small blue “Ad” badge, and users can’t turn them off.

Advertisers bid in an auction and pay for outcomes such as views or taps. Any business with a physical location and a claimed Apple Maps listing is eligible. Campaigns can be built through Apple Business with largely automated creative, or through Apple Ads for more control over scheduling and geo-targeting. Apple also offered an introductory 15% credit toward future spend, on up to $1,000 a month during the first year.

Privacy is the defining difference from Google Maps. Apple says a user’s location and ad interactions aren’t tied to their Apple Account, and no data is shared with third parties. Targeting relies on the search, approximate location and map view, not a behavioral profile. Some categories are off limits: home services, bail bonds and crypto ATMs can’t advertise in Maps, and medical services are reviewed case by case.

Why it matters

Every iPhone ships with Apple Maps as the default, and Siri and CarPlay route through it. Local searches are some of the most commercially valuable there are. Someone searching “tire shop” or “sushi” is often deciding on their final destination in minutes. For restaurants, retailers, auto services, gyms, banks and hotels, Maps ads add a second local-search channel while auctions are still thin.

The caveats and how to approach it

The ad load is light by design, and reporting is limited by Apple’s privacy model.

  • Audit your listings first. Claim every location in Apple Business and fix hours, categories, photos and phone numbers. The ad pulls from the listing.
  • Start with visit-driven categories such as food, auto, retail and fitness.
  • Measure with visits and calls. Use store-visit studies and call tracking rather than click attribution.
 

Reddit: where people search for real opinions

Reddit belongs in a conversation about search, not just social. It has become the place people go when they don’t trust polished marketing content, and that behavior shows up in two ways.

People search Reddit directly. Many people add “reddit” to Google queries such as “best running shoes reddit” to find candid opinions from real users. Reddit has also built its own AI search, Reddit Answers, which summarizes community discussions in response to questions.

AI answers draw on Reddit. Both Google and OpenAI have struck data deals with Reddit, and AI tools frequently cite Reddit threads when recommending products or services — on Google, Reddit content accounts for over 21% of all AI Overview citations. A thread comparing three brands of mattresses, or describing a bad experience with a local contractor, can shape what an answer engine tells the next person who asks.

That makes Reddit an organic visibility priority first. Monitor the communities where your category is discussed, answer questions honestly from a clearly identified brand account, and fix real problems people raise. Heavy-handed promotion backfires quickly — Reddit users are quick to call it out.

Paid ads come second. Reddit’s ad products work more like social ads than search ads, but they let you reach people mid-research by targeting specific communities and conversation topics. Promoted posts that read like genuinely useful contributions tend to perform best. For considered purchases, such as tech, finance, travel, healthcare and home services, Reddit ads are a sensible way to show up where people are already comparing options.

Part 2: Commerce data is going everywhere

 

Retail media started as sponsored product listings on a retailer’s own website, evolved into screens at the point of sale, and has since become something much bigger. Companies that know what people actually buy, such as retailers, delivery apps, banks and travel brands, now sell ads against that data across streaming TV, the internet, and other digital placements. The broader term for this is commerce media, and in an IAB survey, advertisers rated it as essential to their plans as often as they rated connected TV.

Two platforms lead the category, and a growing group of challengers is close behind.

Amazon DSP: shopper data, pointed at the whole internet

The Amazon DSP is no longer just a way to retarget people who looked at your product on Amazon. It has become one of the most important programmatic buying platforms in the market, especially for connected TV. Spend on Amazon DSP grew 67% year over year in Q2 2026, up from 41% in Q1, according to Tinuiti’s Q2 2026 benchmark report, which covers more than $4 billion in managed spend. Amazon’s total ad revenue hit $21.3 billion in Q4 2025, up 22%.

A demand-side platform lets you buy ads across many publishers from one place. Amazon’s is different because of the data behind it; it leverages signals from hundreds of millions of shopping, streaming and device interactions, plus the ability to tie ad exposure back to purchases. Three moves in the past two years turned it into a mainstream media platform.

  • Prime Video ads. Making ads the default on Prime Video in 2024 gave Amazon one of the largest ad-supported streaming audiences in the US overnight.
  • Roku. An exclusive 2025 deal lets Amazon DSP recognize logged-in viewers across Roku and Fire TV, reaching an estimated 80 million US connected TV households, more than 80% of the total. Roku said early users reached 40% more unique viewers on the same budget while cutting ad frequency by nearly 30%.
  • Netflix. Since Q4 2025, advertisers can buy Netflix’s ad-supported inventory through Amazon DSP in about a dozen countries. Amazon’s discounted fees on third-party streaming inventory mean it can sometimes be cheaper to buy Netflix this way than directly.
 

The pitch is commerce data meets TV-scale reach. You can build an audience of people who bought a competing product in the last 90 days, show them a Netflix or Prime Video spot, follow up with retargeting, and measure the result in sales. For brands that sell on Amazon, closed-loop reporting connects ads to purchases and new-to-brand customers. For brands that don’t, Amazon Marketing Cloud, its clean room, lets you bring your own first-party data and measure against your own outcomes. That’s why cross-category advertisers now use Amazon DSP, even if their product is not sold on the platform.

Walmart Connect: the store, the screen and the shopping cart

If Amazon DSP is the most mature retail media platform, Walmart Connect is the fastest-growing serious challenger. Walmart’s global ad business reached nearly $6.4 billion in fiscal 2026 (February 2025 to January 2026), up 46%. In fiscal Q2 2027 (May to July 2026), Walmart Connect in the US grew 43% excluding Vizio, and global ad revenue grew 38%.

Walmart’s advantage is the store. Roughly 90% of Americans live within ten miles of a Walmart, and most of its sales still happen in physical locations. That lets Walmart Connect tie ads to in-store purchases, not just online, which matters most for grocery, household goods, health and beauty. The business now spans four layers:

  • Onsite: sponsored search and display across Walmart.com and the app.
  • In-store: digital screens at checkout, in aisles and at entrances.
  • Connected TV: Walmart bought Vizio for $2.3 billion in 2024 and now sells its smart TV home screen and streaming inventory with Walmart shopper data. Vizio ad revenue grew at triple-digit rates in fiscal Q4 2026, and it lets Walmart sell to brands whose products aren’t sold at Walmart at all.
  • Offsite: the Walmart DSP, built with The Trade Desk, buys across the open web and streaming using Walmart audiences.
 

In 2026, Walmart opened its data to more platforms and media. A Yahoo DSP and Magnite partnership marked the first time advertisers could use Walmart’s customer data outside the Walmart DSP. Advertisers can now reach Walmart audiences on Spotify and on live linear TV across Warner Bros. Discovery networks such as TBS, TLC and Food Network, all with closed-loop sales measurement. Walmart is also building ads into its Sparky shopping assistant, though it has said it will favor relevance over ad load.

Walmart also reaches a different shopper from Amazon: typically more suburban, more value-focused, and increasingly higher-income as wealthier households trade down.

Delivery apps: the newest billion-dollar ad businesses

Uber, DoorDash and Instacart have quietly become major ad platforms. Uber Advertising has passed a $2 billion annualized run rate. Instacart reported $286 million in advertising and other revenue in Q1 2026 alone. In June, DoorDash merged its ad operations with Wolt and Deliveroo into one global commerce media platform with more than 400,000 advertisers. EMARKETER expects each of the three to top $1 billion in commerce media revenue this year.

These platforms reach people at the moment of a purchase decision, often with location and time-of-day context that traditional retailers lack. Uber can show an ad on the screen of a rider headed to the airport. Instacart’s Carrot Ads technology powers ads on more than 300 grocery retailers’ sites. For consumer packaged goods, restaurants, alcohol and local services, delivery media can work like a digital end cap.

Other commerce media networks

Almost every company with logged-in customers and transaction data now sells ads. Target (Roundel), Costco, Kroger, Home Depot, Best Buy and Ulta run retail media networks. Banks such as Chase sell ads against card-spending data, and travel brands including United, Marriott and Expedia sell against loyalty profiles.

Programmatic streaming, powered by retail data

Netflix, Disney+, Max, Peacock and Prime Video have all built ad tiers, and nearly all now sell through major DSPs rather than only through upfront deals. Netflix alone had more than 90 million ad-supported subscribers when it announced its Amazon partnership. Amazon and Walmart have become two of the most important ways to buy this inventory, because they pair premium TV with purchase data. For mid-sized brands that were priced out of premium TV, programmatic access, lower minimums and retail audiences make streaming a realistic channel for the first time.

Retail media: the caveats and how to approach it

The same strengths and weaknesses show up across every platform in this group.

Measurement is strongest inside the walled garden. Amazon can prove a sale on Amazon, Walmart a sale at Walmart, Instacart a sale through Instacart. Anything that happens elsewhere relies on modeled attribution or your own data. And every platform that sells the ads also grades them, so self-reported results deserve an independent check.

Fragmentation is real. Each network has its own audience definitions, attribution windows and reporting, which makes it hard to compare them or to avoid paying twice for the same customer.

Prices will rise. As more advertisers pile into the same streaming inventory and retail audiences, costs will climb. Several offerings, especially Walmart’s offsite and CTV partnerships, are still in alpha or beta.

With that in mind:

  • Start with streaming reach. For most brands, the biggest new opportunity is Prime Video, Netflix, Roku and Vizio reach with retail audiences.
  • Pick networks by where your customers buy. Amazon for online-heavy categories, Walmart for in-store and value shoppers, delivery apps for food, grocery and convenience.
  • Bring your own data. Use clean rooms such as Amazon Marketing Cloud to match your CRM and conversion data, so you can measure outcomes that happen off-platform.
  • Prove incrementality. Run a test before scaling. Retail audiences can look great partly because they were going to buy anyway — so conducting an isolated test first can prove results.
  • Consider non-endemic plays. If you don’t sell at a retailer, its streaming and offsite audiences may still fit, such as an insurer targeting new homeowners or an auto brand targeting growing families.

Fitting emerging channels into your digital marketing strategy

 

A good digital marketing strategy starts with the customer journey, not the channel list. Instead of asking “should we be on ChatGPT?”, ask where your customers make decisions, then look at which new channels show up at those moments. Most journeys have three.

When they’re researching

Long, specific questions are where answer engines and communities shine. A homeowner asking what a new water heater should cost, a couple planning a weekend getaway and a parent comparing kid-friendly snack brands are all doing their homework in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Reddit. At this stage, organic visibility usually matters more than ads. Make sure your listings, reviews, product data and site content are accurate and actually answer the questions people ask. Paid tests make sense where each customer is valuable enough to justify early-stage costs, which is why home services and hospitality brands are often the first to try ChatGPT ads.

When they’re choosing

Once people are weighing options, familiarity and timing win. This is where retail media and streaming TV earn their place. Amazon DSP and Walmart Connect let you reach people who have shown real purchase signals, then reinforce your brand on Prime Video, Netflix, Roku or Vizio. For CPG brands, this is the core of a modern digital marketing strategy: reach recent buyers of a competing product, then measure whether they switched. In a digital marketing strategy for hospitality, a resort can reach likely travelers at home in its feeder markets weeks before they book. Home services brands can use retail signals, such as recent purchases of home improvement products or new-mover audiences, to reach homeowners before something breaks.

When they’re ready to act

The final step often happens on a phone, minutes before a visit or purchase. For hospitality, Apple Maps ads capture “near me” searches for restaurants, bars and attractions, and Uber can reach travelers on the way to the airport. For CPG, delivery apps such as Instacart and DoorDash reach people with their cart open, and Walmart’s in-store screens reach shoppers in the aisle. Whatever you sell, this stage is the easiest to measure, because the path from ad to sale is short.

Check the rules before you plan

Every new channel has its own ad policies, and they don’t always match what you’re used to on Google or Meta. Home services are barred from Apple Maps ads entirely. Casinos and gambling-related hospitality brands face restrictions or extra review on most platforms, including AI chatbots. CPG brands selling alcohol need to confirm age-targeting and category rules on each network before launch. Check each platform’s policies early, because a rejected category can reshape the whole plan.

How to test an emerging channel without wasting the budget

New channels fail in predictable ways. The budget is too small to read, the test runs too short, the success metric is whatever the platform reports, and nobody decides in advance what result would justify scaling. A simple framework avoids most of that.

  • Set aside a fixed innovation budget. Many brands use something like 5% to 10% of total media for new channels. Make it a standing line item so tests don’t compete with proven channels every quarter.
  • Pick one question per test. “Does ChatGPT drive incremental sign-ups at a cost we can live with?” is testable. Asking how the channel performs as a whole isn’t.
  • Decide the success metric and threshold up front. Write down the result that would make you scale, hold or stop, before the first dollar is spent. Use your own business metrics, such as new customers, store visits or revenue, not just the platform’s numbers.
  • Spend enough to read the result. A test that can’t reach statistical significance is just an expense. Ensure a proper testing budget to allow the platforms to truly run the campaign.
  • Run long enough. Most new channels need six to twelve weeks: two to four weeks for the platform’s algorithms to learn, then a stable run period.
  • Give creative its own test. A new channel often needs new creative. A sponsored card under an AI answer, a Maps listing and a Netflix spot all call for different approaches, so don’t judge a channel by repurposed assets alone.
  • Document what you learn. Even a failed test teaches you about audiences, costs and creative. Share it widely so the next test starts smarter.
 

Creative for answer engines: your tagline isn’t enough

What is a tagline, in a channel like this? Traditionally it’s the short, memorable line that sums up a brand, like Nike’s “Just Do It” or Apple’s “Think Different.” Brand taglines still matter for TV and outdoor, but a sponsored card under a ChatGPT answer or an AI-generated Google ad needs more than a slogan. Someone asking a detailed question wants a specific, useful answer.

That changes how to write a tagline for emerging channels. Keep the brand line, but build supporting copy around concrete benefits, proof points and offers that an AI system can match to a real question. Many of the best tagline examples today pair a short brand promise with a plain-language explanation of who the product is for. Test both versions in every new channel, and let the data tell you which one earns the click.

Don’t forget organic visibility

The biggest shift in this list isn’t just on paid. As more discovery happens in AI answers, what those tools say about your brand when nobody is paying matters enormously. Keep your product feeds, reviews, structured data and site content accurate and easy for machines to read. Make sure your locations are claimed and correct on Apple, Google and the delivery apps. In an AI-first world, clean data is media.

This is also where public relations has changed the most — earned media efforts now shape the sources AI tools learn from. Answer engines lean on news coverage, expert quotes, review sites and community threads, so earned media directly influences what ChatGPT and Google AI Mode say about you. Modern PR services, such as placing data-driven stories, securing expert commentary and building authoritative links, now double as AI visibility work.

The reverse is true too. A wave of negative reviews or an old crisis story can surface in an AI answer long after it has dropped off page one of Google. Online reputation repair, which means responding to reviews, correcting inaccurate listings and publishing credible new content, protects every paid channel on this list.

The bottom line

The media map isn’t being replaced overnight. Search and social still carry heavy budgets, and they will for years. The edges of the map are where growth is happening. ChatGPT went from zero to a billion-dollar run rate in seven months. Apple has turned its default navigation app into a local ad channel. Amazon and Walmart are using purchase data to sell streaming TV, and delivery apps have each built billion-dollar ad businesses almost without anyone noticing.

None of these channels is a sure thing. Several are still in beta, measurement is uneven, and prices will rise as competition increases. That’s exactly why now is the time to test. The brands that learn how these channels work while auctions are thin and minimums are falling will have a real advantage when they reach full scale.

Start small, measure what matters to your business, and treat every test as a lesson. The marketers who win the next decade will be the ones who were willing to try the channels everyone else was still watching.

Ready to put these channels to work? Whether you’re mapping a testing strategy, launching your first paid media campaigns, building social and creative that fit new formats, earning the press coverage AI tools learn from, or tracking performance against real business goals, our team can help you find where your next dollar should go.

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Don’t Let Good PR Go to Waste: How to Repurpose Earned Media

Posted on by Ryan

Don’t Let Good PR Go to Waste: How to Repurpose Earned Media

Repurposing Earned Media
September 22, 2026

Getting meaningful media coverage is rarely a quick process. It takes research, story development, pitching, relationship building, interviews and follow-up to secure a single placement. 

Yet once the story runs, many companies give it one social media post and move on. 

That is a missed opportunity. 

Earned media can continue working long after an article is published, particularly when companies know how to repurpose earned media across their broader communications and marketing efforts. A strong media placement can provide material for social content, thought leadership, email campaigns, sales materials and future PR outreach. 

The relationship works in the other direction, too. The content a company already owns, from original research to executive insights, can give a PR team stronger material to bring to reporters. 

The result is a more connected approach to communications, where earned and owned media support one another rather than operating as separate efforts.

What Is Earned Media and How Does It Work With Owned Media? 

Earned media is coverage a company receives from an independent third-party source, such as a newspaper, magazine, trade publication, broadcast outlet, podcast or digital news site. Unlike advertising or sponsored content, the company does not control the final story or how the publication presents it. In other words, it’s earned through “reputation, word-of-mouth, and public relations efforts.”

That distinction can make earned media particularly useful for establishing credibility. A reporter, editor or producer has independently determined that a company, executive, trend or issue is worth covering.

Owned media, by comparison, consists of channels a company controls, including its website, blog, email newsletter and social media accounts. 

The two channels serve different purposes, but they can work together. 

Earned media can introduce an organization or executive to a new audience. Owned media gives the company a place to expand on the subject, provide additional information and continue the conversation. 

That creates a cycle: 

Owned content → PR opportunity → Earned media → Repurposed content → Continued engagement 

The objective is not to publish the same message everywhere. It is to take a useful idea and adapt it for the audience and purpose of each channel.

How Do You Repurpose Earned Media? 

The simplest way to start is to look beyond the finished article. 

Ask what made the story interesting in the first place. Was an executive commenting on an industry trend? Did the story include original research or data? Did the interview reveal a question that customers frequently ask? Did the reporter’s questions uncover an issue worth exploring in greater depth? 

Those elements can become the foundation for additional content. 

Expand an Executive’s Point of View 

A reporter may use only one or two sentences from a much longer interview. The rest of the executive’s perspective does not have to disappear when the article is published. 

An executive’s comment in a trade publication could become the starting point for a company blog post, LinkedIn article or other thought leadership. The executive can expand on the original idea, provide additional context or explain what the trend means for customers and other businesses. 

This also creates a connection between media relations and executive thought leadership. 

Rather than treating each interview as an isolated PR activity, companies can look for recurring themes in their executives’ commentary. Those themes can become the foundation for a longer-term thought leadership program. 

This is one way to think about what a PR agency does beyond securing a media placement. The value is not simply in getting an executive quoted. It can also come from identifying the ideas worth developing, positioning the executive around those areas of expertise and finding additional ways to put that expertise to work. 

Turn Coverage Into Social Content 

A media placement does not always need to be promoted with a post that simply says, “We were featured.” 

Instead, identify the most useful takeaway from the coverage. 

If an executive was quoted in a story about a change affecting the industry, a LinkedIn post could highlight the insight, explain why it matters and direct readers to the full article. 

A particularly strong quote could become a social graphic. Several related quotes from different interviews could support a recurring series around an executive’s perspective. 

The media placement provides the third-party validation. The company’s social channels provide the additional context. 

Create Content From the Questions the Story Raises 

Good media coverage often raises questions that the original article does not have room to answer. 

Those questions can become new owned content. 

For example, a story about changing consumer behavior could lead to a deeper article about what businesses should consider next. A story about a new technology could lead to a practical guide addressing common implementation questions. A story based on original research could lead to additional analysis of the findings. 

The goal is not to rewrite the reporter’s story and publish it on the company website. 

Instead, use the coverage as a starting point and give the audience something new. 

That distinction is important. Effective content repurposing adds value rather than simply reproducing information that already exists elsewhere.

How Can You Maximize Earned Media Coverage? 

Repurposing coverage is only one part of a broader earned media strategy. Companies can also make their media efforts more productive by thinking about potential content assets before a story is ever pitched. 

One useful question for PR and marketing teams is: What can we create from this story if we earn the coverage? 

That question can influence how a story is developed from the beginning. 

If an executive is being positioned as an expert on a particular industry trend, for example, the team can identify related data, customer questions, existing blog content and other resources that could support the story. 

Planning this way makes it easier to extend the value of coverage after publication. The value of earned media doesn’t end when the story publishes. Cision outlines several ways organizations can extend the impact of earned coverage, including incorporating it into owned channels and sharing it with customers and prospects.

Start With Original Data 

Reporters need information that helps them explain what is happening in an industry. 

Original surveys, research and company data can provide that information when they reveal a meaningful trend. 

A company does not necessarily need a large national study. A focused survey of customers or analysis of relevant company data may uncover a useful finding, provided the methodology and limitations are clear. 

That finding can then serve two purposes. 

The company can publish the research as an owned asset while the PR team uses the findings as the basis for media outreach. A specific finding gives reporters something more useful than a broad claim about what is happening in the market. 

The resulting media coverage can then point audiences back to the original research, creating another connection between earned and owned media. 

Develop a Clear Executive Point of View 

Original research is not the only owned asset that can support PR. 

An executive who regularly addresses meaningful industry issues through a company blog, LinkedIn or other channels is building a body of thought leadership that a PR team can draw from when identifying media opportunities. 

That matters because a reporter looking for an expert source needs more than a person’s job title. They need a reason to believe the person can contribute something useful to the story. 

Consistent, substantive content can help demonstrate that expertise. 

It can also make PR outreach more specific. Instead of pitching an executive simply as the CEO of a company, a PR team can point to the issues the executive regularly addresses and explain why that perspective is relevant to the reporter’s audience. 

Give Your PR Team More to Work With 

The same principle applies to case studies, company reports, customer insights and other content. 

Not everything will become a media story, and it should not. 

The PR team’s job is to identify what has genuine news value and what is better suited to owned channels. 

That distinction is important. A company’s marketing content should not automatically become a press pitch. But a piece of owned content may contain a statistic, trend or point of view that becomes much more compelling when viewed through a news lens. 

This is where close coordination between marketing and PR can improve both functions. 

Build an Online Newsroom 

An online newsroom can provide a practical home for the connection between earned and owned media. 

A useful newsroom might include recent news releases, media coverage, executive biographies, company background information, photography and other resources relevant to journalists. 

It can also give the company a central place to showcase meaningful media coverage. 

That serves two audiences. 

For journalists, the newsroom creates an accessible source of background information when researching a future story. For customers, prospects and other stakeholders, this page provides an independent record of where the company and its executives have been featured. 

The newsroom does not need to become a comprehensive archive of every mention. Prioritize relevant coverage that demonstrates expertise, highlights significant company news or supports the organization’s broader positioning. 

Make Earned Media Part of Your Digital PR Strategy 

Earned media also has a place within a broader digital PR strategy. 

A media placement may generate referral traffic when a publication links to a company’s website. Coverage can also increase awareness of a company’s name, executives, products or areas of expertise. 

That does not mean every media mention will directly improve search rankings. Earned media should not be treated as an SEO shortcut, and search performance depends on many factors. 

The larger opportunity is to build a consistent digital presence around credible third-party coverage and useful first-party content. 

For example, a company might earn coverage about an emerging industry trend and then publish a more detailed article on its website addressing the issue. This piece can answer related questions, provide additional context and link readers to relevant resources. 

Both media coverage and owned content now serve different purposes while reinforcing the same area of expertise. 

Look for Unlinked Mentions 

PR teams can also monitor coverage that mentions a company without linking to its website. 

When appropriate, the company can contact the publication and ask whether a relevant link can be added. There is no guarantee the publication will make the change, but identifying unlinked mentions can be a useful part of a digital PR program. 

More broadly, monitoring media mentions can help a company understand where it is appearing online and which topics are generating attention. 

That information can also inform future PR and content decisions.

How Do You Turn Earned Media Into Content? 

The answer is not to copy the coverage. 

Instead, break the story down into its component parts and determine what each audience needs. 

A single executive interview, for example, might produce: 

  • A social post focused on the strongest takeaway 
  • A blog article expanding on the executive’s perspective 
  • An email newsletter featuring the media coverage 
  • A sales presentation using the placement as a third-party proof point 
  • A thought leadership article exploring a broader industry issue 
  • An internal communication recognizing the team’s work 

The underlying message can remain consistent, but the format and emphasis should change. 

A reporter needs a newsworthy story. A prospective customer may want practical information. An employee may appreciate recognition. A social audience may respond to a concise observation. 

Repurposing works when the content is adapted to those different needs.

What Does a PR Agency Do After a Story Runs? 

This is where the role of PR can extend well beyond media relations. 

Securing coverage is an important part of the job, but it should not necessarily be the end of the process. 

A PR team can help identify the most useful elements of the coverage, determine where those elements can be repurposed and coordinate with marketing, content and sales teams to put them to work. 

That might include developing follow-up content, identifying additional media angles, connecting an executive’s comments to a broader thought leadership strategy or finding opportunities to extend the conversation through the company’s owned channels. 

In other words, the question should not only be, “Did we get coverage?” 

It should also be, “What can we do with it now?” 

That shift can make PR a more integrated part of a company’s overall communications strategy. 

Measure What Happens After the Coverage Runs 

Traditional PR reporting often emphasizes placements, reach and impressions. Those metrics can help show the scale of a campaign, but they do not tell the entire story. 

If the goal is to maximize the value of earned media, companies should also look at what happens after publication. 

Depending on the campaign, useful measurements may include: 

  • Referral traffic from media placements 
  • Engagement with social posts featuring coverage 
  • Traffic to related owned content 
  • Downloads of reports or other resources 
  • Form submissions and inquiries 
  • Leads that reference a media placement 
  • Sales conversations influenced by coverage 
  • Engagement with executive thought leadership 
  • Searches for the company or executive 

The right measurements depend on the campaign’s objective. 

For instance, a thought leadership effort may be designed primarily to increase visibility and establish an executive as a source. In contrast, lead-generation campaigns may be focused more directly on website traffic or prospect conversion. 

The important thing is to connect media activity to what happens afterward. 

Build a Repeatable Earned Media Strategy 

Companies do not need to reinvent their content strategy every time they earn a media placement. 

A simple process can make repurposing part of the normal PR workflow: 

  • Capture: Save the coverage in a central media library. 
  • Identify: Pull out useful quotes, data, insights and questions. 
  • Adapt: Determine which elements can become social posts, blogs, newsletters, sales materials or thought leadership. 
  • Distribute: Tailor each piece to the audience and channel. 
  • Measure: Track engagement, traffic and other outcomes tied to the campaign. 
  • Refine: Use the results to inform future PR and content efforts. 

This creates a repeatable system rather than relying on someone to remember to share an article after it publishes. 

It also gives marketing teams a clearer view of the content already being generated through PR. 

Make Every Media Placement Work Harder 

Good PR takes time. Companies should get as much value as possible from the coverage they earn. 

That does not mean turning one article into a dozen versions of the same social post. It means looking at the ideas, expertise, data and questions behind the coverage and finding additional ways to make those elements useful. 

The same principle applies before a story ever runs. A company’s existing research, data and thought leadership can give a PR team stronger material to bring to reporters. 

That is ultimately what a connected earned-and-owned media strategy accomplishes. PR generates third-party visibility and validation, while owned channels provide a place to expand the conversation. 

For companies investing in PR agency services or building an internal communications program, the goal should not be simply to count media placements. 

It should be to make those placements work harder. 

When earned media and owned content support one another, one story can become the starting point for many more conversations.

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Influencer Partnerships That Go Beyond Checking a Box

Posted on by Ryan

Influencer Partnerships That Go Beyond Checking a Box

Thought Leadership - Matthew Swope, Vice President of Public Relations, MassMedia
August 18, 2026

This post originally appeared on the blog of the Las Vegas chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

 

It’s easy to take an order: we need 10 influencers at this next venue launch in two weeks.

Teams mobilize. Ten creators attend. Content goes live over a two-day period. The box has been checked.

But did that approach actually produce the desired outcome? And what was the audience experience—scrolling through a sea of nearly identical content on their For You Page?

As communicators, how can we move PR teams out of being order takers, arms and legs if you will, and into strategic partners, peeling back the layers to get to the heart of the ask—and the real why of it all?

That lesson feels especially relevant in hospitality and food and beverage influencer partnerships today.

Most influencer campaigns follow a familiar checklist: build a creator list, negotiate deliverables, host an event, generate posts and calculate reach. But completing the checklist does not necessarily mean the work moved the needle.

Here’s how to reframe influencer partnerships by asking our favorite question: why?


The Initial Request Is Not Always the Real Objective

Clients or internal leaders may communicate their needs through tactics, asking for an influencer event, a certain number of posts, a TikTok campaign or creators above a specific follower threshold.

But those requests are often only the surface expression of a deeper goal.

Maybe the priority is filling reservations during a slower period, creating momentum around an opening, reaching a younger audience or rebuilding excitement about an already established venue.

Our role is to get beneath the request and understand the outcome behind it.

It typically starts with “why?” and is followed with: What does success actually look like? Can we achieve this by hosting an event or one-offs? What would make leadership feel genuinely excited about the investment? What would make the campaign feel bigger than a collection of contracted posts? How will the wider marketing organization be engaging with and utilizing this content?

Influencer strategies tend to be much stronger once those questions are answered.


Start With the Desired Action & Message

The best influencer content should capture attention and inspire action. Whether that’s by clicking out to make a reservation, attending an event, trying a new menu, booking a stay or reconsidering how someone views the brand.

Not every campaign needs to drive an immediate transaction, and oftentimes they won’t, but every campaign should have a clear purpose.

Once the purpose is identified and agreed upon, communicators can determine who the end target is, which platform makes the most sense, and the appropriate influencer to act as a conduit.


Give Creators the Destination, Not Every Turn

Brands should be clear about the message and desired outcomes, but they should not dictate every creative choice. Creators understand the formats, hooks, humor and storylines that resonate with their audiences. That knowledge is part of what the brand is leveraging by engaging in a paid or trade partnership.

The role of a comms team is to provide the strategic foundation: the audience, objective, key message, required facts and brand guardrails. Their job is to translate these baselines into content people will actually choose to watch and engage with.

Creative freedom does not mean operating without direction. It means trusting the creator to find the strongest route to the intended destination.

And, frankly, it’s time for brands to stop nitpicking every frame of influencer content and allow it to reflect the authentic style and voice of the creator.


Sometimes Less Creates More Impact

More creators do not automatically produce more influence.

When dozens of people attend the same preview, capture the same dishes and publish similar content at the same time, audiences quickly recognize the campaign–and they are calling it out. Instead of creating discovery, the volume can make the experience feel manufactured.

Smaller, more bespoke hostings can often produce stronger results. And influencers more and more are asking for one-off experiences, not only to create higher quality content, but to lean into exclusivity and first-looks.

A thoughtfully curated dinner, bespoke itinerary or meaningful access to a chef, founder or creative leader gives influencers a stronger story to experience and tell. It also gives the creator room to find a distinct POV and theme for their content.

The goal should not be to occupy as much of the feed as possible. It should be to give the right storytellers something meaningful enough that their audiences want to act on it.

Did we merely deliver what was requested, or did we peel back the layers to uncover what the stakeholder truly wanted? Did we generate content, or did we create something capable of changing perceptions and moving people to action?

Going beyond checking boxes does not require a bigger campaign or larger budget. It requires a more intentional one.


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Celebrating Summer with the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective

Posted on by Ryan

Celebrating Summer with the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective

LVWMC Crafted, Curated, Connections event
July 1, 2026

In June 2026, MassMedia and co-sponsor D/Cipher, hosted Crafted, Curated, Connections, a professional networking event by the Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective. This special evening brought together executive women in marketing, media, hospitality, tech, and entrepreneurship from the Las Vegas area and provided an opportunity to network, mingle, and spend time together.

No panels. No presentations. Just a gathering of successful businesswomen finding a refined setting to connect with like-minded professionals, expand their circles, explore new opportunities, and invest in their communities.

Kicking Off Summer

To celebrate the changing seasons, attendees learned how to make refreshing cocktails from the talented bartenders at Nocturno. Those with an eye for floral arranging had a chance to visit the build-a-bouquet station and take home their beautiful creation.

Designed with Connection in Mind

When planning this event, our team thoughtfully designed a comfortable environment where local professional women could be themselves. We aimed to create a setting where guests could have elevated conversations, spark new collaborations or partnerships, and develop friendships, all while crafting an exquisite cocktail, curating a beautiful bouquet, and connecting with an inspired group of their peers.

Women Supporting Women

As a women-owned and WBE-certified marketing agency, MassMedia prides itself on supporting professional women. Hosting this event and partnering with Dress for Success Southern Nevada afforded our team another opportunity to uplift women in our community.

The next Las Vegas Women’s Marketing Collective event, an expert panel discussion, will be held in October 2026. We hope to see you there!

>60

Attendees

74

Clothing donations

>50

Cocktails crafted

>40

Bouquets built

Watch the recap video below.

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Beyond Spokespeople: Leaning Into Authentic Storytelling to Connect

Posted on by Ryan

Beyond Spokespeople: Leaning Into Authentic Storytelling to Connect

An influencer speaks on camera
February 20, 2026

2026 is here, and one of the things we keep seeing asked across social platforms is whether brand-creator partnerships are becoming oversaturated.

To that, we’d say it depends on the type of brand-creator “partnerships” we’re talking about.

For years, brands have relied on spokespeople (creators and influencers) to simply deliver a message about their brand.

But far too often, many of these have fallen into a category of brand-creator messaging that, after several rounds of revisions, became overexamined and overworked to ensure it “aligned” with brand messaging before getting the stamp of approval.

The result? Content that felt less like a creator’s message and more like a brand script handed to the creator to produce.

In that case, yes, those types of “partnerships” in the brand-creator space are oversaturated and no longer work with audiences because many can see through them, and they’re not looking for perfection in a message but for a perspective.

The one-and-done transactional type of “partnerships” is overdone. What’s replacing it and working are the intentional perspectives brands can get from creators who:

1) Genuinely have a connection to the brand

2) Can speak to it with their own flair

3) Have a story worth sharing that doesn’t feel like a hard sell

When audiences see something as genuinely coming from their favorite creators, they engage differently: they trust the brand more and remember it.

Example of a Brand-Creator Partnership that Worked:

A great example of a brand-creator partnership in action is creator Serena Neel, a Las Vegas influencer who has built her audience by doing things her own way while sharing her lifestyle: Lego building, crafting, makeup tutorials, and giving back to her community.

Cricut, a machine-cutting platform for crafters and DIY-ers, teamed up with Serena for a holiday-themed video on YouTube Shorts that resulted in nearly 8 million views. 

Audiences followed along to see how she used the product, and it felt natural to both her and the brand because she gave a genuine reason for using it: she wanted to DIY holiday gifts for her friends and family.

The video showed the product in action and demonstrated its ease of use (engraving metal knives), but what made it work was that Serena didn’t treat it any differently from her other DIY videos.

There was no long spiel about the brand, just a simple disclosure in the caption that it was an ad and a quick callout of the Cricut name and the accessories she used, while showing off her DIY result, in the style her chaotic, fun-natured viewers were used to seeing from her.

What worked from this example, and what brands and creators can learn, is that people want to hear from real, relatable people.

Audiences want a story they can follow and get invested in, rather than feeling it’s interrupted by a brand’s message that makes it the main focus, when in reality the video is the message, even if it doesn’t call out the brand’s name or product points multiple times.

A great brand-creator partnership works when it works for both parties.

Yes, Serena is a major influencer, but her content is relatable: DIY projects, Walmart shopping trips, giving back to her community, and even just recounting her day-to-day life.

Her relatability is her credibility, and that same authentic storytelling can work for brands when they identify creators who can genuinely speak to their experience with the brand, not simply rehearse a brand message.

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Our Renewed Focus for 2026: Intentional & Relationship-First PR

Posted on by jguffey@massmediacc.com

Our Renewed Focus for 2026: Intentional & Relationship-First PR

What is your story?
February 3, 2026

As the swirl of January and the jump start of the year fades into the steadiness of February and beyond, our Las Vegas public relations team is putting a renewed focus on two important aspects of strategic communication: intention and relationships. 

For PR agencies, the best “fresh start” or “new year” is not a reinvention. It is a recommitment to the fundamentals and best practices that demand and capture the attention of consumers and media alike. When our media and influencer outreach is intentional, purpose-driven, and bespoke, we see better results, higher quality stories, and top-tier placements for the brands we represent. 

Here are three new year intentions that consistently deliver: prioritize quality over quantity, deepen relationships, and tell richer stories that connect brands to the communities they serve. 

Intention 1: Embrace tailored pitching 

Spray-and-pray pitching can feel productive because it creates activity: more emails, bigger lists, more follow-ups. But lots of activity does not correlate to impact. In 2026, inboxes are beyond crowded. We hear from producers and reporters that they receive hundreds of pitches and emails a day. A generic, mass-blast pitch does not just get ignored; it trains a journalist or influencer to skip your future messages (or even block you!). 

Tailored pitching starts with one mindset shift: you are pitching for the audience, not for the brand. That means understanding an outlet’s lane, formats, and timing, then arriving with an angle, not an announcement. A new product, a new location, or a new feature is rarely a story by itself. A solution to a timely problem, a trend with proof, or a community impact with human stakes is. What is the story, why does this specific report care–and more importantly: why should their audience care? 

A simple pre-send check: 

  • Why is this relevant to this specific audience right now? 
  • Why is this brand uniquely qualified to speak to it? 
  • What is the headline or creator hook in one sentence? 
  • Is my spokesperson available for an interview immediately? 

If those answers are fuzzy, the pitch is not ready– or the reporter is not the right target. 

Intention No. 2: Invest in relationships with media and influencers 

PR has always been relationship-driven, but relationships do not “just happen.” They are built through reliability and usefulness. 

With media, that looks like being consistently helpful. Share a data point or trend note even when you are not pitching. Offer a quick source suggestion when you see a story opportunity. Be clear and fast with assets and never miss a deadline. Follow up with respect: short, specific, and easy to answer. It is also about getting to know them on a deeper level, uncovering the human being the reporter–befriending them, connecting with them over coffee or a drink. 

With influencers and creators, relationship-building starts with collaboration. The strongest partnerships come from understanding what a creator’s community trusts them to talk about, then co-creating a story that fits naturally into their content. Treat creators as strategic partners, not distribution channels, and you get fewer posts but better storytelling and stronger audience response. 

Intention No. 3: Lead with community-focused stories that feel authentic 

Consumers are tired of marketing that sounds like marketing; they are getting bombarded with ads during most waking moments of their day. The stories that land, and the stories reporter and producers crave, are the ones rooted in people and place: local partnerships, customer outcomes, employee expertise, and initiatives that show up when no cameras are there. It is stories that lead people that get picked up, and the brand can become a supporting actor in the narrative. This is our focus at MassMedia. We work to humanize a brand by creating real moments of influence.  

Community storytelling is not a charitable add-on. It is a strategic bridge between brand values and audience values. Look for narratives with texture: 

  • Programs that give access, skills, or products, not just a check. 
  • Partnerships that strengthen education, health, small business, or neighborhood life, with measurable outcomes. 
  • Real people who can tell the story in their own words, whether that is a customer, a team member, or a local partner. 

The key is specificity. Whether that be impact or scale depicted by numbers, or the specific anecdote that connects the people to the brand, and beyond. A straight donation is generic. A program that equips families with a tangible resources, paired with a personal story and a next-step call to action, is memorable. Find the story behind the story and tell that. It is our mission to partner with clients to generate goodwill through community-centric authentic connections. 

2026 is the year of intentional storytelling. That’s not to say that has not always been the case, but our team is putting a renewed focus and emphasis on this for the new year. At the core of MassMedia’s PR team is the desire to humanize brands and create profound moments of influence with our clients. It is not about the volume of press clips, the reach of the publication, or the following of the influencers: it is about bespoke storytelling that generate good will, positive publicity and move people to take action.  

Our PR teams in Las Vegas and Phoenix would love to learn more and see how we can tell your brand’s story with intention and purpose. We invest in bringing brands to life by working differently, forging trusting relationships and going beyond spokespeople and placements.  

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Our Top 9 PR Successes of 2025

Posted on by Ryan

Our Top 9 PR Successes of 2025

Our Top 9 PR Successes in 2025
December 9, 2025

How We Humanize Brands by Creating Moments of Influence 

Public relations is a different beast than traditional marketing or social media. While marketing pushes messages out, PR pulls people in. We humanize your brand by creating moments of influence – the stories, voices, and personalities that help audiences connect on an emotional level. 

Here are some of our favorite PR successes from 2025 that show how powerful human-centered storytelling can be. 

1. Circus Circus Las Vegas: Introducing Fear Zone

Circus Circus Las Vegas celebrated spooky season by presenting Fear Zone in the Adventuredome. Fear Zone combined terrifying haunted houses, scare zones, live scare actors and a one-of-a-kind coaster experience in the dark for the ultimate fear-filled scream park. We worked with Circus Circus Las Vegas and South of Heaven Productions to secure local press coverage and influencer content highlighting the limited run production. 

Our PR team invited media to Fear Zone previews and VIP tours inside the Adventuredome, as well as offered interview opportunities with Circus Circus leadership and Fear Zone creators. 

The result: Extensive local media coverage and high-impact influencer content positioned Fear Zone as a must-visit Halloween experience at Circus Circus Las Vegas. 

2. Ellis Island Casino & Hotel: Unveiling Phase One of a $35M Expansion

As Ellis Island Casino began working on its $35 million expansion, they approached MassMedia to help announce the first phase. The new space doubles the casino floor, which includes a new casino bar, high-limit gaming area, and the recently announced Boomer’s Sportsbook. The expansion also includes a new rooftop bar, The Deck, with views of Las Vegas Boulevard and seasonal craft cocktails.  

Our PR team announced the expansion by highlighting how the new space would both elevate the property and maintain the history surrounding Las Vegas local’s favorite off-Strip property, securing coverage locally and across industry publications. Additionally, we hosted a variety of influencers at The Deck to highlight the new addition.  

The result: The announcement brought forth both local and national coverage, as well as influencer content, which drove widespread awareness in Ellis Island’s continued expansion.  

3. IndiCap’s “The Ranch”: Telling the Human Side of a Large-Scale Industrial Development

Industrial developments don’t often get associated with people, but that’s exactly where we saw an opportunity. 

When IndiCap and its partners announced The Ranch, a first-of-its-kind industrial-anchored mixed-use development in Gilbert, AZ, we focused on the project’s human impact: 

  • What it means for the community 
  • How it will serve as a gathering place 
  • Its mix of shopping, dining, housing, and an 18-acre green space 

Coverage spanned consumer, trade, and business media, with IndiCap’s Regional VP of Development highlighting how the project was intentionally designed to benefit local residents, not just businesses. 

The result: An industrial development turned into a community story. 

 

4. Launching Kenerator with Ken Goodrich: Introducing a Leader to New Markets

Ken Goodrich, chairman of Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing, is a well-known business leader in the Southwest. But when he launched his newest venture, Kenerator whole-home standby generators, in multiple Sunbelt markets, including Texas and Florida, our goal was to introduce the man behind the brand to audiences who had never met him. 

Our PR team coordinated a mix of media and podcast interviews that allowed Ken to share his personal and professional journey, including his successes, challenges, and reputation for trusted leadership. 

The result: Three successful market launches, each already operating profitably, supported by meaningful storytelling that built familiarity and credibility from day one. 

 

5. MAC.BID: How Savvy Shoppers are Saving Big

MAC.BID, a liquidation auction site with thirty locations across the country, tasked MassMedia with developing a public relations campaign to raise brand awareness nationally as well as in local markets.  

The campaign focused on value, highlighting MAC.BID’s ability to help shoppers save on everything from toys to home decor to tools and more as American’s struggled with tariffs and inflation. The multipronged approach included paid influencer partnerships, national outreach, and highlighting new openings in local markets.  

The result: A major feature in USA Today highlighting the brand, which was syndicated across multiple local publications, as well as coverage highlighting openings in Macon, Davenport, Hamilton, and more.  

 

6. Nocturno Cocktail Bar: Bringing a Taste of Mexico City to the Arts District

Nocturno Cocktail Bar opened in the Las Vegas Arts District and sought to stand out from competitors by positioning itself as a leader in the craft cocktail movement. MassMedia was tasked with developing a campaign that helps Nocturno build a national presence and earn World’s 50 Best Bars recognition.  

The kickoff the campaign, MassMedia connected Nocturno with Mexico City’s Rayo, named #87 on World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 and #5 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2024. Nocturno hosted the Rayo team for a one night pop up event, inviting the Las Vegas community to enjoy a taste of Mexico City.  

The result: A sold-out event introducing Las Vegas to Rayo’s award-winning mixology, cementing Nocturno as a destination for craft cocktails while pairing Nocturno’s name with an internationally recognized cocktail destination.  

 

7. Organizers Direct Industries: Humanizing a Brand to Grow a National Dealer Network

When Organizers Direct Industries (ODI) partnered with MassMedia to expand brand awareness and recruit new dealers, we built a multi-pillar strategy centered on people, not products. 

First, we positioned the company’s president, Alicia Barker, as the face and voice of ODI. By sharing her background, leadership philosophy, and vision for stylish, high-quality home storage solutions, we secured coverage with national outlets including Bloomberg, NBC News Now, Real Simple, and more. 

Next, we amplified the stories of ODI’s top dealers. Through industry podcasts, trade outlets, and vertical media, we showcased real entrepreneurs reflecting on their partnership with ODI. 

The result: Human storytelling that drove both brand growth and dealer interest. 

 

8. Primak Construction Group: Bringing a New Brand Name to Life

When longtime client Lou Primak approached us about renaming his construction company after himself, we knew the rebrand needed to do more than change a logo – it needed to reaffirm trust. 

Our PR team built a launch strategy that positioned Lou as the heart of the company, emphasizing that while the name was evolving, the craftsmanship, reputation, and reliability remained the same. 

We delivered widespread coverage across local business, industry, and trade media, with Lou front and center in interviews and podcasts. 

The result: a smooth, confidence-building transition to a new name backed by human credibility. 

 

9. Sam & Ash Injury Law: Influencing Teens Through Safe-Driving Stories

Sam Mirejovsky and Ash Watkins have always aimed to differentiate themselves by focusing on community impact. This year, we helped bring that mission to life with a campaign centered on teen driver safety. 

Local students were invited to submit short essays on “What Safe Driving Means to Me” for a chance to win prizes, including a brand-new Volkswagen Jetta as the grand prize. 

Our PR strategy highlighted both the emotional and educational benefits of the campaign: 

  • The importance of safe driving for teens 
  • The personal story of the student who received the car 
  • Sam & Ash’s commitment to protecting young drivers 

The result: A feel-good, purpose-driven campaign that positioned Sam & Ash as trusted community advocates.  

 

Human Stories Create Human Brands 

The common thread in each of these successes is simple but powerful: people connect with people. By weaving the human stories behind the brands and businesses we represent, we create campaigns that resonate, influence, and endure. 

If 2025 has shown us anything, it’s that PR doesn’t just build awareness, it builds relationships. 

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Brand Storytelling That Actually Connects: Humanizing Brands Through Community Moments

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Brand Storytelling That Actually Connects: Humanizing Brands Through Community Moments

Humanizing Brands Through Community Moments
October 27, 2025

At MassMedia, we’ve learned that brand storytelling isn’t a script: it’s a relationship. The stories that stick aren’t the ones only delivered in a perfect 30-second spot. They’re the ones your neighbors retell because they lived them: the Saturday when car-seat technicians lined the elementary school parking lot to help parents, the week a local bank quietly funded a “first jobs” night for teens, or the afternoon a library hosted a low-sensory “connection hour” so families could catch their breath. Those small, human moments are where reputations are built and loyalties are formed. 

When we work with brands, we push them to commit to communities in which they do business. Not only does this allow brands to generate positive media and social coverage, it allows brands to deepen relationships with their communities and play the long game of winning over customers and building a pipeline for future ones.

Why community-centric storytelling works

Trust is local, and it’s earned in the open. Consumers oftentimes believe what they can see and touch, not just what they’re told. It’s the difference between a purpose statement and a purpose you can hold in your hands: a helmet that actually fits, a grocery box that arrives when the pantry’s running low, a scholarship award letter on a kitchen table, a teen who leaves a workshop with a real job lead. 

Small moments, when real, travel farther than big promises. A candid photo of a school nurse crouched beside a minivan, teaching a dad how to secure a car seat, says more about a brand’s values than any “We Care” manifesto ever could. It’s the kind of scene neighbors share without being asked. When that happens, you’re no longer buying attention, you’re being invited into the feed, the group chat, and the parent email thread. That’s a very different kind of reach.

Community also creates continuity. Isolated moments become reliable rhythms: quarterly safety clinics, seasonal park cleanups, back-to-school supply drives, annual “first jobs” workshops  or hiring events in partnership with local employers. That cadence powers PR with a steady drumbeat of meaningful stories and gives communities something to count on. Over time, your brand shifts from occasional benefactor to familiar friend.

Most brands already have messages. What they need are memories, shared experiences that make those messages feel true. That requires a different operating system, one that elevates proximity, humility, and consistency over polish.

Building a culture that sustains the work

Programs like these don’t thrive on intent alone; they require internal alignment. The organizations that succeed tend to do a few things well. They empower local teams to act without waiting for an exhaustive approvals chain. They create simple playbooks, lightweight guardrails rather than rigid scripts, so anyone from HR to field ops knows how to raise a hand and mobilize support. They budget for service the way they budget for media and events, understanding that the return shows up in trust, talent attraction, and long-term loyalty.

They also select partners with care. The best collaborators, schools, libraries, youth sports leagues, neighborhood associations, are already hubs of trust. Rather than reinventing the wheel, brands show up to strengthen what’s working. Over time, these relationships become relational capital. When a crisis hits or a need spikes, you’re not a stranger trying to help, you’re a known quantity, already in the room.

Measurement in this model is both quantitative and deeply human. Yes, track the numbers. But also ask, “What changed because we were there?” Did parents leave more confident? Did teens feel seen? Did a community resource gain new momentum? Those answers don’t fit neatly into a dashboard, but they do shape how people talk about you when you’re not in the room—which is the essence of brand.

Looking ahead

Community-centric storytelling isn’t about turning service into spectacle. It’s about letting service become your story, quietly, consistently, credibly. It recognizes that trust accrues the way compound interest does: slowly at first, then all at once. And it accepts that the most valuable brand impressions will never appear in your ad manager. They happen when a parent says to another parent, “They helped us,” or when a teacher tells a reporter, “We couldn’t have done this without them.”

If you’re building a brand and you want to not only make a difference but drive community good will (and generate some positive coverage for it), in Las Vegas or any city, town or metro, start here. Find one small, real need. Show up with humility. Do it again. Over time, those moments become a reputation, and the reputation becomes your best story.

MassMedia is a Las Vegas-based public relations and integrated marketing agency. If you’re ready to evolve your brand story from messaging to memory-making, we’d love to help you design community moments that matter.

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What Does a PR Agency Do? (and why the best external PR teams are experts not vendors)

Posted on by Ryan

What Does a PR Agency Do? (and why the best external PR teams are experts not vendors)

What Does a PR Agency Do? (and why the best external PR teams are experts not vendors)
June 6, 2025

There’s a common misconception about what a PR agency actually does. People often imagine media contacts on speed dial, someone who can “get a press release out,” or a team that reacts to crises with a polished statement and a hopeful smile. In reality, public relations—when done well—is much more layered, much more strategic, and infinitely more valuable than a press hit or a short-term visibility boost.

At its core, public relations is about reputation. It’s about relationships—with your customers, your stakeholders, your industry, and the public. And a PR agency’s role is to help you manage, shape, and protect those relationships with intention. But the real value of a PR agency doesn’t come from simply hiring one—it comes from how you use it. Because a PR agency is not a vendor. It’s a partner. And when you treat it like one, that’s when the real transformation begins.

That’s where we come in.

We don’t just pitch stories or write press releases (although we’re pretty great at that). We immerse ourselves in our clients’ business goals, their challenges, their values. We learn the nuances of their market. We assess where they’ve been and where they want to go. Then we build a roadmap that aligns communication with trajectory—because PR is not a one-off tactic; it’s a business tool.

Sometimes that roadmap includes proactive media outreach and thought leadership. Other times it includes crisis communications, internal messaging, stakeholder engagement, or community visibility. Often, it includes all of the above—woven together into a strategy that ensures the brand doesn’t just make noise, but says something meaningful.

In Las Vegas and throughout the Southwest, this kind of strategic communications is especially critical. Our markets are fast-moving, interconnected, and filled with people who value authenticity. The way a brand shows up in the media, in the community, and in conversations matters deeply. That’s why we don’t operate at the surface level. We go deep—helping our clients craft narratives that reflect who they truly are and then amplifying those narratives through the right channels at the right time.

But again, that impact only happens when the relationship is built on trust and collaboration. The best agency relationships aren’t transactional—they’re transformative. That means access, alignment, and shared ambition. We can’t be expected to do our best work if we’re kept on the sidelines, only looped in once decisions have already been made. We thrive when we’re embedded, consulted early, and empowered to bring insight—not just output.

And we don’t just want to “get you press.” We want to protect your reputation, elevate your voice, and create lasting momentum. We want to help you think bigger about how communication touches every part of your business. Because it does. From the way your CEO speaks to investors to the way your frontline employees talk about the brand, communication either strengthens your business or weakens it. There is no neutral.

If you’re looking for a PR agency in Las Vegas—or anywhere across the Southwest—what you should really be looking for is a team that doesn’t just work for you, but with you. A team that brings not only tactical support, but strategic foresight. A team that understands when to lead, when to advise, and when to push back in service of your brand’s best interest.

That’s what we do. That’s what the right PR agency does. And if you’re ready to stop outsourcing communication and start managing it—really managing it—then you’re ready for a partner, not a vendor.

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How PR Can Mitigate Deep Fakes

Posted on by Ryan

How PR Can Mitigate Deep Fakes

How PR Can Mitigate Deep Fakes
May 6, 2025

How Proactive and Reactive PR Tactics Can Safeguard Your Brand from Deepfake Scandals

In an era where artificial intelligence can fabricate hyper-realistic videos and audio, deepfakes have emerged as a significant threat to individuals and organizations alike. The recent misuse of AI-generated deepfakes involving Goldman Sachs executives Abby Joseph Cohen and David Kostin underscores the potential reputational damage such fabrications can inflict. Similarly, legal challenges, such as Elon Musk’s social media platform X suing Minnesota over its deepfake law, highlight the complex interplay between technology, free speech, and regulation.

To navigate this evolving landscape, organizations must employ both proactive and reactive public relations (PR) strategies to mitigate the risks associated with deepfakes.

Proactive PR involves anticipating potential crises and establishing measures to prevent or lessen their impact. Proactive PR will build the shield before the storm. In the context of deepfakes, this means:

  1. Educating Stakeholders: Regularly inform employees, clients, and the public about the existence and risks of deepfakes. Awareness campaigns can empower stakeholders to critically assess digital content and recognize potential fabrications.
  2. Establishing Verification Protocols: Implementing systems to verify official communications can help distinguish genuine messages from deepfakes. This might include digital signatures or watermarks on official videos and statements.
  3. Monitoring Digital Platforms: Utilize advanced monitoring tools to detect unauthorized or suspicious content featuring company representatives. Early detection allows for swift action to counteract misinformation.
  4. Developing Crisis Communication Plans: Prepare detailed response strategies for potential deepfake incidents. These plans should outline the steps to take when a deepfake is identified, including internal communication protocols and public response measures.

By laying this groundwork, organizations can reduce the likelihood of a deepfake causing significant harm and ensure readiness to respond effectively if one does surface.

Despite the best proactive measures, deepfakes can still emerge, necessitating a reactive PR approach. Key steps include:

  1.  Swift Public Denial and Clarification: Immediately address the deepfake, clarifying that the content is fabricated. Transparency is crucial to maintain public trust.
  2. Engaging with Media Outlets: Work closely with journalists and media platforms to disseminate accurate information and counteract the spread of the deepfake.
  3. Legal Action: Pursue legal avenues against the creators and distributors of the deepfake. This not only seeks justice but also signals to the public and stakeholders that the organization takes such matters seriously.
  4. Internal Communication: Keep employees informed about the situation and the steps being taken. This ensures a unified message and prevents internal misinformation.

For instance, in the case of the Goldman Sachs executives, a prompt and transparent response would be essential to reassure clients and stakeholders of the video’s inauthenticity and the company’s commitment to integrity.

The legal landscape surrounding deepfakes is still evolving. The lawsuit filed by X against Minnesota’s deepfake law illustrates the tension between combating misinformation and protecting free speech. Organizations must navigate these legal complexities carefully, ensuring that their PR strategies align with current laws and advocate for regulations that address the challenges posed by deepfakes without infringing on fundamental rights.

Deepfakes represent a formidable challenge in the digital age, with the potential to cause significant reputational and operational damage. By implementing comprehensive proactive and reactive PR strategies, organizations can better protect themselves against such threats. Staying informed about technological advancements and legal developments is essential to adapt and respond effectively in this dynamic environment.

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