Happy Independence Day! With the United States approaching its 250th anniversary in 2026, it feels fitting to spotlight the wave of patriotic energy shaping American-made marketing campaigns across industries. From red-white-and-blue packaging to messaging rooted in national pride, marketers are leaning into “Made in America” themes more than ever. This momentum is driven not just by the upcoming semiquincentennial milestone, but also by ongoing geopolitical and economic pressures — most notably tariffs and supply chain instability — that are pushing brands to emphasize American-made goods….
The Hodges Partnership team is grateful to lead national media relations programs for a variety of clients. Our work is often complex and time-consuming, as we work to think about the best positioning and appropriate outlets to share stories. But the work can lead to big payoffs: Those national stories and headlines lead to greater credibility and a big boost to brand awareness. This month we invited two national journalists with connections to NPR and ABC News to our new office for an insider’s view…
In our inaugural LIVE recording of Teaming Up, we welcomed a panel of national media experts to share insights from the newsroom. Our Sean Ryan, senior vice president of media relations, served as a moderator and was joined by Jason Fuller (producer) and Adisa Hargett-Robinson (reporter and media producer). Sharing their insights to a packed house, the trio unpacked a day in the life of a national newsroom producer and explored a variety of areas that impacts both sides of the pitch — from challenges…
Emails are essentially direct tickets to your audience. You’re landing in their inbox and you’re landing in their phone by way of a notification that begs to be read. Unlike social media content which can get lost in a scroll, email marketing is a direct way to reach your audience that can be hard to ignore. We’ve already talked about why you really should be considering email marketing, but in case you’re not convinced, we wanted to share these four tips as you think about…
Landing national media coverage is often considered the holy grail of PR – and for good reason. The credibility and reach it offers can elevate a brand’s story in ways few other tactics can. Breaking through to national outlets is no small feat. It takes insight, strategy, relationships and timing. At The Hodges Partnership, we’ve built a reputation for navigating this complex media landscape, and now we’re bringing that expertise to the forefront in a live conversation. Join us on the morning of Wednesday, June…
Across the commonwealth, there are hundreds of thousands of uninsured and underinsured Virginians. Many of these individuals turn to Virginia’s free and charitable clinics for care, which serve as an important safety net resource for working families who can’t afford healthcare or health insurance. By delivering important preventative and chronic care, the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (VAFCC) helps patients remain healthy, reduce unnecessary visits to the emergency room and avoid missed time from work due to illness. Make no mistake, Virginia’s free…
In our latest episode of Teaming Up, Lindsay O’Bar is joined by Onie Girton, senior vice president of sales and client services at Hilldrup. Hilldrup, and Onie in particular, represents our longest standing client relationship. We’ve been working with her since we onboarded Hilldrup in 2011. Building and nurturing relationships is a critical part to our business, and to the work Onie does at Hilldrup, which involves client retention and sales. A relationship-building role isn’t right for everyone because it’s just as much learned skill…
It’s been nearly two years since we first started working with a client in the home visiting space. From Early Impact Virginia, a statewide alliance helping elevate and support local programs, to The Institute for the Advancement of Family Support Professionals, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing the home visiting profession through career development and resources, these are some of the organizations making important strides to strengthen the young families in our communities. Home visiting is an evidence-based, voluntary service where trained professionals visit pregnant…
Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) mean different things to different people. For some, it’s a fundamental commitment to ensuring equal opportunities, while others may see it as a corporate trend. Whether you view it as a fundamental right or a performative movement, there’s no arguing its current polarizing nature. As DEIB continues to dominate headlines, there’s been a surge of conflicting definitions and interpretations, challenging individuals and organizations to reevaluate and redefine what the initiative means to them and its role in the workplace. …
In our latest episode of Teaming Up, Paulyn Ocampo is joined by Ashley Brooks, of council at Roth Jackson. The duo focus on the legalities and guardrails we should consider as we navigate the integration of tools like ChatGPT, Jasper and Claude in our industry. These large-language models are being trained on billions of pieces of data, but is what about the ethics? Was copyrighted material part of the training set? Is the content actually original? What are the red flags we need to know…
Your brand is the visual and written essence of your identity. It tells your story, conveys your values and connects you with your audience. Much like how a chef plates a dish with care because people eat with their eyes first, your brand needs a strategic rollout to capture attention and drive engagement. You’ve invested in a new brand—now, make sure you get the return on that investment with a thoughtful and well-executed launch. Campfire & Co. teamed up with Hodges to help evolve our…
When Chesterfield County wanted to engage more directly with its community, they envisioned a solution that would bring information and resources directly to residents, in effect, meeting them where they were. Enter the Mobile Information and Resource Vehicle (MIRV), the county’s first information center on wheels, designed to inform residents and visitors about the diverse attractions and resources available throughout the county. Turning a Retired Ambulance Into a Community Connector Chesterfield County partnered with our creative team to transform a retired ambulance into their engaging…
