A ‘different’ Hodges…the reflection.
The third part of the year-long process was to examine whether we were still a public relations firm. Our industry has changed so much since our founding in 2002. What we communicate, how we communicate and what our clients expect is so different in 2025.
We started with media relations as our focus, but what the media is today is light years away from what it was back then. We charged Casey Prentice and an internal team to ask and answer the questions, “Are we still a public relations firm, and if not, what are we?”
At our core we still do everything a “traditional” PR firm does (media relations, community relations, internal communications, strategic counsel, crisis, writing, the whole shebang) but we do so much more now.
Today, we have an internal creative team (a move I admit I resisted for years, but I don’t know where we’d be without). Also, we have a group of talented “owned” media experts who write and create content for website, social and email channels. We’ve also incorporated a group of self-taught paid (God forbid) media experts who amplify that content across social channels and other digital spaces – and who work closely with paid media partners when a scope goes beyond our wheelhouse.
Truthfully, for many of our clients, we are more full-blown marketing partners than public relations experts.
Our team interviewed our own folks, our past and present clients and other partners to tell us what they thought. Here’s what they found:
- Yes, Hodges you are still a public relations firm (whew, I was actually hoping that).
- But Hodges, you do PR differently.
- You don’t bring preconceived notions to the table.
- You tailor your approach to each client with a mix of earned, owned and paid media based on your client’s needs and desired outcomes.
- The result of which is a truly integrated public relations approach that brings together what is needed to solve a client’s challenges.
- That leads to happy clients who remain with Hodges for years, and in some cases, for decades.
- It also leads to content “Hodgers” who learn new things and are allowed to expand their reach and careers, who in many cases remain with Hodges for years. This leads to consistency for clients.
- Our team specializes in earned, owned and paid media, bringing a high-level expertise, and where were don’t have that expertise on staff, we bring in talented partners who do.
All those things rooted in our integrated earned, owned, paid (EOP) approach are what allow us to make the bold “Public Relations. Differently” claim front and center on our website’s homepage. It is a claim we don’t take lightly. We also expect and look forward to be challenged by those who want us to prove it.
The space. The brand. The reflection. A year in the making.
We’re happy to talk about the process and what we learned – especially if you are considering something similar. Believe me, we learned a lot and the education continues.
We invite you to visit us virtually online, or in person in our new space in Scott’s Addition.
We’re happy to give you a tour, talk shop, host events and show you how different we are.
Welcome to HODGES.
Jon Newman
In 2002 Jon cofounded The Hodges Partnership and has helped to grow it into one of the country’s largest public relations firms (based on O’Dwyer’s annual rankings). Jon has taught communications as an adjunct professor at VCU, speaks regularly at conferences and meetings and blogs and tweets about public relations and marketing issues.
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