O’Reilly/DePalma principals Nora DePalma and John O’Reilly weigh in on the consequences for a building products brand that sparked a PR firestorm after being too heavy-handed with a respected industry blogger.
Leslie Hart joins O’Reilly/DePalma as a New York-based partner, after several years of project collaboration with the building and architecture brand consultancy and more than 20 years of industry relationships with principals John O’Reilly and Nora DePalma.
Hart, the Consumer Insights columnist for Kitchen & Bath Design News and an honoree in the Kitchen & Bath Industry Hall of Fame, has more than 30 years of in-depth marketing and communications experience in all channels of the kitchen and bath industry. Trained as a journalist, Hart served as editor and publisher of Kitchen and Bath Business, then as director of strategic marketing at Meredith Corporation, publishers of Better Homes and Gardens and other leading consumer magazines, where she created integrated marketing programs for The Home Depot and Sub-Zero, among others. Read more.
O’Reilly/DePalma today announced the appointment of Joel Williams as account director, where he will lead several of the marketing communications agency’s key accounts.
An award-winning writer and communications strategist, Williams has been a strategic partner of O’Reilly/DePalma for several years, performing an integral role in delivering results for the agency’s roster of B2B and B2C brands in the home and commercial building products industries.
Prior to joining O’Reilly/DePalma, Williams worked with Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, national homebuilder, KB Home, in addition to Marketing Support, Inc. where he oversaw marketing communications activities for Aristokraft Cabinetry, Black & Decker’s Hardware and Home Improvement Group, Elkay Manufacturing, Gerber Plumbing Products and In-Sink-Erator.
John O’Reilly and Nora DePalma were among 43 business owners quoted by The Entreprenette Gazette about business partnering, 22 months about their own decision to merge agencies. O’Reilly and DePalma supplied five tips for knowing when it’s the right time to seek a business partner:
1. The business needs to diversify and expand offerings to remain competitive.
2. The business has grown to the point that efficiencies could be realized with a partner, including shared overhead costs.
3. You seek an equal as a creative and strategic sounding board.
4. The partner brings immediate and significant revenue growth.
5. You’ve learned that it can be lonely at the top. The right partner helps share the challenges of managing and motivating people.
Thank you to industry journalist Leah Thayer for allowing O’Reilly/DePalma to reprint this daily5remodel premium content interview between Leah and O’Reilly/DePalma principal Nora DePalma.
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d5R: When to outsource PR and when to handle it in-house?
NDP: One of most misleading terms in business is “free publicity.” There is a time commitment to garner media attention and a skill set required in knowing how the media tells a story. In many cases, a remodeler will be well served with outside counsel, dedicating a set number of hours each month to achieve measurable goals within the budget.
Remodelers who are natural-born salespeople, power networkers and fun storytellers, however, might do quite well handling PR in-house, along with support from a team member who can help identify places and opportunities to connect.
d5R: What “deliverables” and performance metrics should you expect from your PR team?
NDP: The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) advises success metrics that are relevant, realistic, specific, measureable and timely. You want PR counsel committing to results, not just deliverables. View examples of success metrics for remodeling firms by downloading the complete article here.
d5R: What should a remodeler expect to pay for good PR counsel? Is a retainer necessary? How long of a contract should you sign?
NDP: The PR field has its share of dog-and-truck contractors. You know the drill about proposals that sound too good to be true.
The investment compensates the practitioner’s time to follow your target media outlets and identify new opportunities. We look at the upcoming publishing schedules and try to anticipate ways our clients can help reporters and editors. We email them. We meet with them. Of late, we Tweet with them.
That time can be accounted for in either a flat monthly retainer or an hourly rate. A retainer can be easier for cash flow forecasting, but you can achieve the same idea by setting a monthly limit on hours. The contract should allow you to stop or slow down with no more than 30 days notice. Never sign a contract that holds you hostage for six months or more. Examples of hourly rates provided here.
Download the complete interview with daily5remodel here.
AOL Real Estate writer Tom Kraeutler quoted Nora DePalma as an industry expert on bathroom remodeling in this article on the best bathroom renovations to help sell a home:
“Bathrooms are one area where home buyers make decisions because it will be one of the most used rooms in the house,” says industry expert Nora DePalma of O’Reilly/DePalma. “Make them look bright, absolutely spotless, and loaded with storage options. Your home will sell faster and at a better price.”
O’Reilly/DePalma principal Nora DePalma spoke about “Building Online Green Communities” at the Atlanta Green Communicators meeting. Joined by panelist Hope Dlugozima, VP and Director of Community and Social Networking at Mother Nature Network, DePalma spoke about use of social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and blogs to create compelling content that builds communities.
