Monthly Archives: October 2015

Kimball Communications welcomes tourism, politico PR professional

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Addition of Mark Ladley adds to Philly agency’s travel and tourism expertise

Kimball Communications (www.kimballpr.com) today announced it has added Mark Ladley to its team of public relations professionals. Ladley joins the agency as public relations manager and is responsible for managing client accounts, including strategic planning, media relations, social media advising and crisis consulting.

Mark Ladley headshotPrior to joining Kimball Communications, Ladley honed his PR expertise in travel and tourism, as well as political communications, at boutique agencies and in state politics. Most recently at En Route Marketing in Philadelphia, he successfully developed relationships with journalists and bloggers to bolster clients’ reputations in the travel and tourism market. Prior to that, Ladley was communications director for Pa. Rep. Brendan Boyle, developing messaging and public relations strategies that led to significant media placements and high-profile press conferences. He began his career in communications working for esteemed pollster and political pundit, Frank Luntz.

“As we continue to grow our agency, Mark’s experience in B2B and travel and tourism PR is a complementary and welcome addition to the work we do,” says Gary Kimball, president of Kimball Communications. “I’m looking forward to the positive results he’ll produce for our clients, both current and future.”

A resident of Lansdale, Pa. in Montgomery County, Ladley is deeply involved in his local community, serving as a member of the Lansdale Communications Commission, the Philadelphia Public Relations Association and The Penn Club. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in politics from The Citadel and the University of Glasgow, respectively.

Ladley is the most recent addition to the Kimball Communications team since the agency’s move to the Philadelphia region earlier this year. The agency is currently celebrating its 20th year in business.

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Millennials: saviors of industry?

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Millennials, long believed to dwell only in the land of eternal youth and parental basements, are beginning to emerge, as predicted in 2014, as a major force in the real estate market … at least in Des Moines.

Recently portrayed on Saturday Night Live as text-obsessed navel gazers, millennials are beginning to emerge as drivers of the real estate market in several urban markets. - Photo courtesy of SNL

Recently portrayed on Saturday Night Live as text-obsessed navel gazers, millennials are beginning to emerge as drivers of the real estate market in several urban markets. – Photo courtesy of SNL

According to today’s report on NPR, Des Moines’ strong insurance and financial sectors, coupled with affordable housing and an educated workforce are leading these young, first-time homebuyers to the oft-promised American Dream: homeownership.

While this trend conflicts with the nomadic stereotypes foisted on an entire generation, other assumptions remain consistent. These new homebuyers are selecting homes closer to urban hubs than their parents, primarily to avoid that other American Dream: driving.

If this trend continues, millennials might not only be poised to breathe new life into several U.S. industries, including the housing market, insurance and possibly aiding the revival of America’s great cities.

So what’s the secret recipe for industry leaders, and especially real estate pros, looking for a way to capitalize on the millennials as industry saviors? A strong education base, plenty of affordable urban housing and a growing employment sector seem to be critical to this trend.

Looking out my own window into the world, I’ve got to wonder if Philadelphia‘s time to shine has finally arrived. With its solid university options, ample affordable housing and robust insurance industry poised for dramatic expansion in the next five years, the City of Brotherly Love and papal visits might well be poised for a renaissance of its own thanks to this emerging trend.

Trump organization gets it right on data breach communications

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Gage Skidmore / Foter / CC BY-SA

Donald Trump has jumped to the top of the Republican primary polls with an acerbic style that runs contrary to established political rhetoric. But when Trump International made the announcement yesterday that it was hacked, the PR effort was by the book.

And effective.

The Donald Trump Hotel chain says its payment data system was breached, potentially exposing customers’ credit and debit card information for more than a year. The chain posted a notice on their website and media coverage like this CBS report shows how to communicate a breach:

  • The facts about the breach: malware may have given hackers access to payment information between May 19, 2014 and June 2, 2015
  • The exposure: they have “not found any conclusive evidence that the information was taken or misused.”
  • Steps taken to correct it: they notified the FBI and financial institutions and hired an outside forensic expert to investigate.
  • Recommendations for customers and what it is doing to help: offering a year of complimentary fraud resolution and identity-protection services.

The Donald is in the crosshairs of many, so the New York Daily News and others took their shots, but coverage was once and done. As of now, they appear to have avoided what the IRS, Target and others have done – underestimate the extent of the damage in their initial reports, leading to multiple news reports and keeping the story alive.