PR Week Features Greg Mondshein on 'Create Better PR Campaigns' Webinar
Since we started SourceCode over two years ago, there has been no shortage of exciting new experiences. In this new role, I’m not just a public relations professional; I’m also an entrepreneur. This mix has allowed me to really hone in on my own PR skills (and build a kickass team doing the same in the process), but it’s also given me, and my partner Becky, the autonomy to ask two important questions: how can we continue becoming better at what we do, and - perhaps just as importantly - what new tools or strategies should we be using to get us there?
This position has also given me a stage to share this expertise with other interested PR professionals, whether they’re also considering branching out on their own, or simply want to sharpen their day-to-day activities. That’s why when I was asked to participate in the ‘Create Better PR Campaigns’ PR Week Webinar at the end of 2019, it was a no-brainer.
I was given the opportunity to steer my portion of the conversation into an area of my choosing. The possibilities were endless, but I wanted to identify a topic that we are experienced in at SourceCode, and also one I knew would not only be beneficial to participants, but also insightful, maybe even brand-new. With that, I landed on discussing the process of bringing data-driven insights into PR through the adoption of technology.
As a practice, PR has typically revolved around individual instinct and knowledge. But as PR becomes more integrated with Marketing and a company’s overall bottom line, it’s becoming increasingly important to back those recommendations up with hard data. At SourceCode, we’ve identified three main categories of technology that have been central to our pivot toward data-driven PR:
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Listening tools: To keep a pulse on what audiences are responding to, what competitors are saying and what topics are getting traction in the media.
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Efficiency tools: To do the (important but) tedious part of our jobs better and faster, so we can focus on our time and energy on the more creative aspects of our role.
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Measurement tools: To directly gauge output and either validate or invalidate our strategies, which in turn can inform our decisions moving forward.
These tools have been an integral part of our campaign strategy process at SourceCode, and we’ve found that they’ve really resonated with our clients, as well. Take, for example, pitching a creative idea that might push a client outside of their comfort zone. Before we had these technologies, we found that nine times out of ten, the company struggled to visualize the value in pursuing these campaigns. But now, with the data to back up our recommendations, we’re seeing a greater amount of buy-in from our clients, which in turn is helping us drive them to be more creative, grab media attention and be part of higher level conversations.
There’s no right way to kick off your tech PR journey. But at SourceCode, we know data-driven PR is the future of the industry. That’s why we’re serious about our tech stack, and committed to getting it right through a trial and error approach. Each tool we’ve adopted has all had their pros and cons, and we’ve kept some and discontinued others for a multitude of reasons. But across every tech platform we’ve tried, one clear sentiment has rung true: technology - in any shape or form - exponentially improves what we do every day.
SourceCode Signs AOR Relationship with Handshake
NEW YORK—Oct. 30, 2019—SourceCode Communications today announced it has been named the communications agency of record for Handshake, the leading career community for college students in the U.S. SourceCode won the account, which officially kicked off in October, in a competitive pitch featuring several well-known technology firms. The AOR relationship will consist of thought leadership, media relations, and content development support in an effort to raise visibility amongst college students and recent graduates, university career advisors, and human resource professionals.
“SourceCode brought the right combination of creative consumer experience and corporate communications rigor, making them the ideal partner to amplify Handshake’s story,” said Priti Khare, Director of Communications at Handshake. “The team was impressive throughout the entire pitch process and their use of data to bring stories to life will prove invaluable.”
Handshake’s community includes 17 million students and young alumni at over 850 universities - including 120+ minority serving institutions. The platform connects up-and-coming talent across all 50 states with 400,000+ employers recruiting on Handshake - from every Fortune 500 company to thousands of small businesses, nonprofits, startups, and more.
“We firmly believe in Handshake’s mission of democratizing opportunity for college students, helping them find the right job regardless of their network or what school they graduated from,” said Greg Mondshein, Managing Partner of SourceCode Communications. “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Handshake to execute creative communications strategies that reach Gen Z, their parents, and the employers that will eventually hire them.”
SourceCode Communications continues to maintain its trajectory of nearly 100 percent YoY growth in 2019. The NYC-based shop has more than doubled its team since January, growing to 19 full-time employees in just 26 months. For the second year in a row, the agency was also named by PRNews as a Best Place to Work in PR and Small Agency of the Year.
Managing Partner Greg Mondshein named a Top 25 Innovator in PR by Holmes Report
We couldn't be more proud of one of our leaders, Greg Mondshein, for being named to The Holmes Reports' Innovator 25 - Americas. According to The Holmes Report, "This year’s list features remarkable innovators who are addressing the industry’s challenges with ingenuity and insight to make meaningful (and hopefully lasting) change at time when it's needed more than ever. Among the innovators on this year's list are those who are spearheading movements, pushing the industry into new realms of creativity, agency alchemists whose insights have transformed brands, data-driven business leaders who are analyzing the spread of information online — and combatting disinformation while they're at it, and those on the cusp of building a truly modern workplace, among others."
SourceCode Wins Small Firm of the Year by PR News
At one of the PR industry's premier events, the PRNews Platinum PR Gala, we're honored to announce that we took home the prize for Small Agency of the Year. The competition was fierce and we're so incredibly honored to even be included in such an illustrious list. The event highlighted the industry elite, highlighted by Agency of the Year recognitions for Pan Communications, Thunder 11 and SourceCode. Congratulations to all winners and thank you immensely to PRNews and the amazing panel of judges. We'll see you next year. For additional details on the event, please check out the link here.
SourceCode Wins Prestigous PR Award
All awards are great, but ones that highlight the culture we've created together with our team members make us the happiest. So it should go without saying that we are BEYOND pleased to announce for the second year in a row, we've been named a Top Place to Work in PR by PRNews. Through this award, 'PRNews is celebrating the agencies that have turned client wins into great PR and the organizations that have created workplace environments that epitomize work-life balance, give back to the community and advocate for diversity and inclusion.' Yep, that's how we roll. Check out the details on the event here and of course, if you're looking for a career change, drop us a line. We like the unexpected, a witty joke and any otherwise unusual outreach strategies.
IDAGIO Names SourceCode AOR
NEW YORK—August 9, 2019—SourceCode Communications has expanded its consumer tech client roster with the addition of an agency of record partnership with IDAGIO, the leading streaming service for classical music. SourceCode’s work for the new client, which began in late Spring, will focus on building an integrated communications plan bolstered by creative campaign initiatives designed to establish thought leadership, accelerate customer awareness and driving business growth. The agency will be focusing heavily on communicating the health and wellness benefits of listening to classical music.
“We're delighted to be partnering with SourceCode so that we can reach even more classical music fans from one of our fastest growing markets, North America," stated IDAGIO Director of Communications, Birgit Gehring. "Following our Fall 2018 US launch, we wanted to find the right partner to take our US presence to the next level. SourceCode has been a clear choice for us and we're excited to be collaborating on projects together and accelerating our PR efforts.”
The signing expands SourceCode’s consumer technology portfolio, guided by Nicole Pfeifer, to now include clients in the music, automotive, dating, smart home, femtech and consumer electronics spaces. The win also comes on the heels of being selected as the 2019 New Agency of the Year by Holmes Report and named as a 2018 Top Place to Work In PR by PR News.
On the news, SourceCode Communications Managing Partner Greg Mondshein added: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with IDAGIO to tell their stories. IDAGIO’s inspirational leadership, impressive technology and growth trajectory make them one of our most exciting new clients.”
SourceCode is on pace to grow revenue more than 100% this year and more than double its NYC-based team. Earlier this year, SourceCode Communications expanded its B2B tech practice with the addition of full-suite research-technology solutions providers Conviva and Channel Bakers. In addition to winning Agency of the Year this past May at the North American Sabres, SourceCode and their consumer client, Elvie, won ‘Best Consumer Technology’ Campaign by Holmes Report for their ‘Milking My Ladies’ program.
SourceCode Gets in the Ring with Everlast
NEW YORK—August 21, 2019—Everlast, the preeminent brand in boxing since 1910 and the world’s leading manufacturer and licensor of boxing, MMA and fitness equipment, has selected SourceCode Communications as its first public relations agency of record. The Everlast brand is synonymous with fight sports and has tasked SourceCode to ideate and execute on upcoming campaigns and broaden awareness for the company’s products, owned media entities, and ambassadors.
The relationship officially kicked off in July, with the agency focusing on launching the next iteration of Everlast’s Be First, a global integrated campaign challenging consumers to carve their own path to success. The campaign is a play on the well-known boxing term “Be First,” which is associated with dictating the pace of a fight, making your opponent follow your lead. The scope will consist of campaign development and execution, events, ambassador and influencer management, and media relations.
“In recent years, the Everlast brand has transformed from a boxing company to a leading fight goods and lifestyle sports brand, fueled by a full-fledged media entity focused on sports culture. As our brand continues to evolve, so have our communications and PR needs,” said Chris Zoller, Vice President of Marketing and Product Development at Everlast. “The SourceCode team brings an impressive track record of executing successful, creative campaigns for consumer brands -- we are extremely excited to work with them.”
Everlast joins SourceCode’s growing consumer practice, a diverse group of category leaders and disruptors in their respective industries, such as car sharing marketplace Turo, LGBTQ+ dating app SCRUFF, and FemTech brand Elvie. The practice currently consists of 12 retainer clients and seven staffers.
“As we continue to scale the agency, we’ve prided ourselves in adding truly innovative companies to our consumer and B2B roster of client partners,” said Greg Mondshein, Managing Partner at SourceCode Communications. “The Everlast brand is iconic and the work they are doing is humanizing the world of boxing in a way we haven’t seen before. We couldn’t be more humbled to partner with them.”
SourceCode Communications is experiencing a banner year. The NYC-based shop has doubled its team since January, housing 17 full-time employees. In addition to its growing consumer practice, the agency’s B2B division (ranging from AdTech/MarTech to enterprise security) has grown by leaps and bounds with new clients including Pindrop, Cloudreach and more.
Please check out our feature story in PRWeek here.
PR News Names SourceCode a Finalist for Small Agency of the Year
It's an exciting time to be at SourceCode Communications. We're building a great agency and getting recognized for it. We're honored to be in such great company and attribute all of our success to our amazing team and clients that work hard, take risks and focus on the ultimate goal of telling out clients' stories and driving their businesses forward. We're looking forward to the awards ceremony in September.
For additional details on the event and to see the other categories and finalists, please check out the PRNews website here.
SourceCode Cleans up at 2019 North American Sabre Awards
What a night! We're so excited to announce SourceCode has been named New Agency of the Year, after being named a finalist for the award earlier this year. Rapid growth, implementation of industry-leading benefits, award-winning campaigns and the hiring of exceptional talent all contributed to the win.
Managing Partner Becky Honeyman remarked, "We're so proud of the fact that we're being recognized for not only building a great agency, but equally that we're doing exception client work and treating our team admirably. Truly, we're honored."
In addition to the big AOY recognition, the Elvie 'Milking My Ladies' program also took home the award for 'Best Consumer Technology' campaign.
Congratulations to all involved, especially our co-finalists and winners. It's truly an honor to be in your presence.
For a full rundown of the event and the winners, please check out Holmes Report.
Hugh Collins joins SourceCode as Head of Fintech & Enterprise
SourceCode Communications, a fast-growing boutique communications firm, today announced it has expanded its leadership team with the addition of seasoned PR practitioner Hugh Collins, who will oversee the fintech and enterprise practices. These practice area recently expanded following competitive pitches for an AOR relationship with MyWallSt and Cloudreach.
Collins joins SourceCode from Bateman Group, where he was a Vice President and the Fintech Lead. Prior to Bateman, Collins worked with SourceCode co-founders, Greg Mondshein and Becky Honeyman, at Hotwire Global, where he lead the fintech and regtech practices in the U.S. Previous experience also includes years as a finance and business reporter with Bloomberg News and Aol News.
“We’ve always loved and admired the way Hugh is able to bring deep financial services and technology understanding and media experience to solve complex communications challenges,” said Becky Honeyman, Managing Partner of SourceCode Communications. “His ability to lead accounts with thoughtful and practical recommendations has already made a tremendous impact on our business. We couldn’t be more excited to be working together again.”
Collins remarks: “I am thrilled to be reunited with Greg and Becky. They’ve built a truly impressive operation in such a short period of time, combining the best of B2B and consumer communications for truly unique client programs. I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of building the next great technology agency in NYC.”