plate.social

Less than one month left here @ Techstars Future of Food Powered by Ecolab Accelerator ?? Here are some of my highlights from the program so far: ?? Favorite founder story: Alex ???? French and Andrew Healy of Bizzy? Cold Brew ?? Favorite MIR session: How to Kill Your Company bt Brett Brohl ?? Favorite fireside chat: Badass CEO with David Mandell Curious what I learned? Apply to Techstars and find out for yourself! ?? ...or just ask us @ plate.social! We're happy to chat. ??

This $14 hot sauce just reminded me of the importance of public relations. Was it on my grocery list this week? No. Could I have lived without it? Absolutely. Do I care about the entrepreneur behind it? Not exactly. Did I make a special trip to purchase it? Yes I did. It landed on my radar when a friend and tastemaker, Nicole Crowder, posted it to her IG stories. Without her vote of confidence, I never would have noticed it on the shelf (despite its beautiful packaging and celebrity founder). Here's why this matters. Unfortunately, trust in mass media is at an all-time low. According to a 2023 poll from Gallup, only 32% of people trust information reported in the news. That used to be a huge driver of credibility and legitimacy for brands. So where do we turn for authority? Each other. And in new and more diverse channels than ever before. It seems everyone has a platform for their own content that appeals to their public as a source of entertainment, information and connection. The creator economy is positioned to surpass $480 billion by 2027. That includes platforms like podcasts, LinkedIn blogs, and your favorite creator's emerging media company. That doesn't mean traditional news disappears, but it now has competition. So what does this mean for brands and leaders? Everything. In a fragmented information economy, it's important to diversify content delivery and look to unconventional channels for credibility and building market awareness. A good strategy reflects this. Imagine a heat map for all your stakeholder groups and their sources of information. Your strategy should be focused, yet dynamic in the same way. In the example of the hot sauce, Nicole's awareness led to my purchasing decision through word of mouth and reviews - two types of earned media. I hope you build a brand everyone talks about. But to get them talking, you need to connect in the right places and invite the public to participate. Public relations is about sentiment, not just appearing in the news. For more on how we approach modern PR for brands building the future, visit: www.laureldevelops.com/how h/t to Nick Buccino of plate.social for inspiring this insight.

We are thrilled to announce our participation in Techstars this fall! A big thank you to all of our early supporters, partners, and users for believing in our vision! #whatwillyouplate?