Powell Communications

This Just In: Powell has been named to PRNEWS’ 2025 Agency Elite 120! ???? ? We’re honored to be recognized as one of the most innovative PR & communications agencies of the year... especially as we head into our 25th year!? ?? We wouldn’t be here without our exceptional team and our Powell client partners. Thank you all for all that you do! ???? Congratulations to our fellow winners, and thanks to PRNEWS for the recognition! Let’s celebrate ?? Rachael Powell // Lisa Chiovaro // Katy Hendricks // Rachel Braude // Sarah Bertness Glawe // Rebecca Auguste [she, her, hers] // Rebecca Roberts // Bernice Morquette // Tamara Joseph // Yamilée B. // Raina Danna // Kelly Morris // Lauren Hornsby // Lexie R. // Elsa Marshall // Lynsey L.? // Maggie Gaynor // Tara Benabid // Grace Morton // Eva Batts // Vanessa Anderson // Sophia Modigliani-McGrane #publicrelations #PR #communications

That’s a wrap on #SXSW2025, and that means we’re already planning for next year. Here’s what our account supervisor Kelly Morris was doing at SXSW: ?? Prepping, coordinating and grabbing a front row seat to panels with our clients New York Times Advertising, London Alley Entertainment and VERB? ?? Meeting up with organizers from Brand Innovators and #ADWEEKHouse to chat Cannes planning?? ?? Gathering insights from keynotes on branding, marketing, design and gaming to spark thought leadership angles? ?? Checking out industry activations including Axios House and The Female Quotient ?? Taking notes and capturing BTS content for social ?? Tracking down the best pescatarian tacos in ATX From strategy to storytelling to scouting out the best insights, it’s all in a (few) day’s #PR work. Speaking of #SXSW, will you be at the inaugural SXSW London in June? Our client venturethree will, so let us know…

As I read through this year's Ad Age A-List, I couldn't help but notice a few consistent themes: ? ?? The winners were honest about their setbacks, using challenges to embrace change and emerge stronger than ever. ?? When everyone else swam downstream, they swam upstream. ??They leaned into their core DNA at every turn and every message. ?? Their work was entertaining and memorable: they made people laugh, cry and feel something. ?? They put their heart and soul into the creative. Because that's what it's all about, right? Congratulations to all the winners. Let the journey to next year's A-List start … now. ??

Back-to-back #AdAgeAList wins is just how our clients roll. ?? Help us celebrate McKinney and VERB for landing well-deserved return spots on 2025’s Ad Age Agency A-List! ?? Here’s how they secured Standout status: ?? McKinney is leveraging the wisdom of 6 decades in the business to level up their creative, launching two of the most viral food products of 2024. McKinney also launched BrandAI, a tool that measures a brand’s market attention compared to its competitors, helping create work for their clients that demands attention, leads cultural conversations and wins consumer minds and wallets. Bravo, Joe Maglio, Bill Mattis, Lisa Hafer and team! > Full story from Brandon Doerrer: https://bit.ly/3XE5EeM ?? VERB continues to raise the bar—not just for brands, but for themselves. With exponential growth of 300% in 2024, they launched a parade of viral experiences and subversive stunts that kept audiences (and Reddit) on the edge of their seats all year long. And while co-founders Shannon Jones and Yadira Harrison have maintained VERB’s vibes-first agency culture (all client partners must pass), they entered 2025 stepping out from their “by referral only” policy and welcoming new brand clients willing to break the rules and shape culture with them.?? > More from Parker Herren here: https://bit.ly/3Fdl8jN Congratulations to all of this year’s agency winners for their hard work and impact on the #advertisingandmarketing industry ??

Will we see you at #SXSW2025? Don’t miss our Powell clients on stage for some #advertisingandmarketing ???drops. Here’s where you can find them: ↙? March 8th: Catch VERB co-founders Shannon Jones and Yadira Harrison at Brand Innovators #BISummit. Shannon will talk about building purpose-led disruptive brands and Yadira moderates a conversation on putting the IRL experience in retail. (https://bit.ly/4ktekia) ↙? March 10th: Does Your Delivery Person Know You Better Than Your SO? New York Times Advertising Global Chief Advertising Officer Joy Robins joins Instacart CMO Laura Jones to discuss how they collaborated to leverage technology and innovation to better serve customers. (https://bit.ly/4i29aYt) ↙? March 10th: Farming as Advocacy: How Black Ranchers are Making History. Join T Brand Studio’s editorial director of finance Tanisha A. Sykes for a panel on Black farmers shaping agriculture and culture, and building their own generational wealth. (https://bit.ly/4kq8uxF) ↙? March 11th: Fun fact! SXSW is the only major film festival with a music video category. If you want to learn how to make a f—-ing awesome one, hear from Hannah Lux Davis of London Alley Entertainment (https://bit.ly/41GhcAA) Anything else we should add to our agenda? Drop your must-see SXSW panels in the comments! ??

Advertising’s history is Black history. Our industry would not be as innovative, creative or effective without the contributions of Black marketers who paved the way. ???? This #BlackHistoryMonth we’re celebrating some of the pioneers who made #advertisingandmarketing and communications a space for all—one we’re proud to work in every day. ???? Tom Burrell founded Burrell Communications, one of the first marketing agencies that focused on Black consumers and currently one of the largest Black-owned agencies in the industry. Burrell built his marketing philosophy around the phrase: “Black People are not Dark-Skinned White People,” highlighting the cultural differences that made Black consumers their own unique audience. ???? Carol H. Williams was the first Black female Creative Director and Vice President at Leo Burnett. Before founding her own agency, Carol H Williams Advertising in 1986, Williams worked on accounts like Secret, creating the iconic tagline “Strong enough for a man, made for a woman.” ???? Barbara Gardner Proctor was the first Black woman in the U.S. to found her own advertising agency, Proctor & Gardner. Combining her married and maiden names, Procter built Procter & Garnder into a multimillion dollar company focusing on minority consumers. ???? Vince T. Cullers is recognized for founding the first Black-owned advertising agency in the U.S., Vince Cullers Advertising. Cullers worked to create targeted advertisements that spoke directly to Black consumers and was famous for creating the Lorriard, Inc. cigarette ad, one of the first to feature Black models with natural hair. ???? Joseph Varney Baker was the pioneer of many “firsts” in public relations. In 1934 he founded the first black-owned PR agency in the U.S., Joseph V. Baker and Associates. He was also the first Black president of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)’s Philadelphia chapter and the first Black member to gain accreditation from the society. Who would you add? Share your favorite iconic advertisements made by Black marketers in the comments! ??

Okay, adland, let’s hear it! What was your favorite #SuperBowlLIX ad and why did it hit the spot for you? ???? We kicked off gametime Sunday afternoon with a Forbes round-up featuring ?? 8 Powell clients ?? who weighed in on what makes a great Super Bowl ad, followed by coverage in Variety, ADWEEK, Digiday, Ad Age, The Drum and SHOOT Magazine / SHOOTonline. Now that you’ve digested the ads, the feedback (and the food)??? —? which brands scored big and who fumbled? Let us know in the comments ?? Cheil North America / McKinney / Barbarian / DAVID New York / DAVID Miami / Young & Laramore / My Code / Quad / GUT / Betty / REMEZCLA / Think Shift / VERB? https://bit.ly/4i9EZ1x?

What if Powell wrote #SuperBowlLIX adland headlines? ???? This year’s game might be a rematch, but our team of #advertisingandmarketing and culture experts know the real competition happens in the commercial breaks... We’ll be spending Sunday at our annual virtual watch party snacking, Slacking and breaking down all of the marketing hits, misses and thought leadership touchdowns. From celeb overload to increased emphasis on beauty and wellness, swipe for our Powell predictions ?? from Rachel Braude, Kelly Morris, Katy Hendricks, Lynsey L., Lauren Hornsby, Bernice Morquette, Tamara Joseph, Rebecca Roberts, Sarah Bertness Glawe, Emily G. Jones, Raina Danna, Maggie Gaynor, and Grace Morton. What’s your Super Bowl ad prediction? Let us know in the comments ??

? Rewind — is January already over? Swipe for the soundbites that got us talking in the first month of 2025, from… ?? Powell clients on stage at #CES2025: Deloitte Digital’s Mark Singer spoke about personalization and Gen Z while moderating a panel about navigating cultural shifts online and meeting evolving consumer needs, while New York Times Advertising’s Danielle Betras joined ADWEEK House to discuss how #advertising on the open internet is being redefined.? ? ?? More bold ideas, decisions based on long-term value and deeper, better uses of AI… our clients including GUT New York’s Lucas Bongioanni, McKinney and Barbarian’s Joe Maglio, DAVID New York’s Daniel Lobatón Morey, VERB’s Kelle Coleman, Betty’s Liz Grabek, My Code’s Damian Benders, London Alley Entertainment’s Walter May and T Brand Studio’s Raquel Bubar shared their 2025 predictions for #advertisingandmarketing and #creativity with Ad Age (stories linked in comments ??) ?? Our own COO and CFO Lisa Chiovaro shared Powell’s #remotework philosophy with The Drum and why, “like Fleetwood Mac, we’re Never Going Back Again.” What’s something you read or heard this month that stuck with you? Please share in the comments!

There’s nothing we love more than seeing our clients get the recognition they deserve… Bravo to verb.'s Shannon Jones and Yadira Harrison—ADWEEK's Experiential Executives of the Year!! ???????? From A-List to Adweek, it’s been a steady drumbeat (including winning The Drum Awards’ President’s Award) of wins for Verb this year, and it couldn’t be more well deserved. You’ve seen their work. We’ve seen their hustle, heart and incredible growth since day 1. ?? So as we say at Powell, BIG UPS to our friends Shannon and Yadira and the entire Verb team. Sweeping award season looks good on you. ?? ? Congrats to all of this year’s winners ?? https://bit.ly/3VIN1oZ