Setting the Tone in Little Havana

RockOrange is at the forefront of a cultural and creative resurgence, and it’s all taking place within blocks of our new home in Miami’s Little Havana. Just months following our move to a 17,000-square-foot creative campus in the heart of the historic neighborhood, we unveiled a new street art mural by local artist Daniel Fila, better known as Krave, setting the visual tone for the new “LiHa.”

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Little Havana has seen a recent rise to prominence led by increased commercial and residential development, a thriving arts scene, cuisine and nightlife.

Our agency founders Miguel Piedra and David Naranjo, both Miami natives, had headquartered in the corporate suites of Blue Lagoon during the agency’s first three years (RockOrange was formed in 2013). The pair of Cuban-Americans, both raised in Miami, moved their headquarters to the area in 2016.

Last week, Krave, Miguel and David held a Facebook Live event showing everyone around the new jewel of LiHa. Check it out:

The mural, adorning the side of RockOrange’s headquarters, is a unique work of art reflecting the culture of a uniquely American area using familiar imagery: a Miami Metro Mover; a cigar-smoking gentleman wearing a panama hat; the renowned Cuban-America salsa performer, Celia Cruz; and Krave’s signature character, The Fresh Monkey. In a city where all neighborhoods come to be known by nicknames, six-foot-tall letters span the top of the mural spell out the word “LiHa,” cementing Little Havana’s new moniker.

Question Time with “The Rock”

The “Rock” in RockOrange, agency principal Miguel Piedra sat down with Bulldog Reporter to answer questions about his life as a PR professional.

Click through to read Miguel’s PR PROfile and find out what got him interested in a career in PR, his favorite journalist to work with, what he thinks the most misunderstood thing is about PR and the best thing about working at RockOrange.

 

RockOrange Part of Team Recognized for Helping Broker Peace Between World’s Biggest Burger Chains

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Last Tuesday, the prestigious Cannes Lion Awards, considered by many the gold standard for industry recognition in advertising, twice recognized the McWhopper campaign, ideated by Young & Rubicam New Zealand.

As part of RockOrange’s ongoing relationship with Burger King, our team was recognized for its work to deliver a robust issue management process just in case the call for peace didn’t go according to plan. RockOrange also worked closely with Burger King’s other agencies on marketing ideation and materials review.

The Grand Prix awards, won in the media and print & publishing categories, went for the revolutionary campaign that saw Burger King bring competitors to the table to put aside their petty differences and raise money for the cause of peace.

“I think our Grand Prix reflects so much of what it good about the industry,” said jury president Nick Waters, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific, in an interview with AdWeek. “This is a case of a big brand. And big brands sometimes find it difficult to move quickly. This is a case of a big brand taking on an even bigger competitor, moving quickly, being bold, acting within the brand, acting cheekily, reacting to events, bringing consumers in.”

The campaign began with an open letter to McDonalds CEO Steve Easterbrook, offering an olive branch in the form of a shared burger in honor of Peace Day. The burger would use ingredients from both McDonalds Quarter Pounder sandwich and Burger King’s Whopper sandwich. The chains would meet in Atlanta—a midway point between the brands’ respective headquarters in Illinois and Miami—and open a McWhopper pop-up, with proceeds going to Peace One Day, a non-profit organization dedicating to spreading peace.

And while archrival McDonalds refused Burger King’s overtures, other fast casual and quick service restaurant brands like Denny’s, Wayback Burger, Krystal and Giraffas all opted into the campaign, successfully creating the Peace Whopper.

This is far from the first recognition for RockOrange, which earned a nod for PR News’ ‘Facebook PR Campaign of the Year’ in April, and was named ‘New Agency of the Year’ by the Bulldog Reporter and The Holmes Report in 2014.

The Cannes Lion Grand Prix awards were accepted by Young & Rubicam New Zealand, who conceived the campaign. Agency partners Code & Theory, Alison Brod Public Relations and The David Agency were recognized as well.

Happy Holidays featuring Adelf

While we’re always working to deliver solid, fresh ideas for our clients, one of the best parts of the holiday season is that we get to have a little bit of fun thinking out of the box for our more festive projects.

This year, once again, we wanted to share some humor and holiday joy with you, our friends and clients that have made 2015 such an incredible year for us. In our first year, our Elf on the Shelf came to life. Last year, our Elf showed you how to take an Elfie. And this year, we’re excited to bring you… ADELF.

We had a lot of fun producing this parody — but we went the extra mile and held a Fresh Ideas Challenge among our RockStars, too. Everyone took key scenes from the video and created some pretty funny memes. It was a true roller coaster of emotion — from the awkward, to the heartbreaking, to the hilarious. Take a look below!

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Join in on the fun by making some memes of your own and use #AdelfontheShelf!

 

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10 Ways to Rock It in PR, by a Pro in the Know

By JEANETTE NARANJO

I’m writing this on a plane bound for Washington, DC as I prepare to accept the Rising PR Stars 30 & Under Award from PR NEWS. I’m incredibly excited and humbled (thank you again, PR NEWS!) The team at my agency RockOrange, thought it would be a good idea for me to share a positive top 10 list of advice for millennials and other aspiring PR pros.

I don’t have every answer, but I know what’s worked for me, and maybe it’ll work for you!

1.  Always answer the phone… on the first ring!

There’s no better way to learn the job than being on the front lines. And in our business, the front lines are the phone lines. Be eager to grab incoming calls, and take the time to really listen. Lessons can be learned from the most surprising people.

2.  Show up early, stay late. First in, last out.

Whether it is with your time, or in the way you dress or speak, show your dedication to your teammates and your boss that you are aspiring for the job you want, not the job you have.

3.  Always ask questions.

Something can be learned from everyone you meet. You should think before you speak, but never be afraid to ask when you do not know—the risk will outweigh a mistake down the road. People that sit quietly on the sidelines and never ask questions don’t have the answers. They’re just scared to speak up.

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4.  You’re only as good as your team.

Trust in them, and let them trust in you. Help elevate them, put them in a position to succeed. It’s good practice for being a leader one day.

5.  Always be a team player

This sometimes may mean doing things you don’t want to do (including riding in the trunk, if you are the smallest member on the team!) Collaboration is key to taking ideas and building them into something even bigger and better!

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6.  Learn everyone’s name.

At RockOrange we share a building with our largest client. During my first few months with the agency, I made it a point to have a personal conversation with everyone I could—not just the executives and decision-makers, but cleaning crews, custodians, security, lunch crew, interns and everyone else. Along with just being a nice thing to do, it’s also a strategic advantage that cannot be quantified.

7.  Do the stuff no one else wants to do.

If you do it now and don’t complain, you won’t have to do it for long. It’s the nature of agency life.

8.  Embrace new challenges.

Not in a fortune cookie kind of way, but in a real, I’m-too-petrified-to-even-think-about-doing-this kind of way. Take challenges and learn from them to grow.

9.  Don’t let yourself be pigeonholed.

Be open to diversifying your skills. It will open more doors for you in future career opportunities.

10.  Most importantly, have fun!

We could have chosen to do a lot of things with our professional lives, but we picked this field. There’s a reason. At the end of the day, we’re passionate about this work and we enjoy doing it!

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RockOrange and Our Partners at Cotton, Inc. Win PR News’ Agency Elite Award

We are excited to announce that RockOrange and our partners at Cotton Inc. have won PR News’ Agency Elite Awards for our SOLID and FRESH work for Cotton’s 24-Hour Runway Show, where we set a Guinness World Record for the World’s Longest Fashion Show.

From the pitch to the runway, we worked with Cotton Inc. to elevate their signature program, Cotton’s 24-Hour Runway Show on Miami Beach’s Ocean Drive. We created a multi-pronged strategy for the fashion show that increased live-stream viewership and generated 636 media hits, representing a 479% increase in coverage from the previous year and reaching an audience of 579 million viewers. Cotton’s 24-Hour Runway Show was featured on national outlets including Good Morning America, E! News, Extra, and many more.

The PR News’ Agency Elite Awards salute the year’s most outstanding communicators, initiatives and organizations that set benchmarks of excellence in client PR efforts. We are honored to be among the list of recipients that were recognized at the Platinum PR Awards & Agency Elite Awards luncheon on October 26 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. Please see the complete list of this year’s winners here.

Bringing Crisis Communication Expertise to PR News’ Digital PR Conference

RockOrange Managing Partner and Principal, Miguel Piedra, co-hosted an interactive clinic titled ‘How to Manage an Escalating Crisis in Real Time’ at the PR News’ Digital PR Conference. The conference brought more than 700 public relations professionals from across the country and different industries to South Beach, Miami in early June.

Miguel along with Cynthia Martinez, director of global corporate communications for Royal Caribbean Cruises provided an overview of crisis situations they managed. News goes viral in a matter of minutes, and how a company handles a crisis may determine their long-term business survival.

Miguel has been handling crises for a variety of clients throughout his career, but even though these clients have differed in their fields, the same key ingredients have been at the core of managing each occurrence.

Crisis management goes beyond issuing a statement and going on a major broadcast network. Miguel provided five key takeaways that are essential in a crisis management plan.

1.  Have the Right People, Right Setup

At the start of a crisis, the organization needs to create a dedicated crisis team comprised of a multi-disciplined taskforce — from operations, to social media, to communications — to address the problem from every angle. In this taskforce, you establish who the leader is and create separate workstreams.

2.  Be Transparent

When managing a crisis, it is important to give the company a face — for example, have the CEO take responsibility publicly. What stakeholders want at this time is accountability from the person who will solve it. Don’t blame others. You will also need to apologize — sometimes even more than you think you need to. And more importantly, you need to provide tangible actions and solutions.

3.  Be Authentic

It’s important to tell the brand story and provide experience to emphasize the brand messages. This builds equity and insulates you when crisis occurs.

In addition, you must provide faces and stories. Deal with the issue head-on. You need to be real and honest — no phrases, no bare figures.

4.  Be Fast

In crisis communications, it’s critical to decide on activities fast. You have to decide on activities quickly and put out statements within hours, not days. However, you can issue a holding statement until you know all the details and facts. Don’t hurry to issue a statement without all the information. The long-term success of your brand will be determined how well you fulfill promises you make.

5.  Address the Real Issue

You need to be brutally honest with yourself and define exactly what is the root of the problem and address it. It’s simple: don’t focus on who is to blame, focus on the solution. Acknowledging and proactively owning up to it is a step in the right direction.

Iconic brands have survived corporate crises and lived to tell the tale, but there are far too many brands that have failed to recover from these types of crises due to failures of leadership, communication, awareness, or all of the above. You have the right ingredients to handle the unthinkable — now it’s up to you to use them well and get your client to fight another day.

Billboard Shines a Spotlight on Miguel Piedra & David Naranjo

Our very own “Rock” and “Orange” — agency principals and managing partners Miguel Piedra and David Naranjo — spoke to Billboard about some of the work we do best: connecting celebrities to brands (and brands to celebrities) through multi-channel marketing campaigns, tailor-made digital strategies, and by taking traditional and non-traditional public relations initiatives to a new level.

Miguel and David shared some of the wisdom they’ve acquired over their careers with Billboard’s Angie Romero, chatting about everything from their journey to launch the agency, to some of the mistakes major brands make when talking to consumers. The article highlights some of our major and most successful projects, including the launch of Macy’s Thalia Sodi collection, Cotton’s 24 Hour Runway Show and the launch of Gloria Estefan’s 27th album, The Standards.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE!

Next Stop: The United Nations

It is our privilege to announce that RockOrange’s Miguel Piedra and David Naranjo have been exclusively selected to be official delegates at the 2nd Annual Media for Social Impact Summit, taking place at the United Nations this Friday. They’ll join some of the brightest minds in media and senior U.N. executives at the summit in New York, bringing their expertise in public relations, marketing and entertainment.

We’re truly honored to have Miguel and David attend this exclusive gathering on behalf of RockOrange! The summit, which is organized by the U.N. Office for Partnerships and the PVBLIC Foundation, showcases innovative campaigns through keynotes, interviews, case studies and roundtables, and will be an invaluable opportunity for us to exchange ideas and best practices with other delegates. But it’s also much more than that — it is the perfect chance for us to share and discuss insights regarding pressing global issues that affect us all.

We look forward to sharing Miguel and David’s experiences after the event!

Lilly Pulitzer: Simultaneously Hitting and Missing the Target

By Miguel Piedra

Target was hoping its latest designer collection launch, Lilly Pulitzer, would drop without a hitch. Instead, the collaboration between the big box retailer and brightly colored fashion label was more reminiscent of another Target tog team-up.

Remember back in 2011 when high-end Italian house Missoni launched a Target line? Back then, the retailer — which earned its spot atop the big box brand zeitgeist through sharp purchasing choices that allow it to appear just un-Walmart enough to retain chic cred — failed to stock its shelves with enough product to satisfy the out of control demand. Target.com crashed, items sold out and some stores weren’t stocked.

Fast forward this past Sunday when the Pulitzer-frenzy caused people to line up outside of Target’s across the country in a scene that seemed more Black Friday than April Sunday.

Within 3-5 minutes, the Pulitzer collection was sold out both in store and online, with many calling it more of a “flash sale” where consumers fought for the West Palm Beach designer’s signature shift dresses, swimsuits, home décor, etc. a la Hunger Games.

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The retailer garnered tons of press prior to the collection’s launch, building anticipation with its television commercials featuring celebrities, its social media campaign, and a remarkable activation at Bryant Park in New York last week. All this hype and yet many consumers were not able to purchase items. This type of bad experience tends to alienate consumers, and social media only helps to amplify their concerns.

Social media gives disappointed and angry consumers a microphone. Research indicates that customers typically tell twice as many people about a bad experience with customer service than they do about a good one.

The hashtag #LillyforTarget trended on Twitter on Sunday – both with positive and negative commentary. Consumers complained about Target’s website and how it had slowed down and crashed temporarily. They shared photos of empty racks at Target and the long lines they endured. To add insult to injury, many of the items became available on eBay for twice the price in a few hours.

When you look at the numbers, it was a success, not to mention all the great PR the brand is getting these days, but Target may have sacrificed customer satisfaction. It increases sales and it also continues to solidify Target’s cool, trendy and affordable positioning.

Target spokesman Joshua Thomas told Fortune in an e-mailed statement: “Due to heavy traffic, we experienced slowness to our site, resulting in an inconsistent experience for our guests. We realize there is an extreme amount of excitement around this collaboration, and we apologize for any disappointment this may have caused our guests.”

The question to be asked is: Do programs like this one, which create social relevance, end up alienating consumers? If so, will fewer shoppers brave the madness for the next Target collaboration, simply to avoid the disappointment?

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