Category: MGA

Julin, Smith Shut Down MGA Communications

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Jeff Julin, president of MGA Communications, announced today that he and Cricket Smith, MGA’s executive vice president, have closed the firm.

“MGA had a terrific run as a nationally recognized, award-winning communications firm. Its programs for the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, led by MGA Chairman Mike Gaughan, were of particular note in what they achieved in community engagement and helping bring the site partners and community together on the clean-up solution,” Julin said.

He added, “We were also blessed with numerous incredibly talented people through the years that help the firm achieve what we did for our many great clients.”

Julin is forming a consultancy that will focus on development, analysis and assessment of communication and engagement programs.

MGA Announces 8 New Clients

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MGA Communications has added eight new clients: Better Business Bureau of Denver/Boulder, City and County of Denver Financial Empowerment Centers program, Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council, Crescent Point Energy, Jefferson Center for Mental Health, McKinstry, National Flag Football – Colorado and the GLBT Community Center of Colorado.

MGA is providing a variety of work to the clients, including marketing and promotions, media relations, crisis consultation, research, and strategic planning.

Denver Agency Wins

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MGA Campaign Named One of the Best of the Decade

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Congratulations to Denver’s MGA Communications and its client Rocky Mountain Arsenal, which were named one of the top five public relations campaigns of the past decade by the Holmes Report. MGA President Jeff Julin said, “We are so pleased to have our clients and their programs recognized by our peers. We realize how fortunate we are to have clients who give us the opportunity to partner with them on programs that have a positive impact on the community.”

The four other campaigns recognized were:

  • Ketchum and Frito-Lay for encouraging customers to create a SuperBowl ad for Doritos.
  • Liz Claiborne and its agency Patrice Tanaka & Company (now part of CRT/tanaka) for their long-running Women’s Work cause-related marketing program.
  • The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide for The Heart Truth campaign and its introduction of the Red Dress icon.
  • Fleishman-Hillard and its support of SBC Communications, Yahoo! and Cingular Wireless for their efforts to help individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

2010 Denver PR Predictions – Jeff Julin

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By Jeff Julin
President, MGA Communications

  • It will still be economy, economy, economy and budgets will be tight. Creating public relations programs
    with value tied to productivity and profitability will be critical.
  • Social media will not be all the rage, it will be required. Social media is becoming an integral part of most programs and will join the other list of public relations tactics expected from our profession. The focus for this next phase needs to be on developing organizational social media engagement policies, clear integrated strategies and measurement processes linked to business goals.
  • Mobile technology is moving to center stage in communication. Speed and true 24/7 connectivity and will create incredible opportunities for developing and enhancing relationships with our target audiences. The smart use and development of applications will be a valuable capability to add to our public relations arsenal.
  • In-person exchanges, special events, community meetings, etc. are not becoming obsolete, but rather more important, in part, because of the wide-spread use of technology. We need to use both wisely.
  • User-generated content is foundational to the internet. However, actions like the FTC rule requiring bloggers to reveal when they have been paid in some way for blogging about a product or company may start a trend toward more transparency and validation about information posted on the web. Perhaps there is a future for editors, let’s hope so.
  • Online advertising is no longer about a simple click through. There will be increasing incentives offered to motivate people to click on the ad. Coupons anyone?
  • Survey Monkey is making everyone a researcher – public relations/ communications professionals should become the gate keepers of the validity of the information.

MGA, Cattlemen’s Association Win Silver Anvils

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The national PRSA finally posted the list of 2009 Silver Anvil winners, and there are two Denver connections. Denver-based MGA won a Silver Anvil in the Events and Observances category for its campaign “Refuge Roundup 2008 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge,” and Centennial-based National Cattlemen’s Beef Association won in the Issues Management category for its campaign “Better Safe & Savory Than Sorry.”

Additionally, Linhart PR received a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for its work with Rudi’s Organic Bakery.

Denver Post Q&A with PRSA/MGA’s Jeff Julin

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This morning’s Denver Post has a Q&A with Jeff Julin, president of Denver-based MGA and currently chairman of PRSA. Credit reporter Steve Raabe for asking some tough questions about how the public relations industry is perceived and why PRSA has been accused of staying on the sidelines in the Edleman/Wal-Mart debacle. Unfortunately, in the abbreviated Q&A format, the responses are mostly just sound bites.