Great ads and media plans earn awareness, preference, wry smiles and countless awards. Big deal? Yes, when all that attention gets the results you want for your business.

NPR’s Ky Ryssdal says, “Brand is everything.” That must be because without a clear market position, engaging personality and compelling message, the world will not beat a path to your door. Just ask Ky.

Bad things happen. Questions and rumors swirl. You can’t control everything but you can plan for crises, prepare your organization and manage your response in thoughtful ways. Your job is to be honest and forthright and also to protect the brand.

Steve Jobs was right, design without strategy is just veneer. For Finn Partners, your message shines in any medium because all we do is informed by research, smart thinking and brilliant design, IOHO.

Press releases and news conferences? That was old school. Today’s media relations are relationships, feeding and caring, understanding what the reporter needs to turn a blank paper into a front-page story. “Extra! Extra!”

Research has fundamentally changed in the last 10 years. Factor in the Internet, changing political landscapes, consumer behavior trends and businesses demanding ROI and measurement. Big data or small data, quantitative or qualitative, it all matters to make informed decisions with confidence.

Ten years ago, there was no such thing as social media. Imagine that! Imagine how much we all have learned in just 10 years.