Pitch Perfect: Four Tips to Get the Media to Use Your Pitch

It’s a technique that’s been used for years by public relations firms and marketing companies: pitch a news story idea or subject matter expert to a media outlet in the hopes that they’ll talk with and/or about your client in a positive light. It’s a proven method for helping to shape the public’s (or the Read More

What does the Media want in Times of Crisis?

The sudden onset of the coronavirus pandemic this spring caught most business owners and organizational leaders by surprise. Seemingly overnight, they were forced to make very important decisions, including how to keep their employees and volunteers working, whether to remain open to the public, and, in some cases, whether or not to trim payroll through Read More

Communicating in a Crisis

In these uncertain times, the news on the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is changing by the hour.  New cases are announced, new borders are closed, and new health precautions are enacted. Terms like “social distancing” and “quarantine” have become mainstream, while home schooling has an entirely new definition as many schools have closed their doors in Read More

Coronavirus and Crisis Communications

By Andy Likes, Senior Vice President at The Vandiver Group in St. Louis, Missouri As global anxiety grows over the quick spread of a strain of coronavirus, or COVID-19, we seem to forget we’ve been here before. While coronavirus is a new (novel) respiratory illness, that can be both serious and deadly, the threat of global Read More

Why is Corporate Reputation So Important?

Corporate Reputation By Donna Vandiver, President & CEO At TVG we do a lot of crisis communications work, so we are constantly assessing the damage a crisis can do to a client’s reputation and image. Why is Corporate Reputation So Important? November 14th, 2017Heather James

The Reality of Crisis Communications

The Reality of Crisis Communications By Andy Likes, TVG Vice President Throughout my 20+ years in broadcast journalism and public relations, unfortunately I’ve seen my share of crisis issues. They happen every single day. I tell my crisis communications training classes that it’s not a matter of “if” a crisis happens, but “when.” The Reality Read More

Want a New Perspective? Take a Trip!

Want a New Perspective? Take a Trip! By Laura Vandiver, TVG Vice President of Research and Strategic Insight I love learning about other cultures—it’s the cultural anthropologist in me. So when I was given the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica in November to meet with some of our national and international public relations partners, Read More

How a Lack of Communication Became a Major Fumble for the Rams

How a Lack of Communication Became a Major Fumble for the Rams By Andy Likes, TVG Vice President Like it or not, Stan Kroenke, his Rams franchise and the NFL are squarely in the middle of a crisis—and it’s all due to a lack of communication. When Kroenke purchased the majority ownership of the Rams Read More