Who do we think we are?
O'Malley Hansen Communications infuses the high quality of big firm work with the focused client service and cutting-edge strategy that only a nimble, independently owned public relations agency can offer.
We are a team of professionals who create positive conversations and dynamic programs to ensure that our clients are heard clearly, consistently – and regularly.
We are collaborators who understand that building a brand or establishing a reputation takes incredible discipline and passion…and that’s where we step in to help.
We are connectors who believe that brand and reputational equity is built by endorsement from a range of influencers who receive information from many sources.
We are communicators who appreciate that to be successful, you need to clearly delineate who you want to be, judiciously identify who needs to hear from you and deftly uncover the best methods to communicate.
We are strategists who understand that people know about you what you tell them – repeatedly – and build the goodwill of the people who matter to you.
OHC is an agency of record for Wells Fargo, a leading financial services company. Our team leads public relations and influencer marketing for the Fortune 100 company’s Credit Cards & Merchant Services division – the top growth engine for the company. Our partnership includes media relations, executive thought leadership, event execution, consumer campaigns, media influencer management, and product launches, and directly supports Wells Fargo’s internal marketing and public relations teams.
OHC had the opportunity to raise the profile of the iconic Sara Lee brand by developing holistic strategies and programs, growing awareness, and impacting the bottom line for its Bakery, Deli, and Sweet Goods brands. The secret to our success was due to one thing: understanding our clients’ varying and diverse needs. This understanding allowed us to develop effective and comprehensive programs – including many award winners – utilizing every opportunity with one outcome in mind: making Sara Lee’s regional and national brands THE choice for our key audiences. Our integrated communications campaigns delivered – whether we were engaging moms about whole grain nutrition through first-of-its-kind blogger summits, making them laugh with Second City to discover new deli meats, or introducing pound cake lovers to a new holiday. In addition, our role included every aspect of communications including corporate reputation and issues management, employee engagement, social/digital strategy, marketing communications, events, consumer marketing, and nutrition communication prior to its acquisition by Tyson.
When HanesBrands established itself as a stand-alone company in 2006, we became a fully integrated partner to its corporate communications team. We led projects in proactive and reactive media relations, innovation communications, investor relations, internal communications, issues management, crisis communications, product/innovation launches, corporate social responsibility, and social media. In addition, OHC functioned as liaison between communication functions in Latin American manufacturing areas, as well as managing a network of affiliated partners to provide on-the-ground support, including media relations, advertising, employee communications, and community outreach. We provided communication plans for company culture building and executive strategy, supported milestones, business announcements, awards, and recognition, conducted ongoing research and counsel on business best practices, and prepared its executive team with review of earnings call documents and pre-call rehearsals for more than a decade of quarterly calls.
PepsiCo’s product portfolio, supply chain, and distribution network – as well as its best-in-class research and development and innovation expertise – provides an exceptional opportunity to help combat many of the world’s largest nutrition challenges. The PepsiCo Nutrition team wanted to tell its story to key health influencers. OHC helped build relationships with key influencers at the International Congress of Nutrition held in Bangkok, Thailand, and assisted in raising awareness about the company’s commitment to improving the nutrition profile for citizens around the world. We provided direct support and counsel to its registered dietitians and nutrition team in advance of their participation in the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics annual conference (FNCE) and the Mayo Clinic Conference on Obesity. Additionally, we assisted with employee engagement for the global nutrition team and managed projects aimed at external stakeholder and influencer engagement.
Tyson Foodservice Teams and Tyson Convenience hold key roles as thought leaders in their industries through an extended relationship with OHC, who partnered with the company following the acquisition of Sara Lee. Our comprehensive support included trade media relations announcing new products and trends, innovation, marketing initiatives and branding, channel news, and subject expertise, along with PR and marketing materials development, and operator and sales team communications. We also led social media support, creating content across channels, and provided trade show support.
The venerable Energizer battery maker connects its brand to its customers through multiple channels and OHC supported many of these efforts during a multi-decade engagement. We brought the message of the Energizer Bunny into the homes of millions of Americans, launched him on social media and made him larger than life as a Hot “Hare” Balloon. We created the Keep Going Hall of Fame to honor everyday people for the energy and perseverance they show in their daily lives. We established enduring partnerships with renowned organizations like Susan G. Komen, One Million Lights, Habitat for Humanity, the National Park Foundation, and more. Our longstanding campaign with the International Association of Fire Chiefs leveraged the annual daylight-saving time change to remind consumers to replace the batteries in their smoke/carbon monoxide detectors. “Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery” generated billions of media impressions and more importantly, saved lives. Using a steady mix of traditional outreach and cause marketing, we helped raise awareness of the benefits of the Energizer brand and demonstrated its commitment to social responsibility.
Charter Communications is America’s fastest-growing TV, internet, and voice company and OHC acted as an extension of its internal communications team for numerous employee communications initiatives, including assisting with the onboarding of employees during the merger with Time Warner Cable, which resulted in Charter becoming the nation’s second largest cable company. We also redesigned and worked closely with Human Resources to roll out the company’s new employee orientation process, The Charter Download. We developed the strategy to engage and excite employees for the launch of the company’s TV App as well as the launch of the Spectrum brand. We helped with the restructuring of its intranet and developing new content, as well as creating a dashboard for reporting intranet metrics to executives.
Appliance maker SharkNinja has disrupted every category it has entered. During a long-standing relationship, we helped create an industry leader through integrated marketing, brand positioning, product launches, media/influencer relations, event planning/coordination, issues management, and social and digital management. In 2015, we assisted the Ninja brand enter a new category – coffee – with immediate success. Our agency was awarded three industry awards for the launch, including Gold SABRE Award finalist in the Consumer Marketing (New Product) category, Platinum PR Awards finalist in the Product Launch category, and a winner in the PR News’ Agency Elite Awards in the Product Launch category.
While raising awareness and establishing Turkish Airlines as the top international travel choice for U.S. travelers, we created and executed the most successful U.S. PR campaign in the airline’s history. Top-tier national placements resulted in more than one billion impressions and marked the first time Turkish Airlines had coverage in major mainstream media and key television outlets, enabling the airline to become a highly recognized brand among key targets, including affluent and influential travelers. Through our branding efforts, media outreach, PR support, and event management, we increased Turkish Airlines’ brand visibility, contributing to the expansion of their U.S. network.
Conagara boasts some of the most recognizable and innovative names in foodservice, from Slim Jim to Vlassic to Orville Redenbacher’s and more. We reached out to key journalists and publications to offer Conagra’s leadership as thought leaders in the snacking space and generate awareness for new products at key tradeshows like NACS, Expo West, and Summer Fancy Food Show.
The Climate Corporation creates technologies that transform field data into meaningful insights that help farmers. OHC has helped Climate tell its unique story by assisting with a variety of projects to support its business and serve as an extension of its communications team. Climate has leveraged our extensive agricultural background to research and deliver opportunities for both mainstream and agricultural media. We regularly conduct in-depth media training sessions with Climate team members to prepare them for trade shows and upcoming interview opportunities. We have also developed comprehensive tracking and reporting documents to monitor media coverage for Climate and delivered in-depth, highly customized quarterly reports and analysis.
The Center for Food Integrity called on OHC to produce an educational video series to help their target audiences better understand the benefits and safety of biotech crops. We conducted extensive research with mom bloggers, retail registered dietitians, and industry experts to identify the biggest and most common questions. We then linked influential moms with experts who were able to translate the science in an approachable way to acknowledge confusion and directly address concerns. The five-part video series, which included topics such as health, environment, and farming, was supported through a strategic distribution plan that included promoting the videos via owned channels, employee ambassadors, industry partners, large and active communities of professionals and moms, trackable paid integrations with Facebook and YouTube In-Search, and In-Display Ads.
New Wave Foods is the creator of New Wave Shrimp – a delicious, plant-based protein that helps restaurant operators “widen the plate” with a unique offering that is versatile, on-trend, healthy, and sustainable. OHC engages restaurant operators through trade media placements and thought leadership positioning.
Stäubli is a leading global manufacturer of textile machinery, quick release couplings, and robotics systems. They are present in 29 countries and supported by a distribution network in 50 countries worldwide. OHC helped Stäubli North America raise the brand’s profile and name recognition across a variety of industrial manufacturing sectors in the U.S. and reinforced the company’s 125-plus-year legacy of quality, innovation, and safety. Support for Stäubli included case study and success story pitching, trade show support, new product outreach, social media management, thought leadership, and content development.
Fortune Brands Home and Security (now separated into Fortune Brands Innovations and Masterbrand) is a leader in the home products industry. OHC supported the company in multiple ways since its establishment as an independent company in 2011. We helped design and roll-out a mobile communications application to its team of 26,000 associates as well as provided internal and external communications support for many initiatives including acquisitions, corporate social responsibility efforts, business initiatives, and issues management. We also provided counsel for its investor and government relations efforts.
Tacony Corporation is a third-generation family-owned business that specializes in the distribution, manufacturing, and marketing of products in sewing, home floor, and commercial floor care industries. As Tacony’s agency of record we provide a broad range of communication support including executive positioning, employee engagement, national and local media outreach, and social media.
The Playtex brand team counted on OHC to provide creative thinking and strategic marketing counsel for product launches and portfolio support. Our work included organizing and executing fashion showroom events, proactive media outreach, and securing influencer partnerships to generate buzz and drive product sales with retailers like Macy’s and Kohl’s. Our creative work has resulted in numerous industry awards including PRSA’s coveted Silver Anvil Award for Integrated Communications in 2014.
The iconic Wonderbra brand engaged OHC to help them lift brand awareness among lingerie enthusiast millennials. Our work focused on launching new styles every quarter through mass retailer-focused initiatives, social media community management and advertising, and fashion media engagement through proactive outreach and NYC showroom events. Our team also partnered with fashion influencers and lingerie experts to generate buzz and drive trial through #OOTD (outfit of the day) posts, product giveaways and national TV style segments.
The Bali bra brand team relied on OHC to help women “Live Beautifully Daily” by educating fashion influencers and media about their bra and shapewear portfolio. Our team drove consistent coverage and social buzz by working closely with the brand and their partners to execute integrated marketing programs. From supporting seasonal product launches to CSR partnerships to hosting exclusive influencer and media immersion events, our team secured high-profile print, TV, and online placements with the industry’s leading experts and most trusted fashion advisors.
Build-A-Bear Workshop is an iconic, interactive stuffed animal retail experience and, as a longtime partner, we opened more than 25 retail stores including its 22,000-square-foot flagship store in New York City. We also helped launch impactful CSR initiatives like the Huggable Heroes program, designed to recognize kids who were working to make life better for others by shining a spotlight on budding philanthropists. Stuffed with Hugs, another CSR program, partnered with organizations like the USO, UNICEF, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and the American Red Cross to provide teddy bears to children around the globe in need of a hug. Our CSR initiatives served as a catalyst to drive interest and awareness in Build-A-Bear’s stores and store openings, raised the profile of the brand, and drove home the message that Build-A-Bear Workshop cares about the communities in which they operate.
When California Pizza Kitchen unveiled new inside and outside décor and menu as the “Next Chapter” makeover of its restaurant locations in Chicago and St. Louis, OHC conducted outreach to local and trade media. To celebrate the brand’s 30th anniversary during the National Restaurant Association Show, we generated coverage about these markets, being among the first in the country to convert to the new look as part of a nationwide brand refresh.
The grocer Save-A-Lot Food Stores challenged us with generating excitement and awareness around five store openings on the south side of Chicago – an area with little access to affordable, healthy food. We focused on educating and involving local leaders to understand the vibrant role strong supermarkets play in a community, the importance of healthy eating, and the Save-A-Lot point of difference. These leaders reached out to their community, which complemented a local media relations strategy to extend awareness and drive traffic to local stores.
Pet care and nutrition company Compana Pet Brands has engaged O’Malley Hansen for multiple programs, from vlogger campaigns to drive trial of pet products to producing a digital video series with their Equine partner to raise awareness of the company’s cause initiatives. We led media outreach for the company’s rebranding to Compana from Manna Pro. We have supported its Poultry division extensively with their strategy to target the untapped and growing population of urban and suburban backyard chicken owners in the U.S., helping to establish and grow their interactive online community, City Yolks, by creating brand guides and social content and launching their non-GMO line of feed. Additionally, we managed long-term partnerships with several “chick-fluencers” across the country to promote their wide-range of products, educate chicken enthusiasts and demonstrate the joy of raising chickens in non-rural environments.
OHC was engaged to increase dog and cat owners’ awareness of Royal Canin’s Veterinary Diets, a segment of the brand that had not actively participated in consumer marketing before. O’Malley Hansen executed the consumer launch of the CALM veterinary diet, as well as supported several other pet foods in the portfolio, via influencer and traditional media engagement. We also managed the brand’s partnership with top pet behaviorist Steve Dale, supervising a satellite media tour and the development of educational videos for consumer and trade use, as well as radio spots.
O’Malley Hansen has worked with Feeders Pet Supply to highlight its competitive advantages over big box online retailers as well as their new branded products. We created a campaign that literally “shredded” the competition, inviting pet owners to collect excess cardboard boxes from their Amazon and Chewy purchases to repurpose as bedding for local rescue animals and receive a coupon for a free home delivery from the local store. We also supported the launch of their private label pet diet brand in their priority markets, focusing on partnerships with social media pet and lifestyle influencers.
From its humble beginnings as a local sausage manufacturer to an industry leader with a portfolio of meat snacks, Old Wisconsin turned to O’Malley Hansen to celebrate its milestone 75-year anniversary to generate consumer brand awareness and tout its reputation regionally and within the industry. Through behind-the-scenes facility tours, executive sit-down interviews, custom media mailers, and live broadcast features focusing on the manufacturing process, top products or recipes to make using the product, OHC was able to secure over 60 placements totaling 308 million impressions in a five-month timeframe – all from earned outreach. This included front-of-page features in publications like The Sheboygan Press and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, spreads in top trades like The National Provisioner, Meat+Poultry, and Meatingplace in addition to dozens of broadcasts appearances around Wisconsin like CBS Milwaukee, FOX Milwaukee, and NBC Green Bay – all highlighting the people, culture, products, and legacy of Old Wisconsin.
SunButter Jammies, the frozen, crustless, nutless, sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches, brought in OHC to spread the word of the growing need for alternative lunchbox options. After building a messaging platform rooted in the market’s need and opportunity for the product, we positioned the Jammies story to key influencers in the trade space. We also connected with allergy parent influencers who could give the brand a direct line into allergy households.
When family-owned Cincinnati ice cream icon United Dairy Farmers was ready to introduce Main Avenue Creamery, its first new brand in 40 years and first super-premium brand ever, it engaged O’Malley Hansen to manage the media launch strategy and execution. We coordinated outreach in priority markets throughout Ohio and Michigan, securing top tier local coverage from outlets like Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Business Courier, Cincinnati Magazine, Grand Rapids Magazine, Traverse City Record-Eagle, FOX Good Day Columbus, and ABC Cincy Lifestyle. In addition to earned traditional media, we targeted food influencers in Ohio markets and secured earned coverage with a dozen influencers raving about the product. In total, we secured 70+ placements with nearly 200 million impressions within a three-month timeframe. We also worked with the local mayor’s office to proclaim an official “Main Avenue Creamery Day.”
Our partnership with Borden Dairy focused on programs designed to engage consumers and drive home this message: when consumers choose Borden products, all proceeds go right back to hardworking dairy farmers. Our initiatives included in-store events, recipe contests, satellite media tours, trade and consumer media relations, and influencer engagement. As part of our campaign to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Borden brand, we engaged some of the original “Borden Boys” – the young men who helped take care of the cows during the 1939 World’s Fair exhibit – to deliver historical donations to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. and the New York Historical Society. Elsie the Cow, Borden’s iconic mascot, joined the celebrations in both cities.
When beer, wine, and spirit maker Constellation Brands wanted to raise awareness for Casa Noble, its upscale tequila brand, OHC built relationships with key media to encourage story opportunities. In support of a brand relaunch, we designed and staffed an exclusive media-only tequila tasting and food pairing event at a unique NYC location to introduce its founder, the tequila, and brand motto The Noble Pursuit to national media. We also supported Constellation Brands’ fastest-growing beer, Modelo Especial, with national media relations initiatives focused on the brand’s growth and an international soccer partnership announcement.
Crystal Farms partnered with Old El Paso to launch the brand’s first foray into Mexican Cheese Shreds. We provided business to business support including social media engagement, tradeshow support, and media relations. In 2020, our support for Crystal Farms extended into consumer support for their Cheese Wraps products.
OHC supported Apio’s Eat Smart brand and its line of salad kits, blends, and shake ups. Our work included executing influencer campaigns to build buzz and excitement around new products, supporting the brand at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) through sampling and media and influencer conversations, and managing and coordinating partnerships and content with registered dieticians. These tactics enabled us to sustain consistent and continued coverage for the brand’s new and legacy products year-over-year.
National shoe retailer Famous Footwear set out to educate moms about its variety of well-known shoe brands offered in an easy-to-shop format. OHC focused efforts on engaging lifestyle media to reach a mix of youth, teen, women, and parenting-focused publications. Our outreach was timed to appear when our target media were planning their back-to-school shopping stories.
Global footwear company Caleres engaged OHC to manage media relations efforts for its LifeStride brand. Through a series of seasonal media blitzes including New York showroom events, fashion media outreach, influencer engagement, and product sampling, our team educated women about the brand’s ability to deliver stylish, yet comfortable, footwear for all of life’s occasions. This efficient approach resulted in a consistent cadence of coverage in high-profile outlets including First for Women and Real Simple.
Furniture maker Broyhill granted room makeovers to children with life-threatening medical conditions in more than 50 American cities as a partner to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. OHC supported the cause-marketing campaign by securing media coverage in every market by telling stories relevant to the communities, including timely events such as furniture shopping parties and room reveals and compelling human-interest stories of brave children battling illnesses with heart-warming conclusions.
“Truckersgiving” is a holiday we created for cult-favorite roadside fried chicken chain Chester’s Chicken in collaboration with Love’s Travel Stops to kick off the holiday season in a fun way and thank some of Chester’s most loyal customers – truckers. We launched this campaign in 2021. It has garnered attention from national outlets like USA Today, The Takeout, Thrillist, The Daily Meal, and Mashed. We also drove coverage with convenience store, restaurant, and trucker trades, and local broadcasts around the country. It is just one of the programs we do for Chester’s to create brand awareness and drive affinity – in addition to media outreach surrounding new product and brand announcements, store openings, influencer partnerships, and more.
When Turkish-based Arcelik wanted to introduce their premium appliance brands to U.S. consumer and business audiences, we provided a range of product support from digital advertising, organic and paid social media support and media relations. To support Beko, this meant tailoring our communications to position Beko’s ecological, technologically advanced, and stylish appliances as a top-of-mind option for high-income families. To support Blomberg, we utilized the brand’s eco-friendly, compact, and visually compelling designs to communicate the brand’s value to designers, architects, builders, and contractors who specialize in creating luxury high-rise apartments and condos.
Tim Smith, star of Discovery Channel’s popular “Moonshiners” reality TV series, ended his run as a bootlegger to go legit with his authentic moonshine recipe. OHC was tapped to introduce his much-anticipated illegal-turned-legal Climax Moonshine. From brand and message development to the southeast consumer launch supported with meet-and-greets with fans in local markets, we made a splash regionally and nationally bringing this backwoods recipe to the public. To raise Tim’s profile immediately prior to the launch, we leveraged his “Operation West Texas” fundraising road trip to support fallen heroes with a local market media tour across southeast states.
O’Malley Hansen supported Make-A-Wish America and Macy’s by promoting the annual Believe campaign during the holiday season. The Believe campaign is a seasonal letter writing program and fundraiser in which $1 is donated to Make-A-Wish from Macy’s for every letter written to Santa that is delivered to a Believe mailbox in a Macy’s store or submitted online at macys.com/believe. Make-A-Wish America relied on OHC to generate media coverage in key markets throughout November and December. By tapping into each chapter’s unique wish stories, OHC was able to garner extensive local coverage through media relations and ultimately drive traffic into Macy’s stores.
Toy maker Hobbico wanted a contemporary image for its Revell model toys and Estes toy rockets as unique solutions for parents searching for tech-free bonding activities to increase sales with the next generation of consumers. OHC was tapped to do influencer marketing and media engagement to reach a target audience of males 35 and older and used nostalgic storytelling to remind them of their favorite childhood activity: model car and rocket building.
Georgia Aquarium enlisted OHC to reach their core demographic of decision-making moms through one of the most direct-to-consumer channels available: social media influencers. In a push to drive summertime visits to the largest aquarium in the United States, we identified and engaged influencers to come and experience the one-of-a-kind features and experiences Georgia Aquarium has to offer and share their visits with their highly engaged followers throughout the U.S. The campaign generated hundreds of thousands of impressions and thousands of engagements demonstrating why Georgia Aquarium is a top destination for family travel at all ages.
The Humane Society of Missouri, one of the top five largest animal rescue and sheltering operations in the country, relied on us for more than a decade to support the animal shelter across a variety of functions, including media relations, events, thought leadership, and social media. Our team earned consistent coverage, both in St. Louis and on a national stage. This included public service campaigns, such as our 70 & Over, Don’t Take Rover platform to prevent hot car deaths, and heartwarming media angles like our Shelter Buddies Reading Program. This program started out as a holiday activation that featured children reading classic stories to adoptable shelter dogs and turned into a truly viral media sensation that garnered interviews from major national and international media outlets generating hundreds of millions of traditional, social, and digital impressions.
Blueprint4 is a family of platforms that helps parents and families in the St. Louis region identify, plan for, and attend meaningful summer camp, STEM, college prep, and career readiness programs. The resource was designed by Build-A-Bear Workshop founder Maxine Clark to grant families free and easy access to information about the thousands of camps available in their area. O’Malley Hansen launched the tool in 2015 and throughout our years-long partnership leading the non-profit organization’s media relations efforts, we secured more than 300 local media placements, totaling more than 110 million impressions – driving home key message points, promoting camp partners, and demonstrating Blueprint4’s commitment to being the No. 1 planning resource for St. Louis families and beyond.
The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) is the largest annual funder of nonprofit arts in the region, where OHC has helped create and maintain overall awareness for the organization. With a mission to support local artists and arts organizations through their grantmaking, strategic initiatives, and other programs, RAC relies heavily on being known as the top organization building capacity, improving quality, and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the region’s arts and culture sector. We played a vital role by continually managing media outreach and cross-organizational planning for all major strategic initiatives and grant programs, highlighting artists and organizations to showcase the incredible people and projects that RAC funds. Additionally, we launched and developed a bi-monthly newsletter distributed to board members and other stakeholders, giving an inside look at all RAC past, present, and future happenings.
The Art Institute of St. Louis enlisted OHC to help promote its grand opening. Our objective was to build awareness for the new school, drive traffic to the website, and enroll students. We achieved this through an approach which included establishing relationships with influential community and government leaders; identifying and securing sponsorship opportunities and a volunteer activity within the arts community for faculty and staff; and planning and coordinating the “Show-Me Art” Grand Opening event, which included a community “Paint Splash” ribbon cutting to give media the opportunity to tour the school and meet the staff.
Global Mindset
O’Malley Hansen serves its clients in more than 40 countries through its strategic partnerships and the ECCO International Network, one of the world’s largest independent PR and marketing networks with partners around the world, including China, Europe and Australia.