A company that has genuinely earned a spot on our list of “the 10 Most Trusted PR Companies” is the accomplished Trevelino/Keller. Started from the ground level, after the collapse of dot.com, the two founders Dean Trevelino and Genna Keller launched this company in 2003, with a renewed sense of conviction and intention. They both have a history of working together for two of the largest global firms in the world, WeberShandwick and Ogilvy.
As large firms were shedding their technology practices and talent, the founders saw a window of opportunity. So they packaged up their technology pedigree and aligned it with some diversification in consumer lifestyle and business-to-business practices. Despite market challenges with dot.coms, from the very beginning, they would welcome early stage businesses. We can definitely say that it has worked in their favour, as they have delivered 18 consecutive years of profit.
Based in Atlanta, Trevelino/Keller’s client base includes emerging brands, middle-market companies and national/international organizations along with some publicly traded. Positioned as a national boutique agency, the firm houses 40 staff across public relations, integrated marketing and creative services. Within each suite, they have demonstrated the ability to integrate services, as well as work exclusively within a service area for clients who have multiple agencies. The company targets emerging middle markets and national brands. Its Eco-Mark methodology features four phases. BrandEco is the starting point, a high level assessment of the brand identity and positioning, followed by recommended refinements prior to a marketing push to its ecosystem. EcoBuild audits a company’s existing ecosystem channels to identify gaps with a road map for development. From there, the firm moves its clients to Eco-Mark, which draws the complete 360 reputation marketing approach to engage with the ecosystem. Lastly, Calibrate deploys a robust techstack to track, measure, analyze and calibrate programming in pursuit of the best ROI.
Because they made a strategic decision years ago to align with innovative companies, regardless of industry, they find inspiration in those pioneering and disruptive brands they are fortunate to represent. Today, their clients are in some of the more relevant industries - cancer research, movement health, telemedicine, electric vehicles, supply chain, SaaS, mobile e-commerce, wellness, transportation and logistics. A typical day in their life is not predictable; it is filled with high energy, moving parts, rapid media response, scheduled and unscheduled zoom calls. The small victories, smaller losses, the big wins, along with constant problem solving and a consistent flow of opportunities powers and empowers Trevelino/Keller.
OUR VISION - Despite the noise of it all, the firm reminds itself of its vision and mission. It makes decisions based on a culture that gravitates toward fresh thinkers, innovative leaders and progressive companies trying to do ambitious things, changing the way people live, work and play, strengthening economies and advancing communities. “Our vision goes beyond being a successful or great firm, but rather … a purposeful firm” - Trevelino/Keller
OUR MISSION - “Our Mission is to build, launch and scale companies. Sometimes we build from the ground up, other times it’s a rebuild. Sometimes we launch brands for the first time, other times it’s a relaunch. Ultimately, our purpose is to scale companies, regardless of whether they are B2B or B2C, or somewhere in-between.”
As the challenges of working in a pandemic remain omnipresent, Trevelino/Keller never loses sight of its responsibilities to staff, client and agency. They work thoughtfully by taking into consideration different scenarios while managing the dynamics of staff with young families or aging parents. The company has continued to offer an optional office environment while planning a hybrid 60/40 return when the CDC advises. The company increased its investment in tools and technology to continue to perform at optimal levels for meeting client needs. Their efforts have delivered a fruitful result, as 2020 proved to be its best year to date with 2021 looking to eclipse that success.
If we talk about what it takes to build a successful service business, Trevelino/Keller is a great model. They are believed to have the industry’s leading staff retention, which translates to client retention. While the industry loses 15-25% of staff annually, Trevelino/Keller has lost two people to agencies in 18 years. Another common practice is to pay attention to the client leadership. If you are able to align with the value system, then not only will they remain great clients, but they hire you again and again. Additionally, as the pandemic has taught many businesses, the more diversified you are, the more sustainable your business will be. In the last 18 months, they have seen strong response in healthcare, technology and government. As the economy rebounds, they feel well positioned in environment, franchising and financial services.
Culturally, they like to empower, educate and engage the staff with programming that’s relevant and at times, unexpected. Their management team has been with them on average for more than 15 plus years of the total 18 years of working in the business. The team has grown with the firm and taken on the responsibility of nurturing the next generation of staff, extending to them a voice in programming, hires and important decisions that the firm has made over years.
Their cultural programming is second to none, focusing on quality of life, juxtaposing the often intense environment of an agency with the importance of keeping things light and fun. While some programs have stood the test of time, like Red with TED [wine and TED talks], it’s important to retire some while introducing new ones like Spotify@9, a simple T/K community morning musical wake-up call for staff.
In the end, we can say that the organization has successfully fostered a collective entrepreneurial DNA that drives their consistency but also their appetite to deviate from the industry norm.
What they like to say about their company - “We gravitate to clients that need heavy lifting because they are trying to do something noteworthy. They have no idea what the status quo means; in fact, they run from it. Build a brand. Launch a brand. Scale a brand. That’s heavy stuff. And we love it.”
