Winner: Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) - Murphy O’Brien Public Relations
When the founder of Hirsch Bedner Associates, Michael Bedner, moved over to chairman of the board and new co-CEOs Ian Carr and Rene Gross Kaerskov took over operation of the company, the new leadership sought to refresh HBA’s model of designing iconic interiors consistent with brands’ traditional aesthetic and was now looking to delve into more contemporary, cutting-edge design.
Murphy O’Brien delivered on the challenge of enhancing the firm’s exposure in industry trade outlets, as well as serving a worthwhile ROI to a client who had previously doubted the value of a strong public relations campaign. Murphy O’Brien vetted and identified the most media-worthy projects out of 300 that were currently in progress by HBA globally. Once identified, they reached out to the American industry trade media and secured feature stories for HBA’s most noteworthy new projects.
The massive coverage included a five-page feature story for The HBA-designed Alpina Gstaad property in INTERIOR DESIGN, a three-page feature story on HBA’s design of the Grand Hyatt Shenyang in Hotel Design and a feature in Entrepreneur on co-CEOs Kaerskov and Carr’s tactics for inspiring and motivating employees. HBA was also named Most Influential Interior Design Firm by the Readers’ Choice in Boutique Design.
Murphy O’Brien enacted strategic media research and outreach, coordinated media visits, and secured interviews with lead designers and writers. They held regular meetings with the HBA design team on the latest projects and openings, from which they created design briefs and specialized press releases for each project opening. Their efforts created a voice for the new CEOs and ultimately enhanced visibility and raised awareness for Hirsch Bedner Associates and their projects. Murphy O’Brien’s outstanding work was able to significantly raise its client’s profile as a global leader in hospitality interior design and prove how powerful PR can be.
Honorable Mentions:
- 5W Public Relations – Digital Ocean
- LFPR – Sage North America Thought Leadership Program
- Makovsky – Crystal & Company
- Walker Sands Communications