Meet The Castle Group, LCI's PRGN partner based in Boston

By Sandy Lish, Principal/Co-Founder, The Castle Group, LCI’s Boston PR affiliate through the Public Relations Global Network (www.prgn.com)
 
 
In a few sentences, please tell us about your firm, your role and what makes your agency unique.
The Castle Group’s passion for what we do, and our precision around how we do it, are the hallmarks of our PR and events management firm.  At Castle — now in our 20^th year — we look at everything we do and ask ourselves “What if…?” This generates new thinking, perspectives, and both expected and unexpected outcomes. We consider marketing, digital, social media, technology, speaking and awards programs mere tools in a toolbox that allows us to take our clients where they need to go without boundaries.
We’re proud of our accomplishments as a women-owned business, founded and still led by two equal partners who started Castle based on nothing more than a passion for our profession. I manage our PR team while my business partner, Wendy Spivak, heads our events team. Our dedicated events management practice sets us apart from other firms.
One of the best parts of my role is keeping my fingers on the pulse of our community. Facilitating personal connections is part of what I do to help clients achieve their goals, and that can only be done by being out and meeting people face to face.
What is the market like for PR in your city?
Many of the critical areas for PR growth align with Boston’s key industries: higher education, healthcare/life sciences, technology and professional and financial services. As the media world has become 24/7, our education clients, in particular, have had a growing need for crisis management.
Another important thing about Boston is its reputation as a parochial city. Many of our clients are global companies who come to us looking for a roadmap to build their brands in Boston and we love being their personal “Sherpas” as they navigate the landscape. On the flip side, Boston considers itself the “Hub of the Universe,” and we’re proud to bring our clients’ “Hub-born” messages to a national and international audience.
What was one of the best/most creative PR campaigns you’ve heard about this week?
I love how the political candidates tap into “Saturday Night Live” to surprise and delight an entertainment audience, showcase their humorous sides and reach younger voters.
Earlier this season, Hilary Clinton appeared in a “Saturday Night Live” skit in which she played a bartender opposite Kate McKinnon, who played Hilary. Regardless of political leanings (happy to discuss mine off-line!), I think anyone watching could agree that the appearance did a lot to humanize her. She poked fun at herself, at her husband, and was a lot looser than we’re used to seeing her.
Donald Trump hosted the show, and we saw him projecting a much lighter persona and even dancing (hard to un-see that!). Most recently, Bernie Sanders appeared on the show alongside Larry David, which had tremendous PR value, in the buzz leading up to his appearance, the content and context of his appearance, and the commentary following his appearance.
It’s brilliant PR when candidates use the show wisely to reach their audience in a different way, and the PR that comes with it—social media as well as traditional media—far transcends the program’s regular viewership.
Tell us about an upcoming PR campaign that excites you?
I can’t share the details yet but it will be a launch for a technology startup poised to make a big impact in the cause space.
What is one of your most memorable PR campaigns?
Can I say they’re like my children, and I love them all equally? If not, I’d have to go with the launch of Eons—the brainchild of Monster founder Jeff Taylor. The company was a little ahead of its time in trying to create a social media community for aging baby boomers, but the concept, execution and results of the PR program were out of this world.  We had the opportunity to combine launch PR, events management, thought leadership and social media in a big old bundle that blew the doors off the client’s expectations. And Boston’s a little short on celebrities, so it gave us an opportunity to interact with folks like Jane Seymour and Richard Dreyfus that we don’t get every day. Demanding, exhausting, rewarding and one of the projects I’m proud to say we survived and triumphed over.
Questions or comments? Leave a comment below or tweet The Castle Group @CastleGRP.
About The Castle Group
Castle fuels client campaigns with the best marketing communications, PR, digital and social media tools, events, incentives and creative services ideas to help our clients achieve their business goals. The Castle Group is part of the Public Relations Global Network