COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY GROUP  Background and Profile Communications Strategy Group (CSG) is an award-winning full-service national strategic communications firm with an emphasis on influencer relations. The firm focuses on six distinct industries: education, financial services, food & beverage, health & wellness, professional services and tourism & hospitality. CSG opened its doors in April 2004 with a philosophy based on developing and implementing metrics-driven campaigns that impact the bottom line for the organizations we represent. It was founded because the founder believed there were significant gaps in the marketplace in the delivery of “public relations.”

• It was clear that often the objectives, goals, strategies and measures of businesses were not aligned with PR plans and execution. It left the world of PR vulnerable to missed expectations and unsatisfactory outcomes. The cornerstone of CSG is to change that dynamic by delivering meaningful results for clients.

• The world of PR was changing. While the media is an important constituency, it is not the only constituency. There is a whole host of influencers, online and offline, which can make a meaningful difference in the success of an organization. The key is to identify those individuals and organizations and create compelling reasons for them to “talk” about our clients. It is what we call influencer relations.

• If CSG were to serve its clients effectively under the premise of influencer relations, it was imperative that the team serving the clients deeply understand the industry they are serving and the points of influence that matter. Thus, CSG is built around industry practices. Team members are dedicated to specific industry areas and are committed to understanding and building a deep network in the industry they serve.

With these themes as the backdrop, CSG was formed. Since that time, CSG has maintained an aggressive trajectory of continued growth. The firm has expanded to have offices in Denver and Washington, D.C., with a New York office in the works. But, perhaps what is most telling about CSG and its history is that all of its growth has come from referral. A snapshot of CSG’s core competencies is outlined below.

Strategy Influencer Relations Content Curation Social Media & Online PR • Communications

Planning • Competitive

Analysis • Crisis Prevention

& Management • Internal

Communications • Message

Development • Media Training • Sponsorship &

Philanthropic Strategy

• Analyst Tours • Article Placement • Collateral

Writing, Design & Production

• Event Coordination

• Media Audit & Analysis

• Media Relations • Press Release

Writing & Distribution

• Research & Polling Services

• Speaking Circuit

• Articles • Books • Blog Posts • Case Studies • eNewsletters • Infographics • Op-eds • Petitions • Podcasts • Presentations • Press Releases • SEO-Geared Content • Surveys • Video • Webinars • White Papers

• Blogger Relations • Blogging/Guest Blogging • Article Distribution • Online Promotion: - Events - Multimedia - SEO Releases - Webinars - White papers - Website - Video

• Online Conversations • Reputation Management • Social Bookmarking • Social Media Profile

Development & Management

 

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CSG’S HEALTH & WELLNESS PRACTICE Whether educating consumers, driving new business or rallying stakeholders, CSG’s award-winning Health & Wellness practice has the breadth of experience to craft strong, simple messages from complex matters, handle delicate subjects, position clients as subject matter experts and generate measurable results. This team impacts its clients’ influencers with “tradigital” platforms that meld traditional communications with online PR and social media. Clients Here is a sampling of clients the Health & Wellness team has served: Assisted Living Federation of America Can Do Multiple Sclerosis Cochlear Colorado HealthOP Colorado Hospital Association Colorado Medical Society Comfort Dental COPIC CorePower Yoga CU Toxicology DeStressify Disaboom

Eating Recovery Center Envoy Medical Health Education Solutions HealthONE, an HCA health system Holiday Retirement Kaiser Permanente LiveWell Colorado National Sleep Foundation Rose Pediatrics Total Well-Being Trumpet Behavioral Health

Team Shannon Fern , Sen ior Vice Pres iden t Shannon possesses 15 years of diverse communications experience with expertise in the areas of public and community relations, communications plan development, writing, event planning and sponsorship marketing. A versatile writer and strategic planner with an eye for detail, Shannon focuses on measurement, directing comprehensive business-to-business and business-to-consumer communications campaigns and securing client placements in local, regional and national media.

Prior positions: Dick’s Sporting Goods; various local government communications positions; Valero Texas Open Education: B.S., business administration (marketing concentration), communication, Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas), cum laude

Mol ly Koch , Sen ior Assoc ia t e Molly works with the Health & Wellness team to secure placements for clients in relevant media outlets, working successfully to gain client coverage with national and local media across the U.S. Molly is the team’s social media expert, and serves as the voice behind Cochlear’s social media. Her highly effective organizational skills, attention to detail and writing ability are demonstrated in all aspects of her work for CSG, including writing and distributing client press releases, creating attention-getting blog entries and updates, writing technical bylines, developing content for clients’ websites and maintaining social media profiles.

Prior positions: Bonfils Blood Center; Children’s Hospital Colorado; Kansas State Football Education: B.A., public relations, Kansas State University, cum laude

 

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Anna Duggan , Sen ior Assoc ia t e An expert audience purveyor, Anna has more than a decade of experience in public communication and persuasion. Her experience as a journalist allows her to develop newsworthy campaigns that engage local and national media on a personal level. Her experience in branding and digital marketing allows her to develop comprehensive, targeted campaigns that resonate with clients’ voice, their audiences and stakeholders.

Prior positions: Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc.; Planet Group, Inc.; Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Education: M.A., public relations/political broadcasting, University of Nebraska Omaha; B.A., journalism, Colorado Mesa University

Kendal l Schoemann, Assoc ia t e Applying a knack for media relations, research savvy and writing prowess to CSG’s Health & Wellness practice, Kendall leverages media platforms and undiscovered angles to generate PR success for clients. From social media to medical journals, she thrives finessing stories to reach their full potential. National media highlights include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fitness and Shape.

Prior positions: Linhart PR, Verde PR & Consulting, Longmont Daily Times-Call Education: B.S., journalism, University of Colorado at Boulder

Amber O’Brien , Assoc ia t e As a former broadcast news reporter, Amber brings a nose for news and a strong understanding of how to package a story in the most impactful way possible to CSG’s Health & Wellness practice. Amber is a strong writer and solid communicator, and leverages her creativity to create campaigns with impact for her clients.

Prior positions: Modern Woodmen of America, KWQC TV6 News – Davenport, Iowa Education: B.S., broadcast journalism, Illinois State University

Steven Shapiro , Founder and Pres iden t Founder and president of Communications Strategy Group, Steven Shapiro has designed and executed successful business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing and communications strategies for more than 20 years. Steven now applies his experience and his creatively strategic, metrics-based thinking to the clients of CSG, a company he founded in 2004.

Prior positions: Jones Knowledge, Scudder Kemper Investments, Founders Funds, American Stock Exchange Education: B.S., economics, Emory University

Erik Kei th , Chie f Dig i ta l Stra teg i s t Erik provides online PR, social media and SEO strategic counsel, oversight and implementation for companies and organizations seeking to leverage the power of online marketing and social networking communication tools. His experience and ongoing immersion in emerging technologies, trends and online services result in approaches that complement and integrate seamlessly with traditional PR, marketing and SEO efforts.

Previous Clients: The GLOBE Program, Janus, Freakonomics: The Movie, Ecotech Institute, Disaboom, Health Education Solutions and eLearners.com. Under Erik’s direction, CSG has also provided white label video promotion for organizations including Adobe, Coors, Cheerios, Crocs, ESRB, Hallmark, Nintendo, Lee National Denim Day, Weber Grills, Tyson Foods and TurboTax. Education: B.S., marketing, Spanish, University of Northern Colorado