Category: Culture & News

CHICAGO (June 19, 2018) – KemperLesnik, the award-winning public relations, events, sports marketing and content marketing agency, has capitalized on its experience creating, operating, and promoting sporting events, activations, and brands by adding esports to its suite of business services.

“Intense competition in esports creates passionate fans, and passion for sports is in our DNA,” said Tom Valdiserri, executive vice president, co-managing director of KemperLesnik. “We look forward to harnessing the power of esports to connect brands with fans, shift perceptions and make emotional connections via content marketing.”

KemperLesnik’s esports division will produce esports events, connect would-be sponsors with esports assets, consult with esports game developers and lead brand activation for esports sponsors. The agency will also lead messaging and positioning strategy, drive mainstream media coverage, execute social media campaigns, lead media event operations, media train players and casters and produce integrated content marketing programs in esports.

“We have built our agency over 40 years utilizing sports to build brands and engage with audiences,” said Amy Littleton, executive vice president, co-managing director of KemperLesnik. “Esports is the next frontier of competition and fandom in sports, and we are using our talent and expertise to help esports continue its emergence into mainstream sporting culture.”

Esports encompasses video game competition at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels. Popular genres vary significantly from multiplayer online battle arenas, real-time strategy, and first-person shooters, to traditional sports games, fighting games, and even card games. Several mainstream esports titles include League of Legends®, Starcraft®, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive®, Overwatch®, NBA2K®, FIFA19®, Street Fighter®, Hearthstone® and many more.

In addition to leading the public relations and content marketing divisions of the agency, Amy Littleton has been named executive vice president, co-managing director. She will manage the agency in partnership with Executive Vice President, Co-Managing Director Tom Valdiserri.

Prior to joining KemperLesnik, Littleton spent close to a decade working in her own PR agency business, as well as in the Business Marketing and Technology Practice at Edelman, at Slack and Company, and at General Mills, Inc., where she supported a nationwide media tour with the gold medal winning U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team.

“Amy has a proven ability to lead teams, grow agency business and make KemperLesnik one of the best places to work,” said Steve Skinner, CEO of KemperLesnik. “Her dedication to the communications industry and commitment to results have secured her recognition as a leader among agency executives in Chicago.”

“Amy is the consummate professional, and I look forward to continuing our partnership as leaders of KemperLesnik,” said Valdiserri. “Our goals for the company are the same – do great work, grow the business, have fun and give back.”

Littleton specializes in strategic communications, reputation management, brand activation and event communications. She is adept at leading global communications programs, managing large teams, leading multiple client relationships and managing financials.

Amy is past president of the Public Relations Society of America Chicago. She sits on the board of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Midwest Division, is co-chair of the Executive’s Club of Chicago, Sports and Entertainment Forum and is a member of GOLF 20/20. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing from Florida State University and a Master of Business Administration from the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago. She is a co-author of The Handbook of Strategic Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communications.

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A veteran in global sports marketing with IMG and Coca-Cola Company, David Gough joins us to build upon its successful portfolio of sports marketing and events properties, including the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, CBS Sports Classic and McDonald’s All American Games. David has worked on some of the world’s leading brands, such as DIRECTV, Johnson & Johnson and Fiat. The agency will leverage his wealth of experience for growth of KemperLesnik’s event and activation business.

“David’s wealth of experience and knowledge of the sports marketing, events and activations industry will complement our team of sports marketing professionals,” said Steve Skinner, CEO of KemperLesnik. “We look for David to contribute his ideas, skills and relationships to help grow the business.”

David most recently served as managing director for the Boxing Marketing Arm, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. In that role, he built from scratch a new business unit for the International Boxing Association, developed the business plan, and oversaw TV rights acquisition, sponsorship sales, and marketing for AIBA. Prior to this role, David served as the global director marketing capability at Beverage Partners Worldwide, where he was responsible for the development of global marketing activation programs and sponsorships designed to bring to life NESTEA Global Integrated Marketing Campaign (IMC). Before moving to Switzerland, David worked at IMG Live, where he led the global agency sports sales and marketing, and was director of sports marketing at the Coca-Cola Company, responsible for negotiation, management, and activation of high value sponsorships with the NFL, MLB, and NCAA.

With more than 20 years of experience in marketing, sales and content production, Scot Thor has been instrumental in creating innovative broadcast, digital and social media campaigns for leading brands, television and publishers. He joins us with multiple awards, including National and Regional Emmys and Telly Awards.

“We are looking forward to welcoming Scot to the agency,” said Steve Skinner, CEO of KemperLesnik. “His expertise in production and developing effective content marketing campaigns will prove invaluable as we continue to expand the agency’s service offerings.”

Prior to KemperLesnik, Scot served as the vice president of content and executive producer at a sponsorship marketing agency, where he identified new opportunities for clients, developed creative for all channels and managed content campaigns. He also formerly served as senior vice president of programming and production at Back9Network, senior vice president at 20 West Productions and vice president of media at a leading sports marketing agency. While there, Scot oversaw the management of sales, distribution, business development and programming and production for all sports and entertainment television and digital content initiatives.

At KemperLesnik, Scot will work alongside existing client teams to enhance content marketing strategies that have become a growing part of our agency’s service offering.

I came into the summer with no real previous experience in the public relations industry but that all changed thanks to the people and culture at KemperLesnik. During my brief three months, I learned more than I could have imagined, but here are the three things I took away:

1. Communication is key: As with any job or internship, it’s important to communicate with your coworkers and supervisors.  Throughout the summer I completed various tasks, from creating media lists to writing press releases, and each task had some form of communication involved.  I learned how to communicate and write to certain people, and how important it is to know what appeals to that person or journalist you are pitching to.
2. Work hard: This one is pretty obvious but it couldn’t be more true.  It’s important to stay organized and be timely because that’s what goes into working hard.  When you’re given a deadline by a supervisor, beat it by plenty of time.  There will be times when you’re overloaded with work, but that’s when the whole communication thing comes into play, and it’s important for everyone to be on the same page.  I learned how to prioritize my work in order of importance and to stay on top of whatever needed to be completed.
3. Work in an environment that fits you: I think this is the most important thing I took away because KemperLesnik made me realize it.  Working in an environment that suited me allowed me to be more comfortable asking questions, which in turn led to me learning more about the field of public relations. It made me realize that if I was doing the same work in a culture I didn’t appreciate, it would have made for a far less productive and enjoyable summer.

Overall, I had such a great experience at KemperLesnik.  I met great people along the way, improved my communication and writing skills, and even though they both have ways to go, they improved from where they were three months ago.  I can’t wait to continue learning along the way, wherever it may be, and will always appreciate my time at KemperLesnik.

KemperLesnik recently held its annual All Hands conference, a day we set aside to take a step back and refresh our thinking on how we can be better and do better as an agency and for our clients. To that end, we hosted Second City’s Tara DeFrancisco and her improv troupe to arm us with some simple tools to improve communication and foster creativity. One time-honored improv technique in particular – the ‘Yes, and’ – stood out. Why? Here’s a few reasons:

1. Reduce barriers and increase acceptance – When you build up your colleagues and clients by saying ‘Yes, and’ they will be more open to sharing their ideas with you and, in turn, accepting yours. What’s more, ‘Yes, and’ also helps breaks down emotional barriers. That is, in the workplace we can be so focused on sticking to what we know is certain that we fall short of tuning in to the emotion of a conversation, colleague or situation.  Using this tool breaks down any emotional negativity by fostering acceptance and positivity.
2. Unleash creativity – the antithesis of ‘Yes, and’ is ‘No, because,’ and it’s what many workers respond with when presented with something new or out-of-the-box. That’s because we as adults are programmed to be practical and so naturally tend to look for reasons for why something won’t work. However, if you’re constantly saying ‘no, because’, you shut the creative process down before it even gets going. It takes effort to shift your mindset to ‘Yes, and’, but doing so can have great benefits as you never know what grand ideas will come out of free-flow conversations.
3. Foster adaptability – the very nature of working in an agency demands that we be adaptable. Every day is different, and rarely what you expect! Using ‘Yes, and’ helps you learn to be more flexible as it requires you to actively listen to what your colleagues and clients are saying and quickly think on your feet to build upon it, rather than stay rigid to your own ideas.

Don’t be fooled, going to an improv show is great for some laughs, but its usefulness goes beyond the stage. Using improv techniques in the workplace, particularly ‘Yes, and’, have tangible positive benefits on our interactions with colleagues and clients.

For the second consecutive year, KemperLesnik has been named by the National Association for Business Resources (NABR) as one of Chicago’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For®. The competition identifies and honors organizations throughout the nation that display a commitment to excellence in their human resource practices and employee enrichment.

“At KemperLesnik, we are committed to maintaining the well-being and happiness of our staff members while delivering breakthrough work to our clients,” said Steve Skinner, CEO of KemperLesnik. “We’re grateful to have been chosen by NABR for the second year in a row. This recognition inspires us to continue to strive for excellence.”

Organizations are assessed based on categories such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention and more. The final list is divided into three categories by size of business: large businesses (301+ employees), medium businesses (101-300 employees), and small businesses (1-100 employees).

Winners will be honored at a symposium and awards celebration on Monday, July 17, 2017, at the Chicago Marriott Southwest at Burr Ridge with emcees Judy Hsu (ABC7) and Pat Cassidy (WBBM-AM).

For a complete list of Chicago’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For®, please visit www.101bestandbrightest.com.

 

Recently, our KemperLesnik team was fortunate to learn from one of the world’s best creators and innovators, Duncan Wardle, the former vice president of innovation & creativity at Walt Disney Co. and current owner of iD8&innov8.

Our day with Duncan was filled with drills, tips and exercises used to help us push pass our own limitations and generate creative ideas.  The day was meaningful, and impossible to sum up in a single blog post, but here are some of the key takeaways:

1. Awaken your inner child. Children have this ability to live without fear of consequence. They think, feel, act and speak without apprehension because they do not know any better to understand that the world around them. How many great ideas are left unsaid because of fear? What if we as adults, with all of our education and exposure to the world, could tap into this childlike thinking? The possibilities are endless.
2. Yes, and…“Yes and…” suggests that a participant should accept what another participant has stated and then expand on that line of thinking. “Yes and…” encourages the creative process and a positive work environment, unlocking new ideas.
3. Innovation involves getting to a different level of thinking that you could not get to by yourself. When it comes to ideation, it is easy to fall into the thinking that it is a process that an individual should tackle alone, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, ideation is a collaborative experience, and the process of exchanging ways of thinking and perspectives.

The learnings from Duncan’s visit are intuitive – think openly and freely, encourage a positive work environment and collaborate. As simplistic as these concepts may seem, we often stifle our own creative process when fail to remember to do these things. Duncan’s presentation serves as a mirror of our current selves, and also as a reminder of ways to put our best creative foot forward.

Memorial Day is the weekend to remember those who sacrificed the most for our growth and way of life. This year it was also the weekend that we lost a dear friend and mentor, Tripp Frohlichstein. Tripp lost his battle to Multiple Myeloma; he was 66 years old.

In the halls of KemperLesnik, the news hit hard and brought some to tears. He will be sorely missed by our agency family and the world of communications. No one lit up a room like Tripp. As THE premier media trainer in the business, he handled almost every high-powered CEO in every industry with dignity, class, humor and, yet, a firm hand. The Tripp-created process of message mapping is now standard for any brand communicator or crisis team. He is legend in how he became a student of the sound bite – curling his mouth in glee at hearing a perfectly honest and transparent response by a chief executive in the moment of public crisis.

Tripp’s smarts and firm hand guided our clients through plant closings, natural disasters, executive malfeasance, strikes, plane crashes and cell tower disputes. He was a master at his craft and aptly named his company MediaMasters, a firm that would guide such big brands as Tellabs, McDonald’s, U.S. Cellular and countless others.

Tripp will be remembered most as a warm voice on the other end of the phone, a funny storyteller at the end of a long day and a proud husband and father. He leaves behind a loving wife and two sons. He left us all as well, but hopefully as better communicators than before we met him. His tenets for communicating in a crisis ring truer than ever in the face of the national discourse today. Be honest. Be transparent. Think about the listener, and explain why they should care. WII-FM, he would say, is his favorite radio station (What’s in it for me?). We were crushed by the news of his passing and will forever remember his legacy and the wisdom and wonder he gave us all. Legend. That’s my home base message when it comes to telling others about the greatness of Tripp… you will be missed and remembered forever.

As spring turns to summer, sporting and lifestyle events will fill the calendar and introduce us all to brands old and new as their logos dance across banners, telecasts and promotions. Sponsoring sporting and lifestyle events is a tried and true technique for reaching customers and bringing brands to life. But many brand teams fall short of reaching ROI nirvana by not activating their hard-earned sponsorship through an integrated campaign.

Global sponsorship spending was projected to grow nearly 5 percent in 2016 to $60.2 billion, according to IEG. Supporting sponsorships with a combined experimental, social media and media relations campaign is a cost-effective way to get the most out of your spend and drive all important ROI.

Here are five ways to give it your all when planning sponsorship programs in the coming year.

1. Engage consumers with a social media campaign – make the experience connect with customers on social media. Providing platforms for sharing photos of their interactions with the brand extend the sponsorship beyond game day or concert week. Build an add-on to that virtual reality experience that lets people share their wild VR ride socially. The additional reach is well worth the added expense.
2. Use media relations to extend messages beyond the sponsorship – create a larger story around the activation that connects the brand to the conversation of the day. Cause-related partnerships turn brands into heroes and are noticed by the media.
3. Boost with paid social – content grows and engages quickly when supported with a small paid search campaign. Videos and graphics that relate the brand to the success of a sponsored event go a long way in building further consumer engagement.
4. Extend reach through a sweepstakes or contest – an oldie but goody technique finds new life through social media. Don’t forget to think of ways to build buzz in the lead up to sponsorship week by providing consumers chances to win unique experiences or limited edition brand offerings.
5. Use digital tools to collect usable data through onsite experiences – on-site activations give consumers the chance to sample brands and provide marketing teams with valuable data that generates leads. Mobile devices and new software bring the power of data collection to the hands of brand ambassadors, giving a valuable way to drive sponsorship ROI data.

Sponsorships are big financial commitments and require buy in from many internal corporate teams. So don’t stop short and accelerate your investment through an integrated activation campaign.