MarketInk: c3 Communications Begins 23rd Year in Business with 5 New Clients

San Diego public relations firm c3 Communications, founded on Jan. 3, 2000, by Joice Truban Curry, reports its 23rd year in business has begun with announcements of five new clients. The firm is now supporting:

• BlueBridge Alliance, a Seattle-based nonprofit that provides funds for law enforcement officers who want to pay for random acts of kindness, including aid for food, shelter, clothing, fuel, auto repairs and transportation.
• San Diego State University’s Cyber ​​Tech Academy that offers a curriculum of cyber security certifications in Artificial Intelligence for Cyber ​​Security, Cyber ​​and Risk Management, Cloud Security and Governance, Cyber ​​Security in Healthcare and Ethical Hacking.

• The Fit Expo, the largest fitness event on the West Coast, Jan. 14 and 15 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
• Hot Wheels Monster Truck Live, a special event in select California cities in 2023.
• IDEA World Conference, a five-day convention, July 12 to 15 in Los Angeles, which is expected to draw more than 14,000 national and international personal trainers, group fitness instructors and mind-body nutrition professionals.

Curry, president and CEO of c3 Communications, told Times of San Diego, “I am so humbled and grateful every Jan. 3 as to what we have created and all the clients we have helped and continue to help over the years. I love what we do everyday and love giving back and public relations is the perfect way to do just that. I am so excited about what is to come for us and the profession.”

c3 has been recognized as a top PR agency by Expertise.com, Upcity.com and DesignRush.com. A winner of more than 25 awards from the Public Relations Society of America, including the national PRSA Silver Anvil award three times, c3 is a member of the PR Consultants Group, a nationwide network of senior-level public relations and marketing consultants representing top markets in the US and Puerto Rico.

Current clients also include the Downtown San Diego Lions Club, Rincon Reservation Road Brewery, Exclusive Collections Gallery, N8iV Beauty, Imprint, San Diego Police Foundation and the San Diego Boat Show.

Pro-bono services are provided to the Salvation Army of San Diego, San Diego St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Walk-Run in September 2023 and Alzheimer’s Association San Diego-Imperial Counties Chapter, in memory of Andy Truban, Curry’s late father.

Grant Wright Named IPRN North American Chair

(W)right On Communications, a San Diego public relations firm, has announced that CEO Grant Wright has been elected as chair of the North American chapter of the International Public Relations Network, a global organization based in Europe.

The North American chapter of IPRN has nine member marketing agencies, including (W)right On, representing the US, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Grant’s two-year term runs through 2024.

In addition, Wright has been named to the seven-member IPRN Executive Council, which includes representatives from Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Colombia, Puerto Rico and Germany.

“I’m honored by this and look forward to helping lead public relations excellence around the world,” said Wright. “Each IPRN agency is led by owners who are closely connected to their clients. The attention to service and focus on strategy and creativity by these firms allows for exceptional results in every region, so when one IPRN agency taps another to support a client need or project, we all know the thinking and work will be to the same high standard as our own.”

Founded in 1995, IPRN is a global network of 50 independently, owned-and-managed communications and public relations agencies in more than 40 countries. IPRN’s four other global chapters represent Europe, Latin America, Middle East-Africa and Asia-Pacific. In 2021, WOC joined as IPRN’s San Diego member agency.

(W)right On, founded in 1998, operates offices in San Diego, Los Angeles and North Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Biggest Advertising Stories of 2022

The advertising industry in 2022 experienced its share of inflation, layoff and returning-to-the-office challenges. In addition, ad execs were pressed to respond to various news events that impacted the marketing profession. According to Advertising Age, an industry trade publication, here are a few of the biggest advertising-related stories of 2022.

• Twitter‘s acquisition by Elon Musk caused some brands, including Pfizer and General Mills, to temporarily pause their paid advertising on the platform, only to return later.
• The Russia-Ukraine War led agencies and marketers to initially denounce the invasion and cease doing business in Russia.
• The US Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision prompted some ad agencies to announce they would help facilitate abortions for employees and donate to abortion-provider organizations.
• The World Cup’s massive global TV audience (roughly 5 billion viewers, almost two-thirds of the planet’s population) was far too large for some brands to follow-through with a threatened boycott over human rights treatment of LGBTQ people in a country where same- Sex marriages and homosexuality are illegal or the deaths of migrant construction workers who built stadiums in the Gulf nation of Qatar.
• New advertising opportunities were created when Netflix and Disney launched streaming ad tiers, competing against Paramount and HBO.
• The economic downturn resulted in playoffs at many high-profile companies, including CNN and Peloton. The tech industry was particularly hit hard with Meta cutting more than 11,000 jobs in November.
• A return to the office was difficult for some ad agencies to manage as some employees learned to prefer the work-from-home lifestyle.
• Growth continued in 2022 for retail media networks where retailers become ad sellers as well as buyers. Target, Amazon, Walmart, Kroger and others used their consumer data to help other brands target potential customers. Other participants included delivery companies DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats.

How $8.2 Billion Was Spent on Midterm Election Advertising

Marketing research firm Kantar and its Campaign Media Analysis Group have reported that $8.2 billion in political advertising was spent during the 2022 calendar year for the midterm election cycle that included both the primary and November election timeframes.

As reported by Advertising Age, broadcast TV led the pack in tracked media expenditures with $4.3 billion, compared to $3 billion during the previous midterm cycle four years ago.

Ads on cable and satellite TV totaled $1.4 billion (vs. $1.2 billion in 2018). Google and Facebook brought in $1.2 billion, while streaming media drew $1 billion for the first time ever. Radio’s allotment was $300 million.

In Senate races, five contestants topped the $100 million mark for the November election, including Georgia ($200 million), Pennsylvania ($163 million), Nevada ($121 million), Arizona ($112 million) and Wisconsin ($107 million). Ohio and North Carolina fell just below $80 million each. The December Georgia runoff added another $70 million in new spending to that race.

The top Senate advertisers were the Republicans’ Super PACs Senate Leadership Fund and the Democrats’ Senate Majority PAC.

The Republican PAC was active in eight states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, but not in Arizona in support of Blake Masters, who lost. The PAC spent just short of $200 million.

The Democrats’ PAC spent $128 million in six states, including Pennsylvania ($37 million) and Arizona ($28.5 million). The Democrat PAC also ran ads to support far-right Senate candidates in both New Hampshire and Colorado.

In the House, Democrats reportedly outspent Republicans by about $80 million for the November election.

In gubernatorial races, contests drawing the highest dollar amounts included Georgia ($66 million), Nevada ($64 million), Texas ($64 million) and Florida ($62 million).

Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column by him appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.