Solomon McCown &

Solomon McCown (www.solomonmccown.com), a Boston-based national public relations firm specializing in strategic communications, media relations, public affairs, and crisis management, announced today the opening of its new office in New York City.

Solomon McCown has a track record of working with clients in Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., so the new office is a natural progression that will enable the firm to be closer to existing and prospective clients, as well as established real estate, financial services and healthcare companies, key growth areas for the agency as it celebrates its 10th year in business in 2013.

"As a native New Yorker, I'm excited to put a stake in the ground in New York City," said Helene Solomon, CEO of Solomon McCown & Company.  "While our business continues to grow all over the country, we believe there are targeted opportunities in New York to parlay our expertise in health care reform, real estate permitting and marketing, crisis communications and litigation relations," she added.

The firm has experienced tremendous growth in the last two years, and has already hired 6 new employees in 2013.

The new office will be led by Jonathan Pappas, a seasoned agency veteran who brings a compelling mix of agency, corporate, and real estate experience to New York City.

"We also recognize the importance of having a presence here to provide our clients with an even higher level of service," said Jonathan Pappas, Senior Account Supervisor.  "I look forward to bringing our Boston energy to the media and business capital of the world."  The office is located at 250 Park Avenue.

Click here to watch a short video on the Top 10 reasons Solomon McCown put down roots in the Big Apple.

About Solomon McCown

Based in Boston, Solomon McCown (SM&) delivers strategic communications, media relations, public affairs and crisis management services to regional and national clients facing complex, mission-critical issues. We thrive at the intersection of public policy and business, helping corporations and institutions achieve the definition, recognition and protection needed to meet their goals. Since its founding in 2003, SM& has earned its place among the top public relations firms with award-winning work (70 to be exact) on behalf of some of the most renowned and forward thinking enterprises in the region and nation.

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We all know social media has changed brand communications and crisis management. The latest example of the trend is Disney. Account Coordinator Amey Owen reflects on the issue:

Recently, Disney crowned Merida, the main character of the popular Walt Disney Pixar movie "Brave," the 11th Princess in the Disney brand. To conform Merida to the appearance of the other princesses, Disney redesigned her to have a more slender waist, slightly larger bust, make-up, tamer hair, and no appearance of her trademark weaponry.

Soon after this change was made, social media buzzed as thousands of people, predominately women, voiced opposition to the princess's redesigned appearance. This buzz quickly let to a Change.org online petition ("Disney: Say No to the Merida Makeover, Keep Our Hero Brave!"), which gained over 213,300 signatures in less than two weeks. Talk about a movement.

Despite initially refusing to budge (issuing a statement saying that the "new" Merida "remains the same strong and determined Merida from the movie whose inner qualities have inspired moms and daughters around the world"), Disney ultimately responded to the outcry by quietly returning Merida to her original character design on their official princess website.

As one pundit added, "Social media obviously allows for rapid fire communication, and when savvy opponents got wind of what Disney was planning, they took the now well worn path of Twitter, Facebook and online campaigns and created an online buzz that Disney couldn't ignore."

Lesson learned?

Social media changes the pace of everything. Twitter and Facebook have made it incredibly easy for people to express their concerns, vent even more if frustrations go unanswered, and team up with like-minded people to create change - all with a few keystrokes and a click of a button.

This creates uncomfortable situations for brands caught in crossfire and emphasizes the growing need for crisis communications. Social media cannot-and should not-be ignored. To keep up with the often explosive nature of social media, businesses need to proactively listen and be prepared with clear messaging to provide consumers and/or customers with an answer.

SM& President and crisis communications expert Ashley McCown was a guest blogger on the Greater Boston Real Estate Board's blog providing key takeaways for the real estate industry in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon attack.

Click here to read the blog.

SM& President and crisis communications expert Ashley McCown was featured in Bloomberg Businessweek on the balance of good PR in tough situations. More specifically, the piece highlights best practices for responding to unexpected good press, as McDonald's did when the man who famously rescued three missing girls in Cleveland, Ohio remarked in a television interview that he was eating McDonald's when he heard the girls' cries for help.

Ashley's bottom line? React publicity without appearing self-promotional. Click here to read the details.

This Monday, 29,000 runners (including yours truly) will make the 26.2 mile trek from Hopkinton to Copley Square in the 117th Boston Marathon. Most runners despise the week before a marathon because as the mileage decreases and the free time increases, we find ourselves anxiously over-thinking everything. Did I log enough miles? Did I do enough cross-training? What exactly will I eat the night before the big day? In my free time this week, I've been thinking about the similarities between training for a marathon and public relations. Here's what I've come up with:

1)   Always prepare for a crisis. Part of the mystique of running a marathon (and in my opinion why it's such a great accomplishment) is that there are so many variables and unpredictable situations that can make the run more challenging. You have to be prepared for any crisis. Last year, for example, New England's unpredictable weather surprised runners with a nearly 90-degree heat wave on Marathon Monday. With a scorcher forecasted three-days out, runners all over Boston prepared by stocking up on water, and the smart ones adjusted strategies, expectations and goals. In PR, almost every crisis can be predicted and many disasters averted through smart crisis planning and issues management.

2)   There's no single recipe for success. I get a lot of questions from friends and family members about running. What type of shoes should I wear? How many miles should I run a week? What's the best way to train? The truth is there's not one right answer for everyone and it always depends on the individual. Just like we don't recommend every PR strategy to every client, the best approach emerges after assessing individual needs and goals, and developing plans accordingly.

3)   You have to be smart and nimble. Training for a marathon takes a lot of time, so getting those miles in often requires strategic thinking and the ability to adapt. For me, that means embracing my busy work and life schedule and strategically planning to fit in those runs. I opt to listen to NPR rather than music when I run so I can get my news consumption and running done simultaneously. And often instead of hopping on the MBTA to get home, I pack running gear and let my feet take me home. (Ironically, it's only a bit longer commute than the T!) This applies to actually finishing the race too. The saying that running is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical is 100 percent true! In PR, strategic planning and flexibility are necessary to support clients in today's competitive, fast-paced world.

4)   Learn from your mistakes. Scan any running magazine or message board and you'll see terrifying stories of marathon mishaps: mid-race port-o-potty fiascos caused by an unfamiliar pre-race food, unforgettable chafing from wearing a new shirt, or simply starting out too fast and not having enough gas in the tank to finish. We all make mistakes, but it's those mistakes that make us smarter. Few marathon runners will make the same running mistakes twice. As a growing PR practitioner, I'm willing to admit the first draft isn't always perfect-but working with colleagues and clients to perfect the angle or idea not only produces an excellent final result, it also helps me learn.

5)   It takes intelligence, personality and heart. A famous running coach advises marathoners to "Divide the race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart." PR is really the same. It takes a thoughtful, strategic and smart plan, creative personalities to bring fresh ideas, and a doggedness to pursue goals to carry out success.

Written by Senior Account Executive Kate Plourd

(Editor's Note: You can cheer our own @Katemplourd on Monday!)

SM& President & crisis communications expert Ashley McCown was featured in both USA Today & the Boston Herald on January 17. In the articles, Ashley discusses the highly anticipated Lance Armstrong interview by Oprah and how it will affect his reputation.

(Photo: Cooper Neill, Getty Images)

Whether you believe Deadspin's account, or the official statement from Notre Dame Heisman candidate Manti Te'o, there is one undeniable truth that's come out of the recent Great Girlfriend Hoax: social media leaves no stone unturned.

Technical innovations aside, this story would never have come to light twenty years ago. If Manti Te'o were playing for Lou Holtz in Notre Dame Football's last national championship run in 1988, it would have taken an astounding amount of research and pluck for any enterprising reporter to figure out a star player's girlfriend didn't exist. Similarly, it would have taken an incredible amount of time and effort - burgeoning on what may qualify as a full time job - for someone to develop a fake long-distance relationship with Te'o.

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

We use social media to get ourselves and our clients out there, engaging with other users and developing relationships around similar interests. As we've seen, social media is the bread and butter for reactive organizations working to reach their key constituents.

Yet Manti Te'o's hoax is a strong reminder that we control our idea of reality through what we project on social media, and that we should be wary of those around us social media. Like that State Farm commercial we like to think that "you can't put anything on the internet that's not true." But as MTV's new series Catfish proves, there are often more lies than truths when it comes to online interactions.

Fortunately, or potentially unfortunately as it may turn out for Manti Te'o, social media has also become one of the most transparent and fact-driven tools we have. Now when a news story breaks on Twitter, users from reporters to civilians are looking for hard evidence of the true story. Rumor is now quickly overtaken by verified fact; this was well documented in last year's sudden death of Whitney Houston.

Social media has made us savvy, refined consumers of news media which is a good thing - it pushes us to come clean and project a "real" reality to other users. We should all strive to be "truth vigilantes" when it comes to social media, whether in our personal or professional use of the tools at hand. Otherwise, we'll be living in a world of blarney.

By Caroline Pepek, Assistant Account Executive at Solomon McCown

SM& President and crisis communications expert Ashley McCown was featured on Bloomberg discussing Lance Armstrong's admission to cheating during a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey. In the article, Ashley discusses his motive in telling the truth after years of speculation around use of performance-enhancing drugs.

SM& President and crisis communications expert, Ashley McCown, was featured in the January issue of the national public relatons trade magazine, O'Dwyer's. In her byline, Ashley discusses the importance of preparing for a data breach and provides a framework on how organizations can do so.

Click here to read the article.

SM& President, Ashley McCown, recently participated in a roundtable on Corporate Reputation hosted by PR Week. To read the transcript of the conversation, click here.