News

Public relations students get a boost from local agency

Thompson & Co. PR sponsors PRSSA memberships

Eligible students at the University of Alaska Anchorage can get a membership at no cost to them to the national Public Relations Student Society of America. The organization prepares students pursuing a career in public relations and communications to be workforce-ready when they graduate by providing them access to local and global resources, including connection to a network of peers and mentors.

Writing style tips for Alaska Native communications

If you’re familiar with the Associated Press Stylebook, then you know how vital this resource is to journalists and other writers in the communications field. Here at Thompson & Co Public Relations, we use this guide daily along with the Alaska Native Studies Council Writing Style Guide. Just like the AP Style Book, it helps resolve questions of usage, punctuation, and standard publishing style. It also tells you everything you need to know about writing for Alaska Native communities.

Hopes and expectations for communicators in the new year

From Atlanta to Anchorage, eight leaders from PRSA’s Counselors Academy share their 2021 expectations for agency leaders and senior communications managers. Enjoy the sage advice from these leaders who have succeeded at converting disruptions into opportunities.

Support Alaska businesses this holiday season

T&C’s 2021 gift guide

Anyone else wondering how it’s already the holiday season? If you’re looking at your calendar and realizing that the holidays are just around the corner, don’t panic! Our gift guide makes it easy to pick out the perfect gift for friends, family and everyone in between.

Clients, T&C win big at annual Aurora Awards!

We look forward to participating in the Aurora Awards every year. While helping our clients achieve their goals feels like a victory itself, being recognized for our hard work is an amazing bonus! The Aurora Awards, put on by the Alaska Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, is an annual competition that awards public relations campaigns that successfully communicate a message using a variety of different programs and tools. PRSA also offers Awards of Excellence for public relations tactics, with categories such as social media or video material. Each year, T&C submits multiple entries for a range of categories.

Thompson & Co. Public Relations promotes four to management, executive positions

Ariel Walsh-Amand, Ally Day, Bri Kelly and Kailee Wallis take on new leadership roles at local agency

September 2, 2020

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — While most PR jobs are held by women, they account for only a small percent of senior leadership positions in the industry. That’s not the case at Anchorage-based (and woman-owned) public relations firm Thompson & Co. Public Relations, where four women leaders will take on new roles. Ariel Walsh-Amand and Ally Day will help lead the agency’s executive strategy, and Bri Kelly and Kailee Wallis will contribute to the agency’s senior management team.

Local small business shares national honors; named in Top Places to Work in PR

Work culture recognized with annual industry honor

August 19, 2020

Pictured above: Thomas McIntyre and Emily McLaughlin at a 2019 staff meeting

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—Public relations may be a top 10 contender for most stressful jobs, but a local agency isn’t standing by. Thompson & Co. Public Relations, a woman-owned business based in Anchorage, is a 2020 Top Places to Work in PR according to industry publication PRNEWS. T&C shares the honor with global brands Aflac and Bayer, as well as top agencies Belle Communications and Rudder Finn.

The homegrown agency is one of 50 organizations recognized for valuing its employees and fostering a workplace environment that not only makes employees feel appreciated and motivated, but also give back to their hometowns.

Keeping work professional, even from the kitchen table

It’s safe to say that many people will continue working from home, or “WFH”, for the foreseeable future. While a 15-foot commute to the office comes with ups and downs, a positive attitude and a few solid tips can ensure you remain professional through days full of video calls.

SEO strategies for your website: Intro to keywords

Search engine optimization, or SEO, focuses on enhancing your website content so that it yields better results in a Google search. What that really means is that you’re making sure you’re writing for your audience by figuring out what it is they are searching for.

SEO is important for online content because it makes your website easier to find for people who may be interested in your products and services. There are a few different ways to make your website rank higher with search engines and a number of online tools to help. Understanding what keywords are and how to use them to benefit your website is one of the first steps.

Thompson & Co. Public Relations offers new services to advance inclusion, amplify BIPOC voices

To make sure Alaska’s storytellers are representative and brand messaging is inclusive to all Alaskans, Thompson & Co. Public Relations is announcing the development of a new division and suite of services.

The division, led by T&C’s Executive Vice President Gary Scott and Senior Culture & Content Strategist Thomas McIntyre, will raise the voices of Black, Indigenous, people of color as well as issues of inequality affecting marginalized groups.

Lessons from #SMWOne: virtual social media conference

At Thompson & Co. Public Relations, one of our Tenets and Convictions is to have a focus on personal and professional development to provide our clients with fresh ideas, the latest in communications trends and new ways to stay ahead of the competition. To do this, we continue to learn and push ourselves beyond our comfort. Recently, our social media team attended the virtual Social Media Week, SMWOne, which was moved online and extended to a four-week program.

SMWOne features presenters from leading brands in social media, from major influencers to data analysts and everything in between. This year’s lineup included representatives from Savage x Fenty, TikTok, Google, and Disney. After weeks of live video presentations, networking via Slack and virtual hangouts, our team is energized with new knowledge and ideas, and we’re excited to share what’s next in social media.

Advice from a PR intern: What it’s like working at T&C

During my junior year at the University of Houston Downtown and the spring semester of 2020, I had a PR internship at Thompson & Co. Public Relations in the Houston office. My time at T&C consisted of writing blog posts, drafting captions for social media, lots of research and account planning meetings.

When T&C Vice President Liz Baker told me I was going to write a blog that would be published online, I panicked a little. Changing my writing from academic essays for school to creative and engaging blog posts was an adjustment. However, once I got the hang of it, I loved that style of writing.

Thompson & Co. PR sponsors PRSSA memberships

T&C’s 2021 gift guide

Ariel Walsh-Amand, Ally Day, Bri Kelly and Kailee Wallis take on new leadership roles at local agency

Work culture recognized with annual industry honor

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