Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications

RBSC Ranked #2 Lobbying Firm in Boston

2012-02-09T20:56:10Z

From The Boston Business Journal, "Who are the top 10 lobbying firms in Boston?" February 9, 2012

By Edward Mason, Special to the Journal

Beacon Hill's professional influencers had a banner year in 2011, as access to Massachusetts' elected officials and regulators provided rich rewards.

Even as the broader economy languished and many businesses cut back, a lucky 13 lobbying firms topped $1 million lobbying salaries in 2011, according to a Boston Business Journal compilation of disclosure filings made with Secretary of State William F. Galvin's office.

The full story, to appear on page 1 of tomorrow's Boston Business Journal, details the check writers feeding some of the lobbyists' most productive golden geese, from hospitals pushing to influence the course of health care reform, to banks trying to block consumer privacy legislation.

Meanwhile, here are the top 10 lobbying firms in Boston, ranked by 2011 lobbying salary revenue.

No. 10. The Suffolk Group LLC ran up $1.187 million in lobbying salaries, up from $1.146, representing American Medical Response (Nasdaq: AMAC), EMD Serono Inc., and GEICO.

No. 9. It doesn't hurt to have a marquee name on the shingle. Travaglini Eisenberg & Kiley LLC touts Robert Travaglini, who resigned from the state Senate in 2007. The firm pulled down $1.152 million in lobbying fees, up 30 percent from $886,000 a year earlier. Its client roster has a fearsome local lineup that includes the Boston Red Sox, the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, and Suffolk Construction.

No. 8. Kearney, Donovan & McGee PC, which represents America's Health Insurance Plans, Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Fidelity, and the New England Convenience Store Association, pulled in $1.230 in lobbying salaries in 2011, compared with $1.271 million.

No. 7. Brian S. Hickey Associates reported $1.242 million, up from $986,940. Led by Brian Hickey, who got his start in Kevin White's city hall, was heavily involved in one of the hot issues on Beacon Hill, to require automakers to provide independent stations with the same service information as their dealers.

No. 6. Shanley, Fleming, Boksanki & Cahill pulled down $1.349 million in 2011, compared with $1.382 million in 2010. The firm, which specializes in regulatory agencies, has a client list that includes Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Fidelity Investments, Massachusetts Beverage Association, NStar (NYSE: NST), and State Street Bank (NYSE: STT).

No. 5. The lobbying arm of Mintz Levin boasts several inside operators, from former Massport chief Stephen P. Tocco to longtime City Councilor Paul Scapicchio. Among its clients are Boston University, Development Associates LLC, Massachusetts Hospital Association, and Northeast Utilities System (NYSE: NU). ML Strategies LLC reported lobbying revenues of $1.446 million in 2011. That was off from $1.569 million in 2010, according to its most recent disclosures filed with the Secretary of State's office.

No. 4. The Brennan Group Inc., whose big clients include Boston College, Savings Bank Life Insurance Co., and University of Massachusetts Medical Center, reported $1.571 million in lobbying salaries, up from $1.557 in 2010.

No. 3. Serlin Haley LLP, the lobbying arm of the Boston law firm, placed third with $1.660 million, up from $1.617 million, representing AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN), Dunkin' Brands (Nasdaq: DNKN), Massachusetts Assisted Living Facilities Association, and WalMart Stores (NYSE: WMT).

No. 2. Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications finished second with $1.664 million in lobbying revenue in 2011, compared with $1.323 million in 2010, from notable clients Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Mass Gaming & Entertainment LLC, and Suffolk Construction.

No. 1. O'Neill & Associates led the pack with $2.037 million in lobbying revenue, according to disclosure reports, up from $1.9 million. Run by Thomas P. O'Neill III, son of the legendary Democratic U.S. House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr., the firm counts among its stable of clients some of the biggest names in Boston business and U.S. commerce, including Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE: BSX), General Motors LLC (NYSE: GM) and PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP).

To view this article in its entirety online, please visit www.bizjournals.com/boston

New Year's Resolution: Prepare to Meet the Media

2012-01-19T19:28:28Z

Perspective from Kellyanne Dignan: Several years ago when I was a producer on a national primetime cable show, I was working on a last minute segment about some ads that played on one of people's worst fears. The new ads were for a major consumer product and slightly controversial because some people claimed they caused post-traumatic stress.

Several years ago when I was a producer on a national primetime cable show, I was working on a last minute segment about some ads that played on one of people's worst fears. The new ads were for a major consumer product and slightly controversial because some people claimed they caused post-traumatic stress. I was charged with finding the best possible guest to address the issue and spent hours tracking down a woman who ran a small center at a prestigious university that studied the specific role of PTSD as it relates to this equally specific phobia. After a twenty minute pre-interview on the phone, there was not a doubt in my mind I had found the perfect guest. She was literally the most qualified credentialed guest on this topic in the world and her answers to my questions were exactly what I was looking for. Another hour was spent getting her a car, a studio, and a makeup artist. Everything seemed set for a great night of live TV. Three hours later in front of a million or so Americans she proved me wrong. Her charming anecdotes became longwinded confusing stories that disproved her point; her excitement at being on national television was expressed with nervous giggly laughter. We certainly got our money's worth from the makeup stylist because she couldn't stop looking at herself on the monitor to her right.

When it comes to communications perception is reality. We've all seen qualified people like my expert with something important to say who just can't get their message across. Communications is no different than any other area of business, to be effective you need to strategize, prioritize, and practice. Whether you're talking to one journalist, a crowd of one hundred, or millions of TV viewers the same basic principle applies: stay on message. While the above story does not appear to have a happy ending, I was able to follow up with my expert guest and give her a few pointers for her next interview. I call them the tips and tricks that every television producer wishes every guest knew.

Looking Your Best:

▪ Be careful not to look at yourself in a monitor. If it distracts you turn it off.
▪ If you're on live TV make sure you can't see a feed of it. The delay will distract you.
▪ Keep an "on-camera outfit" at the office. (solid colors, neatly pressed, no stains)
▪ Sit up straight. Leaning back will make you appear larger on-camera.
▪ A little bit of powder helps reduce shine.
▪ Always assume both your camera and microphone is on. The modern systems make it easy and cheap to record to a server and producers do. One slip up can and will live forever.

What You're Saying and How You're Saying It:

▪ Get right to the point. Don't bury the lead.
▪ Remember your Point of View. It is why you were asked for this interview.
▪ If your point of view has changed since the pre-interview tell producers before you are live.
▪ You want to add something to the conversation not just repeat what everyone else is saying.
▪ Make sure to listen. It's easy to get distracted by what you want to say.
▪ Keep your answers tight. If you find yourself rambling finish the thought.
▪ Be conversational. This means smiling and some natural movements.
▪ Explain jargon. Even sophisticated audiences may not know an acronym. And if they're trying to figure out what you mean they aren't able to concentrate on what you are saying.

When Things Don't Go As Planned:

▪ If you don't know an answer, do not get flustered or make something up. The best thing to say is "I don't have that information available right now but I'll look into it and it will be available on my website later today. Bonus: you get to plug your website!
▪ Audio Issues. Ever wonder why reporters sometimes pull their earpieces out? Most of the time it's because they don't have what is known as "mix-minus" or the proper audio feed. You should be able to hear the anchor, any other guests, as well as the director or producer in the control room. What you don't want to hear is yourself. If for some reason you do hear yourself there two ways of handling it. If you are sure you're not on the air, tell the producer. If you find out as you start speaking live, the best thing to do is pull your earpiece out as you speak in a slow controlled way. The control room will notice, tell the anchor and fix it. If possible finish your answer. Count to five and then put your earpiece back in.
▪ Why are you asking me this? Sometimes reporters will ask a question you don't want to answer. It's important to always be respectful but stress you won't be answering the question at this time. Sometimes reporters will ask a question that may see irrelevant. There could be a number of reasons for this, but the most common is they aren't prepared for the interview. If this happens answer the question quickly and try to steer the conversation back on track. Never make an anchor appear like they don't know what they are talking about or unprepared.

Final Thoughts:
At the end of the day, remember you have likely forgotten more about this topic than the journalists you are speaking to will ever know. Your expertise is the very reason they're talking to you. So be confident in what you know, honest about what you don't, and try to be as relaxed and natural as you can. I'm very excited to bring what I've learned in the television trenches to our media and presentation training programs here at Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications. If you or someone in your organization is looking for training in the new year, please feel free to reach out to me to learn more about one-on-one training or our customized group programs.

Looking Ahead: The Ever-Evolving Healthcare Landscape

2012-01-13T14:31:01Z

While healthcare was a key issue both nationally and here in Massachusetts in 2011, many of us involved in health care issues at RBSC are in agreement that 2012 portends to be an even more dramatic year of change in health care, impacting business, individuals and families. If you follow healthcare issues like we do, here are seven events and trends that are on our team's radar as we progress into the New Year...

o Supreme Court Decision. The U.S. Supreme Court will hold oral arguments from March 26th - 28th regarding the constitutionality of the 2010 federal healthcare law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Much of the controversy stems from the individual mandate provision and while the U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verilli will argue that Congress' decision to adopt an individual mandate was "eminently reasonable," a group of 26 states will argue that Congress exceeded its authority. The Court is expected to make a ruling towards the end of June. This significant decision by the Court will take on even greater meaning in the final stretch of the presidential campaign.

o Presidential Election. Healthcare emerged as a major issue in the 2008 presidential election with concerns from the general public about costs, the uninsured, and healthcare reform. Given the timing of the Supreme Court decision, healthcare will likely remain a critical issue in voters' minds. Although if as many predict, Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee, expect the economy and not healthcare to be his main line of attack on the President since Romney has some exposure within the Republican party on healthcare given his role in Massachusetts' landmark healthcare law in 2006.

o Payment Reform. Healthcare payment reform will continue to be a focus in Massachusetts as legislators turn their attention from access to cost. Early last year, Governor Patrick announced comprehensive healthcare payment and delivery reform legislation designed to control rising costs and improve patient care. This issue has received a lot of attention from legislators and stakeholders over the last year, but is still being reviewed by the legislative committee of jurisdiction at the time of this writing. Leadership in the House and Senate has indicated it's an issue they'd like to address before the end of the legislative session in July. At this point, a redrafted version of the Governor's legislation is expected to be released in late January or early February. Massachusetts will continue to be a laboratory for healthcare with all eyes on us as national reform moves forward.

o Medicaid Reform. State policy leaders are continuing to aggressively pursue budget cuts and reform of the state's Medicaid program. The state Medicaid program, which services more than 1.3 million residents, has been consuming a larger and larger percentage of the budget which is forcing leaders to cut other programs to allow for larger Medicaid appropriations. The week before Christmas, the Patrick Administration announced that it had secured a 26% increase in Medicaid funding for the next three years as part of an agreement with the Obama Administration. Central to the agreement is the requirement that a number of reforms be adopted in how the state administers healthcare. In what many are considering a model of payment reform, safety net hospitals will have access to $120 million in new funds - but only if they adopt a number of changes including agreeing to being reimbursed based upon health outcomes, as opposed to per procedure or patient visit.

o Mergers and Acquisitions. Throughout 2011, we saw quite a bit of consolidation within the hospital industry here in Massachusetts. Given the continued focus on costs and the formation of Accountable Care Organizations, we expect to see even more of this type of action in 2012 both regionally and nationally. Mergers and acquisitions allow health care organizations to gain scale in order to better manage patient care and cost at a time when state and federal laws are expected to favor large medical networks. In addition, there will likely be new clinical affiliations between physician groups and hospital systems in the coming months as hospitals as well as insurers look to court physician practices in order to remain competitive.

o Insurers Expand Government Programs. As the nation moves forward with implementation of the health care law and as the entire health industry adapts, we can expect to see private insurers expanding their role in government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Government is a reliable (albeit frugal) payer for healthcare services, and full implementation of new legislation in 2014 will only increase the importance of federal dollars in industry.

o Affordable Care Act (ACA) Implementation). While the Supreme Court will be deciding the constitutionality of the ACA, Health and Human Services will be busy in 2012 implementing it. States that want to run their own healthcare exchanges need to have their progress certified by January 2013, which means state legislatures need to act in 2012. States that don't establish their own exchanges will instead be in the position of having the federal government establish exchanges in their states. In addition, the question of what essential benefits all plans in state exchanges must cover is still to be determined, although Secretary Sebelius has telegraphed some indications that she will allow the states to have flexibility. Finally, with the ACO Pioneer program up and running, HHS will be taking applications for their other ACO program - the Medicare Shared Savings Program - until July 1st.

Each of these in and of themselves represents a major shift in the health care landscape, both in Massachusetts and nationally. Taken together, they could represent a sea change in a vital industry, one we are watching very closely and immerse ourselves in every day. 2012 is shaping up to be a crucial year for healthcare in Massachusetts and in the industry as a whole. We are eager to see how these issues will evolve and what the future will bring as the stakes for patients, providers, insurers and employers are very high.

JP resident Larry Rasky honored for role in Zakim bridge naming

2012-01-06T16:48:54Z

From Boston.com, "JP resident Larry Rasky honored for role in Zakim bridge naming" January 6, 2012

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

A Jamaica Plain resident was recently recognized for his role in advocating that a bridge built as part of the Big Dig project along the city's northern edge be named, in part, after civil rights activist and former director of the Anti-Defamation League's New England office Leonard P. Zakim.

Larry Rasky, who chairs a Boston communications firm that represents major clients including the Boston Red Sox, was honored by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of New England.

A long-time ADL board member, Rasky received the Abraham Joshua Heschel Interfairth Relations award before nearly 350 people at a dinner last month "that recounted Larry's pivotal behind-the-scenes role in naming the [The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge]," according to an ADL press release.

The bridge is also named after the 1,500 revolutionaries who fought the British on nearby Bunker Hill.

"Larry Rasky was a tireless advocate for naming the bridge after Lenny Zakim, who as ADL New England Director worked for two decades to build bridges of understanding among Boston's various ethnic and religious groups," the organization that fights anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry said in a release.

The award Rasky received is presented to an individual who "has demonstrated a commitment to social justice by improving and strengthening relations among different racial, religious and ethnic groups," organization officials said.

To view this article with photos online, please visit Boston.com

Confidence & Trust

2012-01-05T21:09:53Z

Perspective from Larry Rasky: When a former colleague blindsided us the other day with a self-aggrandizing "tell-all" about his backroom dealings with our beloved Red Sox, it raised a bunch of issues for me. The issues revolve around confidentiality, trust and business ethics. At RBSC, we pride ourselves on keeping our clients' secrets.

When a former colleague blindsided us the other day with a self-aggrandizing "tell-all" about his backroom dealings with our beloved Red Sox, it raised a bunch of issues for me.

The issues revolve around confidentiality, trust and business ethics. At RBSC, we pride ourselves on keeping our clients' secrets. Our culture is built around it, it's in our employee handbook and it's one of the key reasons we have been trusted by so many clients over the years to handle so many sensitive matters. Over twenty years in business, I can't recall another employee violating that standard of ethics either during or after their employment.

In some ways, the story reminded me of the underlying tension between the press and public relations, or the press and anyone--business, government, private citizens. Reporters and editors feel a certain right or even responsibility to publish peoples' secrets. Business generally tries to keep the press at bay, often times because reporters are trying to publish information before deals are baked, products are launched or earnings are finalized. Of course, there are plenty of stories that need to be told about illegal dealings or unethical behavior.

One of my biggest hesitations over the years in hiring former journalists to work in our agency is that some reporters like to gossip with their friends and colleagues. Good PR people are very ungossipy and as a result become trusted advisors to their clients...our highest aspiration. The best journalists we've hired bring a similar style, understand that aspiration and practice it in public relations like they did as reporters.

In Boston nothing sells papers like the Red Sox and in the aftermath of the season-ending meltdown, they were an easy target for our former PR exec looking to relaunch his career. There will always be a tension between any business looking to make decisions in private and reporters trying to get inside the story. At Fenway Park, that's a way of life.

Still, at the end of the day, the Red Sox will thrive and fill the seats and talk radio with adoring fans and endless chatter about everything from front-office maneuvering to a platoon of right fielders. But in our business, our former friend gave up his right to write about his work here when he took the trust we had placed in him and used it to gain the confidences of our client. In penning his little ditty, he broke most of the rules of business ethics I know both written and unwritten.

About two weeks after our erstwhile staffer came to work at Rasky Baerlein, he walked into my office and announced, "You know, the Globe should have a bureau here. You guys know a lot more about what's going on than they do." It was high praise, I thought, from a guy I once admired as one of the top journalists and editors in this town.

"Of course we do," I replied. "Our clients trust us."

By cashing in on his relationships, my former colleague made a rookie mistake. But it's a mistake that will cost him the trust of many people in town.

We're not the Red Sox, but my gut tells me that Rasky Baerlein's twenty-plus years of keeping confidences and providing advice will protect us from too much fall-out. Still, it's a reminder that we have to earn our clients' trust every day and help them tell their stories in ways that create a context for the truth, not distort it for the sake of a cheap hit.

Larry Rasky in Inside Track

2011-12-14T17:13:47Z

From Boston Herald Inside Track, "Tracked Down: Nicole Kidman, Boston Bruins, Scott Brown and more" December 14, 2011

Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and hubby, country crooner Keith Urban, who has been treated for throat polyps at Mass. General, hanging in Starbucks across from Suffolk Downs ... The entire Boston Bruins [team stats] roster scoping out popular toys, games and action figures at Target in Woburn for the team's annual Holiday Toy Shopping Event headed up by Patrice Bergeron... Patriots [team stats] linebacker Rob Ninkovich visiting patients in the pediatric unit and donors in the Kraft Family Blood Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute while Danny Woodhead and Zoltan Mesko played Xbox 360 with Tobi Aremu of Attleboro whose family won a living room full of goodies from RE/MAX of New England's "Takes You to the House" contest ... Boston spindoc Larry Rasky being feted by Cardinal Sean O'Malley, State Treasurer Steve Grossman and the Anti-Defamation League with the 2011 Abraham Joshua Heschel Interfaith Relations Award at the Westin Copley Place ... Sen. Scott Brown -- an Army man -- making good on a bet and tweeting a photo of himself wearing a Navy shirt with his Senate BFF Mark Kirk of Illinois (Navy beat Army 27-21 over the weekend) ... WAAF [website] morning man Greg Hill and chef Michael Schlow handing out gifts to families in need at the Knights of Columbus in Charlestown hosted by the Greg Hill Foundation ... Newly-signed Interscope talent Kenzie, 16, belting out tunes at StandUp Against Bullying rally at Matthews Arena in front of 5,000 kids ...

To read more of the Inside Track please visit BostonHerald.com

Pierre Joins Rasky Baerlein as Associate VP of its Issues Management Practice

2011-12-07T21:52:48Z

From Bulldog Reporter's 'Daily Dog', "Pierre Joins Rasky Baerlein as Associate VP of its Issues Management Practice" November 16, 2011

Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications (www.rasky.com) announced that Harry-Jacques Pierre has joined the firm as Associate Vice President of its Issues Management practice. In this new role, Pierre will work at the intersection of media, government and business, providing clients with crisis and reputation management counsel, political communications on statewide issues and integrated communications on mega-projects.

Prior to joining Rasky Baerlein, Pierre served as Deputy Press Secretary for Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley from 2007 to 2011. In this position, he acted as a spokesman for the Attorney General's Business and Labor, Government and Criminal bureaus and managed media on several of the office's highest profile efforts.

According to firm President Joe Baerlein, Pierre brings nearly a decade of experience in the fields of media, government and politics to Rasky Baerlein. "Harry knows how newsrooms operate and how news gets made in this 24/7 digital media environment. In addition, his knowledge of the state Attorney General's office and its role in enforcing the state's laws and regulations will be an invaluable asset for our firm."

To read the article online, please visit: Bulldog Reporters' Daily Dog

Harry-Jacques Pierre Joins Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications

2011-12-07T21:41:42Z

November 15, 2011

Contact: Dianna Curry
(617) 443-9933
dcurry@rasky.com

Harry-Jacques Pierre Joins Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications; Firm Introduces New Associate Vice President, Enhances Issues Management Practice

November 15, 2011 (Boston) -- Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications, one of the top 50 independent public relations /public affairs firms in the nation, today announced that Harry-Jacques Pierre has joined the firm as Associate Vice President of its Issues Management practice. In this new role, Pierre will work at the intersection of media, government and business, providing clients with crisis and reputation management counsel, political communications on statewide issues and integrated communications on mega-projects.

Pierre's professional history also includes more than four years spent as an Assignment Editor at WBZ-TV from 2002 to 2007, a position in which he was responsible for both the coordination and field production of news coverage. Some of Pierre's projects at WBZ-TV included high-profile, local events, such as Boston's First Night and the city's 4th of July celebrations.

Pierre earned a Bachelor's Degree in English with a minor in Communications from Tufts University.

About Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications

Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications is a nationally recognized communications and government relations firm with more than two decades of experience providing exceptional client service to organizations that operate at the intersection of business, politics and media. With offices in Boston and Washington, D.C., the firm offers a comprehensive range of services, including ballot initiative management, corporate communications counsel, community relations, crisis and reputation management, grassroots organizing, investor relations, media and presentation training, litigation support, lobbying, public relations, and public sector business development. The firm has served and is serving a broad range of clients including: American Council on Renewable Energy, BJ's Wholesale Club, Boston-Power, The Boston Red Sox, Brandeis University, Catholic Charities, Citizens Financial Group, Covanta Energy, Eli Lilly & Company, Erickson Retirement Communities, First Wind, GDF SUEZ Energy North America, MasterCard, MooBella, The Museum of Science Boston, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, Saint Raphael's Healthcare System, Steward Healthcare, Toyota, UGL Unicco, Vanguard Health Systems, and Veolia Energy. For more information, please visit www.rasky.com.

Industry sees Opportunity in 2012

2011-12-07T20:31:49Z

Perspective from David Tamasi: I had the privilege of representing Rasky Baerlein at a Council on Public Relations Washington roundtable earlier this morning. A hearty crowd comprised of senior public relations executives from large, mid and small firms made the early morning confab. These roundtable events are particularly candid, and consequently insightful as participants freely discuss industry opportunities and challenges.

I had the privilege of representing Rasky Baerlein at a Council on Public Relations Washington roundtable earlier this morning. A hearty crowd comprised of senior public relations executives from large, mid and small firms made the early morning confab. These roundtable events are particularly candid, and consequently insightful as participants freely discuss industry opportunities and challenges. The Council should be commended for their work and diligence in keeping these important regional conversations going throughout the year.

Couple thoughts jumped out, as I made way back to the office on a soggy, early December morning. First, for many firms it was a good year with growth across the board. Rasky Baerlein is no exception. The impact of the late fall 2008 global economic collapse on the consultancy world appears to be in the rearview mirror. Interestingly, today's participants said that the industry was far more equipped to deal with the 2008 recession compared with the 2000 downturn because there is a greater acceptance, particularly among the C-Suite of public relations' value. Specifically corporate communications and reputation management. Those client service pillars form the basis for consensus that 2012 can also be a growth year.

Second, contrary to the commonly held Washington wisdom that presidential years inside the beltway are quiet or dull, we take a polar opposite view. In fact, to us in Washington, 2012 brings significant public affairs opportunity for companies and trade associations who recognize the value of investing in reputation management to elevate and/or further their brand's awareness with key influencers. Freed up from competition that hearings and legislative floor debates bring for stakeholder attention and time, 2012 is the year of Awareness. Seize the opportunity! Take advantage of an uncluttered landscape and educate policymakers about your company and advocacy agenda. Repeat. Keep doing it.

Regardless of the outcome of next November's election, 2013 portends to be a wild year with entitlement and tax reform, energy and healthcare policy all primed for significant and substantive legislative debate. Smart folks understand this now and relish the timeline. 2013 will be the year of advocacy and legislation. But 2012 is the year to lay the foundation through awareness and education.

PR Week 2012 Awards Finalists

2011-12-07T16:13:46Z

RBSC has been named a finalist in PR Week's 2012 Awards for Public Affairs Campaign of the year!

RBSC has been named a finalist in PR Week's 2012 Awards for Public Affairs Campaign of the year. Congratulations to all the other finalists, and good luck! Check out the list of finalists here.

The Parallel Pols of 2008

2011-11-15T14:19:41Z

Perspective from Larry Rasky: Watching the Republican debates, I can't get over the parallels to the Democrats in 2008.

Watching the Republican debates, I can't get over the parallels to the Democrats in 2008. There's no question that Mitt Romney is trying to portray that same sense of inevitability that Hillary Clinton's camp employed. Maybe he'll have better luck with that strategy.

I've felt for some time now that Newt Gingrich is the Joe Biden of this race-the intellectual, senior statesman who started with promise, stumbled out of the gate and forced his way back in through a combination of will and talent. In the end, John Edwards blocked Biden's path in Iowa, but the finances of Clinton and Obama proved too daunting for us and everyone else in the long run.

By that measure, Rick Perry is the Barack Obama of this race but I think more of Edwards when I look at Perry, all neat and tidy and smiley and ideological. Of course, the Herman Cain-Barack Obama comparison is easy given both of their successful outsider bids. What is becoming more interesting is Cain's staying power, which also surprised a lot of people when Senator Obama hung in there last time. The only thing Cain is missing is the Obama-Perry type bank account but that could come with success. We'll see if his foreign policy non-answers affect his standing any more than his scandalous revelations did.

Continuing on...Michelle Bachman is an easy twin to Dennis Kucinich as is Jon Huntsman to Bill Richardson and Rick Santorum to Chris Dodd. Although at the outset, the Pennsylvanian was more Biden while Chris and Newt could have been separated at birth. I guess that leaves Ron Paul playing the part of Mike Gravel. Paul could end up playing the part of John Edwards as a politically successful ideologue in Iowa which could leave Governor Perry playing the role of Gravel. Given his, uh, performance thus far, that comparison may not be too far off.

At the moment however, no one is really playing the role candidate Obama did. That may leave the President with another establishment figure to run at. That's one fight he should know how to win.

Team Romney: Experienced Hands; The ranks of aides and advisers are filled with seasoned GOP operatives and policy experts

2011-11-14T14:55:09Z

From National Journal, "Team Romney: Experienced Hands" November 10, 2011

From National Journal, "Team Romney: Experienced Hands; The ranks of aides and advisers are filled with seasoned GOP operatives and policy experts." November 10, 2011

By Scott Bland, Coral Davenport, Yochi J. Dreazen, Chris Frates, Fawn Johnson, Naureen Khan, Jim O'Sullivan, Margot Sanger-Katz, Josh Smith and Jim Tankersley
November 10, 2011 | 5:00 p.m.

Encircling Romney is a tight ring of longtime friends, aides, and advisers, some of whom have worked with him since the 1980s. Peppered into that mix are bold-faced names of long Republican vintage, drawn by Romney's front-runner status and evident steadiness in comparison to the more erratic candidates in the race. The former Massachusetts governor has bulked up his support structure in Washington since his 2008 run, drawing heavily on the expertise of former aides to President George W. Bush, and he has picked up supporters from former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's abandoned campaign. Romney's vast network, nurtured before his 2008 run and maintained since, has given him a heavy infrastructural advantage over the other contenders.

Romney's foreign-policy and national-security team is largely made up of centrist and experienced Republican hands, a clear reflection of the GOP front-runner's determination to secure the support of the party establishment--and the establishment's willingness to get behind the most nationally seasoned candidate. People close to Romney say that, for now, the campaign has not focused deeply or sought much outside counsel on energy, environmental, or immigration issues.

Campaign Aides

Matt Rhoades
Campaign Manager
Rhoades brings the skills of a seasoned national operative to the Romney campaign. A graduate of Syracuse University, he started his career at the Republican National Committee and was a research analyst during the 2000 election. After a stint in the Bush White House, he returned to politics as research director for George W. Bush's 2004 campaign, spearheading efforts to discredit Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on national-security issues. Rhoades became the RNC's deputy communications director during the 2006 cycle and the organization's main point of contact with influential conservative blogger Matt Drudge. Rhoades directed communications for Romney's 2008 White House bid and was executive director of his Free and Strong America political action committee before signing on to his presidential campaign again.

Beth Myers
Senior Adviser
Myers is one of the aides closest to Romney, having been campaign manager for his 2008 bid for the White House and chief of staff when he was Massachusetts governor. Myers cut her teeth in politics on Ronald Reagan's campaign in 1980 soon after she graduated from Tufts and went on to lead get-out-the-vote operations across five states; she also worked for Ray Shamie's 1984 Senate race in Massachusetts and Bill Clements's 1986 bid for Texas governor, alongside Karl Rove. After Romney's failed 2008 presidential campaign, Myers cofounded the Shawmut Group with two other consultants who had long roots in Romney World, Eric Fehrnstrom and Peter Flaherty. The Free and Strong America PAC was one of the firm's clients, as was the campaign of Scott Brown, now the Republican senator from Massachusetts.

Peter Flaherty
Senior Adviser
Flaherty followed an unconventional path to Romney's inner circle. As a former assistant district attorney for Suffolk County, Mass., early in his career, Flaherty prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases. He left to become vice president of Walden Media, a production studio that specialized in family-friendly flicks. In 2003, he went to work for then-Gov. Romney as his deputy chief of staff and senior adviser on constitutional issues, criminal justice, bioethics, and judicial selection. During Romney's first presidential campaign, Flaherty, a devout Catholic, was in charge of outreach to religious and social conservatives. He moved to the Shawmut Group after a stint at the head of the Free and Strong America PAC before Rhoades took over that role.

Eric Fehrnstrom
Senior Adviser
A reporter for the Boston Herald before he made the move to government, Fehrnstrom was an assistant state treasurer responsible for media relations in Massachusetts. He returned to the private sector as senior vice president for corporate communications at the marketing and advertising agency Hill Holiday before being beckoned to serve as communications director for newly elected Gov. Romney. Like other current aides, Fehrnstrom worked on Romney's first presidential campaign, advising the candidate on press strategy and message in 2008. Regarded as a ruthless tactician and a skilled media strategist, he conceived the television ad linking Scott Brown with John F. Kennedy. Fehrn-strom ran into controversy earlier this year when he was revealed to have been sending out unflattering tweets about Brown's Democratic opponents from an account that concealed his identity.

Stuart Stevens and Russ Schriefer
Strategists and Media Consultants
Business partners for nearly two decades, Stevens and Schriefer are the forces behind the effort to recast Romney as a more likable, less buttoned-up candidate. Stevens began his career in his native Mississippi, working on campaigns for GOP Sen. Thad Cochran and others. He went on to advise Bob Dole's presidential campaign in 1996 and the George W. Bush campaigns in 2000 and 2004. Schriefer has worked on four of the past five Republican presidential campaigns; he most recently advised New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on media strategy. Both Stevens and Schriefer started the 2008 election cycle with the McCain campaign but jumped ship to Team Romney in summer 2007.

Rich Beeson
Political Director
Beeson, most recently a partner at the voter contact firm FLS Connect, is a familiar face among the GOP establishment--he has served on the Republican National Committee's senior political leadership team for all but one election cycle since 1998. For the 2008 campaign, Beeson was the RNC's political director, responsible for national grassroots efforts, voter turnout, and mail and phone programs. He has dabbled in international politics as well, helping the Fidesz party of Hungary develop a voter contact and mobilization program in 2006. In addition, Beeson has been a fixture in Colorado politics, working on a number of congressional, gubernatorial, and Senate campaigns in his home state.

Gail Gitcho
Communications Director
Gitcho left her post as communications director for Sen. Scott Brown to join Romney's campaign for the second time. She served as a regional press secretary during his 2008 bid. After Romney was booted out of the race, she became the Mid-Atlantic communications director for the McCain campaign before going to the Republican National Committee as press secretary. A native of San Antonio, Gitcho was also communications director for then-Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., and Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M.

Spencer Zwick
Finance Director
Described by Mitt and Ann Romney as their "sixth son," Zwick grew up in Salt Lake City and is a fellow member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He got to know Romney when he was a volunteer for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympics and Romney was its president and CEO. Zwick ultimately became Romney's right-hand man during his run for Massachusetts governor and then his deputy chief of staff in the Statehouse. After the governor launched his first presidential bid in 2007, Zwick, then only 28, was tasked with building a formidable war chest. He has the same job this time around and is known for keeping Romney donors happy and closely tied with the campaign.

Lanhee Chen
Policy Director
In picking his top aide on policy initiatives, Romney chose someone with top-notch academic credentials. Chen got his undergraduate degree, law degree, and Ph.D. from Harvard and has seesawed between politics and academia for most of his career. He has been a political consultant and a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He worked on Romney's first presidential bid and with his PAC, and then moved to Steve Poizner's campaign for California governor last year before rejoining Team Romney. Chen has written several articles about the budgetary pressure President Obama's health care law imposes on cash-strapped states.

Jim Merrill
Senior Adviser, New Hampshire
If there is such a thing as a must-win for Romney in the early-voting states, it's the first-in-the-nation primary. Merrill is Romney's man in New Hampshire; he's a longtime Granite State political strategist who was George W. Bush's campaign director there in 2000 and Romney's in 2008. Now a senior Romney adviser, Merrill is also managing director of the Devine Strategies consulting firm.

Neil Newhouse
Pollster
Newhouse cofounded Public Opinion Strategies in 1991 and has made it into one of the leading Republican polling firms in the country. In the course of his 25 years in public-opinion research, he has led thousands of projects and worked on numerous campaigns. Newhouse's client list has included Sen. Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Republicans such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. In 2008, he was the Republican partner for the NBC News/Wall Street Journal polls.

Top Contributors

Paul and Sandra Edgerley
Paul Edgerley has worked at Bain Capital since 1988--like Romney, making the switch from the Bain & Co. consulting firm. He is now a managing director at the private-equity fund. Edgerley and his wife, Sandra, had donated the maximum $2,500 to Romney's campaign fund and $500,000 to the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future by June of this year. The Edgerleys, both Harvard Business School graduates, live outside Boston.

J.W. Marriott Jr. and Richard Marriott
The Marriotts, heirs to the hotel fortune, donated a combined $1 million to Restore Our Future and a combined $5,000 to the Romney campaign. The Romney and Marriott families are old friends; they both own property in Wolfeboro, N.H., and both are active in the Mormon Church. Romney is a former member of the Marriott board, and the Marriott brothers backed him in 2008. J.W. Marriott Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International, and Richard Marriott, chairman of Host Hotels & Resorts, are both based in the Washington metro area.

John Paulson
The hedge-fund manager, who made his money betting against the housing bubble, donated $1 million to Restore Our Future earlier this year. The founder and head of Paulson & Co., he lives and works in New York City; Forbes pegs his net worth at $15.5 billion. To put that in context, Paulson is more than twice as wealthy as was the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Edward Conrad
The former Bain Capital executive stirred controversy earlier this year when he contributed $1 million to Restore Our Future--through a company, W Spann, that appeared to have been created solely to funnel money to the candidate. Conrad later came forward and asked that Restore Our Future amend its filings to disclose his identity. Although he has donated to Romney in the past, Conrad is not otherwise known as a major Republi-can donor.

Mitt Romney
Romney's secret weapon? His ability to self-fund. The former Bain Capital CEO donated more than $44.6 million to his 2008 campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. He has yet to dip into his own pockets in this cycle.

D.C. Influentials

Ron Kaufman
A longtime adviser to the former governor, Kaufman advocates for Romney regularly on television and in print. As a veteran lobbyist with Dutko Grayling, he is also a master of the inside game, possessing a network of contacts dating date back to his days on George H.W. Bush's 1980 presidential campaign.

Drew Maloney
Maloney, chief executive of Ogilvy Government Relations and a former Republican leadership staffer under then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, helps the campaign with congressional relations and fundraising. Maloney volunteered on Romney's 2008 bid and headed a young professionals group in Washington for the former Massachusetts governor.

Vin Weber
The former House member from Minnesota backed home state Gov. Tim Pawlenty before his longtime friend dropped out of the race. The move back to Romney was natural for Weber, who had been a campaign policy adviser in 2008. When Romney called, Weber said, "the first words out of his mouth were, 'Vin, I just have one question. How come you've missed all those meetings these last two years?' " Now, the Clark & Weinstock lobbyist serves on the campaign's economic and foreign-affairs advisory committees, devising policy options to present to Romney.

Sen. Roy Blunt
The Missouri Republican began running Romney's congressional team in mid-September and quickly organized a handful of meetings, including an October event at the American Trucking Associations that gave congressional lawmakers an opportunity to meet with Romney. A former member of the House Republican leadership and now a senator, Blunt has ties to members in both chambers. His assignment is a reprise of a similar role he played in 2000 when he worked as the House liaison to George W. Bush's presidential campaign.

Kevin Madden
As the Romney campaign's national press secretary in 2008, Madden was a regular on cable news, a fitting job for a guy known around Washington as a human Ken doll. More than a pretty face, he is close with campaign manager Matt Rhoades and other senior staffers; he informally advises the campaign on communications, works with the Washington press corps, and does some congressional outreach on the campaign's behalf. Madden is executive vice president at the public-affairs firm JDA Frontline.

Benjamin Ginsberg
Legendary for his role in helping Bush win the Florida vote-recount battle in 2000, Ginsberg was national counsel to the Bush-Cheney campaigns in 2000 and 2004 and then held the same post for Romney's 2008 campaign. A partner at law firm Patton Boggs, Ginsberg was also an early architect of Romney's presidential campaign last time.

David Tamasi
Head of the Washington office of the Boston-based communications firm Rasky Baerlein, Tamasi made his way up in Bay State GOP politics before embarking on a journalism career, covering Washington for Lawrence's Eagle-Tribune. Now helping open K Street doors for the candidate, Tamasi is a regular on the Romney fundraising circuit.

Wayne Berman
Chairman of Ogilvy Government Relations, Berman directed congressional relations for George H.W. Bush's campaign in 1988 and then served as assistant secretary of Commerce for policy. He was the Dole-Kemp vice presidential campaign director in 1996 and a senior adviser to the Bush-Cheney transition after the 2000 campaign.

To read more, please visit National Journal, "Team Romney: Experienced Hands; The ranks of aides and advisers are filled with seasoned GOP operatives and policy experts."

Marblehead's Goldfarb to head new practice group at Rasky Baerlein

2011-10-31T20:34:07Z

From The Marblehead Reporter, "Marblehead's Goldfarb to head new practice group at Rasky Baerlein" October 20, 2011

By Staff reports
Marblehead Reporter Posted Oct 20, 2011 @ 12:43 PM

Marblehead -- Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications (rasky.com) recently announced the promotion of Marblehead resident Sandra Goldfarb to leader of the newly created nonprofit, consumer, arts and entertainment group. Goldfarb joined Rasky Baerlein in 2008 as a vice president working with the firm's nonprofit, academic, consumer and energy and environment practice groups.

"Sandi brings strategic thinking, strong client-service skills and significant experience in marketing communications to her new role," said Joe Baerlein, firm president. "Both colleagues and clients value her creativity, her resourcefulness and strong relationships within the Boston market."

Goldfarb designs and implements strategies that integrate media, community and public relations and marketing communications for her clients, including the Museum of Science, MooBella Inc., ArtsBoston, the Dining Car, the Foundation to be Named Later, the Greater Boston Food Bank and Lasell College. Her expanded role will include management and growth of the nonprofit, consumer, arts and entertainment practice areas.

To read more, please visit The Marblehead Reporter, "Marblehead's Goldfarb to head new practice group at Rasky Baerlein"

The Age Old Question

2011-10-14T18:18:04Z

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from facebook informing me that thanks to "my suggestion" my mother and my uncle had made it official and were now friends. It should have been quickly deleted and forgotten, but for some reason that email has been stuck in my head. I'm not exactly sure what it is that bothered me about the computer generated message. It could be the sentiment driving the new Toyota ads featuring the daughter chiding her parents for having only 19 friends on facebook. In the latest twist on the "kids may be hip with the trends but grownups know what matters" advertising narrative, she sits inside watching viral videos while they go on a road trip with their flesh and blood friends to the mountains. #ironyanyone?

With all this in mind I was very excited by a new Ad Age survey on media consumption that looked at each generation's hour by hour patterns. The takeaway, at least for me: the technologies may change but the core of our communications basically stays the same.

Lost somewhere between Generation X and the Millennials, I'm pretty happy with my own media consumption, social and otherwise even if it is a lesson in contradiction. A few hundred friends on facebook, several tweets a day, a couple of hours of political and financial TV news in the morning, streaming Netflix and a DVR full of shows I actually want to watch but with the memory of appointment TV.

Monday through Friday I'm more comfortable getting my news from blogs and websites however most Sunday mornings I'm in my pjs still reading the newspaper in print. I've had an iPhone or Blackberry my entire working life and a T1 line was put into my freshman dorm room one week after I arrived. These days most people email me at gmail but I still have a secret AOL account, a memento of instant message days gone by.

I cited the actual encyclopedia in book form while in school but have always had Google and Wikipedia to make me look smart at work. I just had to order another bookshelf to accommodate the hundreds of books I'm not sure I want the iPad to replace, my magazines still clog my mailbox, and a nice card still means more to me than a tweet. To say nothing of Pandora stations, a strange addiction to historical documentaries on Hulu and a canceled foursquare account.

Putting aside the most tech savvy among us, I always thought most people's media consumptions patterns are an accident of birth. While the above mentioned mother only wants to connect with her most trusted friends on facebook and "misses" shows because she was out to dinner, I actually enjoy knowing what college dorm mates and every member of my graduating class from high school are up to, even if I didn't really miss them after graduation and we've already covered my DVR. Of course a child born today won't know what it is like to "just loose track" of people and will assume any kind of media is available to them 24/7/365.

But the Ad Age Survey clarifies some less than accurate assumptions I had been holding: My first assumption, the younger you are the more likely you are to forego traditional media when you first roll out of bed in favor of updating your facebook page. After all, we are constantly hearing about the aging demographics for local TV news and the importance of headlines being under 140 characters. Turns out Baby Boomers, Generation X and Adult Millennials are all listening to the radio and watching TV in the morning but they are also consuming news and information online. In fact all three generations had online activities right behind radio and before TV, it is the Teen Millennials and iGen who shun the internet in favor of ipods, tv and radio. Sounds a lot like me begging my mother to let us listen to my mix tape rather than news on the radio doesn't it?

My second assumption, none of us is watching TV because we are too busy playing angry birds, was also wrong. TV advertisers should take some comfort that during primetime it's still the most popular activity for all five generations. The only problem, while 70% of Baby Boomers are tuning in and tuning everything else out, only 39% of iGen thinks TV is must see and about half of them are consuming another form of media simultaneously. Of course my grandparents were born in 1899 so they read Boston newspapers twice a day, I came about 80 something years later so I read newspapers all day and into the night. We're a naturally curious family my access is just different.

My third assumption, we're all obsessed with facebook, was confirmed however. At any given moment with the exception of hours where we're all sleeping and when the under 18 crowd is in school, more than 10% of all five generations are on the social media platform. For Gen X and Adult Millennials, that number gets up around 40% during our work day. I can't wait to see the first study that ties facebook to America's long term decreased work productivity.

But getting back to my mother and my uncle, I did tweet my confusion as to the necessity of such an email from facebook. Perhaps what bothered me so much was while the technology we use to communicate and share ideas may change, the basic messages always seem to stay the same and mine today: is there is no substitute for good old fashioned human commonsense?

Agency People News In Brief

2011-10-11T12:52:39Z

From The Holmes Report, "Agency People News In Brief" October 3, 2011

BOSTON--Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications has added Kellyanne Dignan and Andy Hoglund to its financial services, real estate and retail practice group. Dignan joins as associate vice president after working in broadcast and digital communications in varying editorial and production capacities at NBC News, MSNBC, USA TODAY, WHDH-TV and New England Cable News. Hoglund joins as an account executive, having implemented online strategy while serving as campaign manager for Massachusetts State Representative Joseph Driscoll during his race to become the Norfolk County District Attorney.

To read the full article online, please visit The Holmes Report.