For almost two years now, the pandemic has deeply disrupted businesses and industries worldwide, but for those solution-minded strategic leaders who can spot opportunities amidst the chaos, it also served as an accelerator for success. Such was the case for NRPR Group, an award-winning public relations agency and positioning firm based out of Beverly Hills, whose fearless team faced the myriad challenges of the pandemic with creativity, grit and gumption – on behalf of themselves and their clients – to ultimately turn 2020 and 2021 into landmark years of success, resilience and ingenuity.
The Ideation
NRPR Group was founded in 2014 by Nicole Rodrigues, who spent 14 years eagerly and relentlessly refining her own expertise within the world of public relations. Before opening NRPR, Nicole worked with/for some of the biggest names in PR and business, where she saw the media landscape evolve alongside the digital era. She was taught by the best in the industry to appreciate the fluidity and power of public relations as an art form that must continually adapt to meet the expectations of clients while matching new communication methods and consumer behaviors. The versatile leader founded the agency to continue mastering the art of public relations, while also spotlighting the top innovators across industries and guiding the next generation of thoughtful, strategic and impact-driven public relations leaders.
Elevating Strategies to Lead the Industry
NRPR has since evolved and expanded into an end-to-end, comprehensive business development and brand positioning machine, an industry-first leap from core public relations services (including strategic messaging development, brand positioning, marketing communications, digital/social media marketing, influencer/media relations and executive thought leadership building). This includes their newest offerings: multimedia content creation services through NRPR Productions and end-to-end, pre-launch business development strategy and support through NRPR Biz Pro™.
On behalf of each client, the NRPR team strives to deeply (and rapidly) master their businesses, brands, respective missions and consumer needs while guiding them through the pre- and/or post-launch process. They then leverage this data to create core messaging and strategic campaigns that convey client stories to the right audiences at the right time through the lens of aligned media.
“
NRPR is more than just a full-service public relations agency — it is now an end-to-end business development and strategic positioning machine.
Embracing Emerging Technologies
The NRPR team utilizes the latest business technologies to optimize and streamline internal communications, client reporting and overall organization, in addition to representing some of the most revolutionary digital innovators within the tech space. They use GSuite for almost everything they do and leverage Zoom for virtual meetings. They also utilize Otter to automatically transcribe recordings from messaging calls or strategic meetings, and use Monday.com to centralize, organize, delegate and track assignments, thereby allowing team members to stay organized and in sync while working remotely. Furthermore, NRPR uses Nectarine to generate comprehensive weekly digital reports that provide their clients with updates, real-time transparency and results for all the activities in their pipeline for peak client management.
Nurturing a Positive Work Culture
While talking about the team and culture at NRPR, Nicole says she’s committed to fostering, mentoring and giving love to the top-tier talent who have put their faith in NRPR and bring true passion and energy to their work. With their own sets of abilities, backgrounds and interests, each team member brings something unique to the table and contributes to exceptional client outcomes and experiences. Nicole also makes it a point to ensure that everyone on her team understands how critical, intentional and visible their actions are, especially during this work-remote season.
The NRPR team is stacked with future thinkers and problem-solvers who remain apprised of the latest emerging trends, tools and technologies relevant to their industry and clients. They are rooted deeply in purpose and never release anything without due diligence, strategic planning and collaborative editing.
Pivoting Throughout the Pandemic
With headquarters in Beverly Hills, the strict California and Los Angeles County stay-at-home orders impacted the NRPR team earlier and for far longer than most of their competitors in other parts of the country. As a result, the notable PR agency switched to remote operations right away, embracing many of the tools outlined above that helped make this shift as seamless as possible.
When asked about her team’s energy and production throughout the height of the pandemic, Nicole cannot help but beam with pride. “In the face of the challenges presented by COVID-19, along with the rising global and interpersonal uncertainty that accompanied it, our team truly shined. They showed up, every single day, eager to help clients adapt their brand messaging and offerings to reflect the ‘new normal,’ rather than advising them to stand still or shutter,” says Nicole. In fact, throughout the pandemic, NRPR has represented and counseled several clients who have pivoted their businesses to offer COVID-19-related services and solutions (including masks, testing, sanitization, services and products) that helped stop the spread of the virus, supported global health initiatives and aided the process of reopening public spaces. The team also paid close attention to the pulse of the cultural and media climate, intentionally timing client announcements to coincide with the pandemic’s context. “We have been successful in doing so, even in near-crisis client situations, but the ongoing state of social distancing and global uncertainty has still taken a toll. It has not been easy, but it has been deeply worthwhile,” said Nicole.
“
As a team, we believe in holding ourselves accountable for our work, responsible for our results and supportive of our peers — while holding our clients to those same high standards.
Because of these proactive, agile efforts, 2020 ended up actually being one of the agency’s most successful years to date, which Nicole attributes to the team’s perseverance and dedication. Beyond their existing clientele, the prominent PR agency also recognized an opportunity to assist other nascent businesses that were forming during the pandemic by launching NRPR Biz Pro™ to help solidify and scale those budding businesses before diving into post-launch brand positioning and PR. Consequently, there is no other PR agency like NRPR Group elsewhere in the industry, and for that, Nicole is exceptionally proud.
Navigating the Road Ahead
NRPR has already experienced remarkable development and expansion thus far in 2021, with each of its core values, campaigns and services soaring to new heights and earning new clients and awards. It has diversified its product offerings, obtained new competitive advantages, fine-tuned strategies and enhanced the team’s skill sets – all while working remotely from various cities and markets. In terms of the future, Nicole maintains that the needs, goals and interests of their clients and the media will continue to define NRPR’s ongoing evolution. “In the coming years, we hope to have helped usher in a new era of public relations, in which publicists and members of the media work together, seamlessly and symbiotically, in tandem for the best possible coverage and impact … and that is truly exciting to me,” said Nicole.
A Multi-Faceted Leader with an Innovative Streak
As Founder, CEO and the “NR” of NRPR Group, Nicole views herself as a game-winning coach and mentor, pushing her A-team to be the best of the best and to win top-tier awards on behalf of their tireless work for their clients. She oversees all agency operations and communications, while maintaining the company’s standards, strategy and overall vision. She also looks for and finds new methods for NRPR to continue to improve and expand its products, protocols, platforms and technologies, all while keeping their clients’ best interests at the center of everything they do. Her desire to help others push themselves to excel and exceed even their own expectations drives her lifelong passion to be the best leader she possibly can be. She strives to set an example for her team and foster a positive company culture based on their shared commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, transparency and results.
“
My vision has always been to create a company culture in which people feel empowered to be their most authentic, creative, powerful and vulnerable selves, while helping them grow their skill sets, voice and experience along the way.
Some Words of Wisdom from the CEO:
- “I would encourage any aspiring entrepreneur or those with a core vision they want to actualize to first remember that nothing truly valuable or worthwhile in this life comes easy. Their success will directly match the amount of effort, energy, hard work and sacrifice that they are willing to put in. So, they should stay focused, stay fierce in their pursuit and stay close to those who support their mission.”
- “I’d remind them to never stop learning, challenging themselves and improving. They should leverage any free time to research their industry, competitors, value proposition and differentiators. They should be honest with themselves and their offering, while remaining eager to make a difference with their business.”
- “Lastly, they should partner with trusted positioning agents or teams who can develop meaningful messaging and tell their story authentically for exactly the right audiences.”
