News & Opinion

Availability and speed of internet connectivity for individuals or households can greatly affect the quality of education, healthcare, and economic opportunities they receive, as well as access to critical public services.   The pandemic exacerbated the digital divide and brought this urgent problem to the forefront. Cisco and its public and private sector partners believe now is the time for the industry to get together to solve this complex challenge. Recently, Cisco held two panel sessions with industry leaders and partners to discuss the urgent need to close the digital divide and released Cisco U.S. Municipal Infrastructure Index 2021, a report on the infrastructure priorities and challenges facing U.S. municipal leaders. Read more about Cisco's commitment here. Cisco Rural Broadband Innovation Center: Open for Customers and Partners In June, Cisco announced the opening of their Rural Broadband Innovation Center in North Carolina to demonstrate to service providers how they can improve availability and affordability of internet access. Through the Center, Cisco is committed to bridging the gap between commercial viability of technology solutions offered by service providers and the cost of serving rural Americans.   On Monday July 19, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and Senior Vice President and General Manager Cisco Mass-Scale Infrastructure Jonathan Davidson were joined by FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and TruVista COO and President, Carla French, to share more about the Innovation Center, and discuss how the private sector and government can change the economics of broadband access in the U.S. Throughout the conversation, it became clear that broadband inequity comes down to two factors: access and cost.   Bridging the Digital Divide with Municipalities   On Thursday July 22, Cisco brought together municipal leaders and technology decision-makers who are working to bridge the digital divide in the U.S. and abroad, ensuring that everyone has equal access to a reliable internet connection. Cisco’s Michael Beesley, Vice President and CTO, Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group, moderated a discussion with Antoinette Meier, Director of Mobility and Innovation at San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), Eugene Mejia, Deputy CTO for Town of Gilbert, Arizona, and Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA).   The panelists discussed the challenges they face as municipal leaders and technology decision-makers. Antoinette Meier noted that reliable data is difficult to come by, and this data is critical to paint a holistic picture of the problem for leaders to address. Broadband is more than being able to access your favorite websites. Technology has fundamentally changed transportation, healthcare, and education, and data is needed to hold leaders accountable to communities. Every panelist discussed funding hurdles while reiterating that connectivity and access are essential to quality of life.   Private-public partnerships present additional opportunities for collaboration of people and organizations with the same goal. With that in mind, SANDAG and Cisco announced a new partnership focused on bridging the digital divide, supporting the development of SANDAG’s Regional Digital Equity Strategy and Action Plan, which seeks to improve high-speed internet access and adoption in areas where there are gaps. Cisco will support SANDAG as a consultant to help identify barriers to broadband expansion and develop strategies and solutions for addressing these barriers in the form of an actionable roadmap. Watch a replay of the virtual roundtable New Research: Cisco U.S. Municipal Infrastructure Index 2021   Cisco released new research to provide a data-driven look at where broadband infrastructure is being prioritized for municipalities across the country. The study, conducted by Probolsky Research, polled local government executives from cities, counties, towns, and Tribal governments of all sizes, in regions across the U.S. Of those surveyed, 80% said broadband is “critical infrastructure” and placed connectivity improvements and upgrades near the top of their priority project list, underscoring the pressing need to close the digital divide.   So, what’s stopping them? The answer will not surprise you: the primary barrier to reliable broadband connectivity is a lack of funding. More than three quarters of officials are concerned about the high cost of broadband for their residents, and 70% said they have ready-to-go projects just waiting for funding allocation.   Read the full report: Cisco: U.S. Municipal Infrastructure Index 2021

At Bob Gold & Associates, we’re the Gold Standard for data-driven Public Relations and Brand Management.   We recently received reviews on Clutch that demonstrate our excellence. Clutch is a B2B listing resource and reviews platform that evaluates companies based on their quality of work, industry experience, and client reviews. Clutch has become the go-to resource in the B2B space for connecting small, mid-market, and enterprise businesses with the perfect service provider.   Our creative, tech-savvy and award-winning team is highly connected & insightful. We provide uniquely tailored strategies for today’s digital-first world. We are transparent in our work, focusing on data and analysis through a proprietary method we call BG&A Insight™. This approach allows us to meet every client's unique needs and starts by implementing a thorough onboarding process to help create a proactive and personalized media relations campaign that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Replicable and Timely.   Bob Gold & Associates Got Another Review on Commit USA One of our latest reviews came from a global tech services firm, Commit USA. We helped their team launch in the North American market, particularly in the US. We provided traditional PR activities to build awareness such as news announcements, story placements, media briefings, and executive bylines. We also assisted their team’s entry onto the Clutch platform, by helping them with their case studies and client reviews. Additionally, we supported their LinkedIn activities including posts.   Our efforts resulted in the client’s successful entry into the US market. They have been able to establish their credibility via Clutch, and we were able to increase their media exposure through targeted story placements and relevant thought leadership in a variety of publications. They praised our team’s professionalism and project management. Commit USA Global Chief Revenue Officer Max Nirenberg said, “We’re impressed by the quality of their work, communication, and delivery. They make it very clear what’s going to happen and when the time comes, they will deliver what they said they would.”   We’re happy and grateful that, with such a glowing review, Max gave us perfect five-star ratings across all metrics!   Reviews on The Royalty Network: We also received a review from music publishing company, The Royalty Network after supporting the company’s efforts in launching a Black Lives Matter empowerment initiative. We had multiple meetings with the client to hash out messaging, and we created strategies and approaches from those discussions. Our efforts led to the successful launch of this inspiring campaign. The client praised our effective workflow, organized project management, and seamless communication. Ultimately, it was our agency’s forward-thinking strategies that left a big impression on the client. With the success of this campaign, we received an overall rating of 4.5-stars!   We thank Commit USA and The Royalty Network for their detailed and honest review of our work. Their positive feedback validates our team’s hard work and affirms our commitment to our clients.   We’re also pleased to announce that Clutch’s sister website the Manifest named us a Top Public Affairs Firm for 2021! The Manifest is a business news and how-to platform that analyzes and compiles industry data. They allow entrepreneurs, SMB owners, and industry managers to find leading agencies within their platform. As such, we’re honored to be recognized by the Manifest as the leading provider in our industry!   Do you need help with PR and marketing? Contact us today, and let’s discuss how we can work together to grow your brand and reach success.   See our Clutch Profile here

Clutch.co’s has listed Bob Gold & Associates among the Top 3 PR Agencies in Los Angeles, ranking  it #1 in Crisis Communications for the area. As more companies ramp up their operations in a challenging economy and social setting, many of them are looking to elevate their brand stories. We are the Gold standard for data-driven Public Relations and Brand Management. The BG&A team of experts provides uniquely tailored strategies for today’s digital-first world. Our goal is to tell a great story about you, share your expertise and insights, demonstrate your unique value and connect with target audiences across the globe.   To see our PR and marketing results, read our case studies for Cisco (Telecommunications), Viamedia (AdTech), and Plume (Consumer Electronics) as well as our collection of case studies on crisis management.   “Their work ethic and results were impressive. They also have good media relationships and industry contacts.”   Mark Goodburn, Director of Product Marketing, Plume   For more amazing reviews of the BG&A team, please visit our Clutch.co profile here.        

Joyn’s Platform Utilizes Real-time Data to Simplify and Streamline Underwriting for Small and Middle Market Risks     Commit USA, a global technology and custom software solutions company, and Joyn InsuranceSM, a New York City-based InsurTech startup, today announced a partnership to support the development of Joyn’s new platform, which is slated to launch this year.   Commit was tapped to help with both design and development of the new platform’s user experience. The company’s expert development team has been fully integrated alongside Joyn’s existing engineering team members and partners to ensure seamless collaboration and rapid development throughout the project.   Commit was selected for its comprehensive range of engineering and data capabilities, development expertise and customer-centric approach, which were critical to addressing the unique complexities and usability challenges of developing Joyn’s solution.   “Joyn is bringing big ideas to the insurance industry and is backed by brilliant executives and innovators who have already helped shape the world of InsurTech. It’s exciting to support their vision and be part of this transformation,” said Max Nirenberg, CRO & Managing Director, Commit USA. “Joyn’s platform is truly a best-in-class solution that addresses the biggest pain points experienced by underwriters and brokers in the commercial insurance industry. It’s the future of underwriting for Small and Middle markets.”   Joyn is an innovative, data-centric, technology-driven managing general agent (“MGA”) that provides commercial insurance to the highly fragmented U.S. Small and Middle Markets. Leveraging real-time data, automation and a robust technology stack, the platform can significantly improve the commercial insurance experience, by streamlining and bringing consistency to underwriting processes and decision making. Joyn’s platform can greatly expedite response times for quotes, increase transparency during the underwriting process, and provide a policy at bind.   “This segment of the commercial insurance market is fragmented and rife with inefficiencies, redundancies and lost opportunities for brokers and their clients. Data and technology are the keys to solving these issues,” said Ed McGough, CTO and Co-Founder, Joyn Insurance. “Partnering with an organization like Commit, who have both scale and a startup mindset was an easy decision. We have access to top engineering talent in multiple geographies, without the complexity of managing a global team and operation. Max and his team work seamlessly with Joyn and our existing partners.”   Joyn Insurance was founded by a unique team of insurance executives that are both industry veterans, and technology advocates, including CEO Seraina Macia and CTO Ed McGough. The team at Joyn will work with retail brokers to provide insurance services across a range of industries, including real estate, manufacturing, services, retail, wholesale and contracting.   Integral to Commit operations is its proprietary Flexible R&D methodology, which offers the firm’s multidisciplinary development services via a unique on-demand model. Commit’s approach often reduces development costs by over 40% for its startup clients and has helped 90% release their projects ahead of schedule.   For more information, please visit: https://www.commit.us or https://www.joyninsurance.com/  

  Clutch.co has released their latest ranking of the top 15 entertainment Public Relations agencies listing Bob Gold & Associates #5 based on market presence, clients & experience, and professional reviews.   Clutch.co contains genuine client reviews to help communications professionals seek out the perfect match for the professional services they need such as Public Relations, Crisis & Bankruptcy Communications, Digital Marketing, and more.   Bob Gold & Associates offers targeted results-driven outcomes in its contracts and specializes in B2B communications serving multiple verticals including media & entertainment, technology, and marketing & advertising public relations.   To learn more, read our media & entertainment public relations case studies, such as Fathom Events. If you’re in the process of partnering with a new PR firm, give us a second glance and see what makes us unique. Contact us today.  

Backup   Bob Gold & Associates moves up to the 3rd spot in the Clutch.co Top Los Angeles Event Marketers Leaders Matrix. As the country continues to rebuild, we will see a unique blend of face-to-face and virtual events. Our team has over 25 years’ experience planning, implementing and hosting intimate events such as Cocktails and Conversation media events at major trade shows and conferences as well as managing virtual events such as webinars.   To see our PR and marketing results, read our event-related case studies for Cisco (technology), Plume (security) or the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (professional services). "Their work ethic and results were impressive. They also have good media relationships and industry contacts." Mark Goodburn, Director of Product Marketing, Plume For more amazing reviews of the BG&A team, please visit our Clutch.co profile here.  

  Bob Gold & Associates has been ranked #4 by Clutch in their Top Online Reputation Management Companies Leaders Matrix for our expertise in reputation management, social media monitoring, investor relations, content creation, and crisis communications.   Clutch collects client feedback and analyzes industry data, helping businesses select partners to tackle todays’ business challenges. We invite you to read Bob Gold & Associates unbiased reviews and for the latest news, data and advice for businesses view the Clutch blog.   “We can always count on this team to exceed expectations.” David Solomon, President & CEO, Viamedia If you want to work with an award-winning agency, contact us to start the conversation.  

ARE YOU READY FOR A NEW ROARING TWENTIES? The U.S. economy has been pumped up with more than $4 billion from the Feds. That’s a lot of new cash for businesses and consumers to tap into along with support from a whole lot of new technologies. As we inch out of the pandemic, the one thing we know is everything we’ve done to grow before is gonna be different. And successful companies will adapt and evolve at an incredibly faster pace.   What are you doing to grow your business in 2021 in this newest normal? Are you ready with a communications plan that will drive your growth? Have you committed budgets today to building a promising future? Everything is immediate. Patience was so last century. If you haven’t aligned with a PR pro who is in touch with fast changing trends and today’s evolving marketplace, with immediate access to reporters and platforms to elevate your story, perhaps it’s time to do so.   As we hurried to adapt to the crisis spawned by the pandemic, powerful technologies including IoT, Cloud and AI enabled companies to survive and thrive. These technologies accelerated the usage of mRNA technology for creating COVID vaccines. And the same technologies have created an entirely new ecosystem in entertainment creation and delivery to a rethinking of the very definition of work in today’s gig economy. And these same technologies and new work habits are rapidly changing all public relations and marketing tactics and campaigns.   In short, CEO confidence around the country is at a 17-year high. Things are aligning in a surprising way to tell us, this is not the time to hold onto cash; but invest it to build bigger, better businesses that can thrive in a the new roaring 20s.

  UpCity provides transparency and insights through a data-driven model that measures real credibility indicators and takes the guesswork out of the B2B Service Provider selection process. Their marketplace creates and empowers relationships between businesses and public relations agencies supporting professionals in marketing, human resources, and more!   The UpCity research team has created a list of the top PR firms in Los Angeles, CA to help you find the right partner for your business. We believe the best fit just might be Bob Gold & Associates!   With Bob Gold & Associates vast experience in content creation, media relations, and bankruptcy communications our clients entrust us to on targeted results-driven outcomes, not promises.