News & Opinion

Bob Gold & Associates ranks #3 for crisis communications, #5 for online reputation management and #7 for event management.   March 9, 2021   Clutch, the leading B2B ratings and reviews platform, released its list of the top 15 PR firms across various specialties for 2021.    These specialties include: Corporate Communications Crisis Communications (#3) Event Management (#7) Online Reputation Management (#5)   As more consumers demand authenticity in businesses they support, companies have to be ready to meet their needs.    Clutch factors companies’ level of industry expertise and ability to deliver in their rankings. The rankings also take into account comprehensive reviews collected from former clients through in-depth phone conversations and a detailed online form.    To read completes news release, visit Clutch.  

New financing from Insight Partners will fuel Plume's accelerating growth   Plume®, the company behind the smart home service offerings of more than 170 Communications Service Providers (CSPs) served to more than 22 million households across the globe, today announced that it has closed a $270 million minority investment from global venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners. This Series E round at a $1.35 billion valuation brings Plume’s total equity funding to $397 million.    Plume was founded on the premise that a device will only ever be as smart as the network it’s connected to, and that the existing smart home services were sorely lacking. Instead of attempting to improve only  wireless coverage through distributed hardware, Plume’s approach is entirely different – a comprehensive suite of cloud-controlled front-end services delivered over a smart, software-defined network. Plume’s HomePass™ front-end services suite consists of adaptive and self-optimizing whole-home WiFi, AI driven cybersecurity and IoT device protection, sophisticated parental supervision, secure access controls, and motion awareness. HomePass is complemented by a powerful, data-driven back-end operations platform offering real-time and predictive customer support tools, network control center applications, deep analytics, comprehensive dashboards, consumer behavior and satisfaction insights, churn prediction, and retention marketing services for CSPs through Plume’s Haystack™ and Harvest™ suites.    Plume will use the funding to further increase investment in research & development and lean more aggressively into sales, marketing, and partnerships. The company will seek to continue its rapid product, revenue, customer, channel, and geographic expansion and plans to add employees in all of its offices across North America, Europe, and Asia.    “Growth in the smart home category is exploding, but the quality of consumer experience has fallen short,” said Insight Partners Managing Director Ryan Hinkle, who has been appointed as a director on Plume’s board. “We are convinced that Plume, with its scalable cloud data platform approach, highly efficient go-to-market strategy, strong momentum, top-quartile financial performance across all SaaS KPIs – including revenue, growth rates, gross margin, efficiency and retention metrics – and world class team is transforming this category. We’re delighted to join and support this exciting journey.”    Customers benefit from Plume’s constantly expanding platform through OpenSync™, the most widely supported open-source, silicon-to-cloud framework for smart spaces. With OpenSync, CSPs can decouple their service offerings from hardware and rapidly curate and deliver new services over a multi-vendor, open-platform architecture. Managed by a massively scalable cloud control plane, new services can often be delivered without requiring new equipment, reducing CAPEX spend and extending the useful life of existing infrastructure. Since its creation in 2018, OpenSync has grown to power more than 26 million access points and switches across a broad range of silicon SDK and CPE platforms, and has attracted many third-party developers and contributors.    “We could not be more enthusiastic about welcoming Ryan to our board, and our partnership with the entire Insight team,” said Fahri Diner, Co-founder and CEO of Plume. “By leveraging machine learning and AI, cloud data, open-source, deep ecosystem partnerships, and a scalable platform, we uniquely address the disconnect between the expectations of smart spaces and the service provider’s ability to deliver flawless experiences to them – while building a leading, high-growth SaaS business in a large, under-served market. An even stronger balance sheet through this cash infusion, coupled with our high operating leverage, sets the stage for Plume to continue to invest confidently in our future.”    Jefferies acted as financial advisor to Plume on the transaction. 

Los Angeles-Based Financial Services Firm Taps Nationally Recognized PR Firm to Elevate Comprehensive Investment Solutions Manhattan West Asset Management, an innovative and fully integrated modern independent financial solutions company based in Los Angeles, has selected Bob Gold & Associates, a nationally recognized technology, entertainment and corporate public relations agency, to manage its corporate communications. The agency will promote Manhattan West’s distinct approach to investing and deep commitment to a diverse group of private clients and institutional investors, as well as support the firm’s alternative investments practice.   “Our firm relies on a collaborative and results driven model for our clients. Implementing a communications strategy with Bob Gold & Associates is a fit with our strategy to help elevate our brand,” said Lorenzo Esparza, Manhattan West Chief Executive Officer and Founding Principal. “This will further enable us to communicate effectively with our clients, stakeholders and partners, and to inform the marketplace of our investment philosophy and discipline.”   “Manhattan West’s sophisticated and integrated approach to financial services offers their clients the strategies and solutions they need to achieve their financial goals. It’s clear that their pragmatic and rigorous perspective is distinctly different and much needed in a rapidly shifting time,” said Bob Gold, President of Bob Gold & Associates. “As we navigate the current economic environment, we look forward to helping share Manhattan West’s unparalleled commitment to its clients and investors.”   Manhattan West, now celebrating its fifth year, has grown its service platform to go beyond the traditional financial offerings therefore providing a more comprehensive suite of services for clients with the goal of instituting a one stop solution. In addition to providing traditional Business Management and Tax Services to its clients, Manhattan West has launched an Alternatives platform and has begun to assemble proprietary offerings for clients seeking more transparency, access and rigor. Today, the Firm offers unique opportunities for alternative investments in real estate, venture capital, private equity and private debt where they serve a diverse set of private clients in addition to institutional investors.   Learn more about Manhattan West Asset Management.

Bring Together 60 Years of Expertise to Deliver Customers and Partners an Expanded Choice of Solutions and Enhanced Capabilities   Loftware, Inc., the global leader in Enterprise Labeling & Artwork Management Solutions and NiceLabel, a leading developer of label management systems today announced that they are combining under the Loftware corporate umbrella. This union gives customers and partners an expanded choice of solutions, while providing enhanced labeling capabilities and the benefits of greater investment in cloud-based solutions and technologies. It also brings together 60 years of combined expertise in solving labeling challenges for companies of all sizes throughout a wide range of industries across the globe.   “Our customers, channel and technology partners and the overall market will benefit from our strategic vision to provide broader and deeper labeling solutions in addition to expanded scale, world-class services and global support. It also unites the best talent in the industry to drive new levels of innovation,” commented Loftware President and CEO, Robert O’Connor, Jr. “Loftware and NiceLabel have both seen sustained growth and expansion over the past several years, especially in 2020 when labeling solutions have become so critical to supply chain continuity. This move brings together two thriving organizations, providing momentum for significant expansion over the next decade and beyond,” he added.   NiceLabel’s extensive global partner network includes resellers, ISVs, OEMs and print technology partners that deliver NiceLabel labeling solutions and technology. In a complementary fashion, Loftware brings deep experience in selling, servicing and supporting Enterprise Labeling and Artwork Management solutions to large global organizations. The combined organization will continue to offer both Loftware and NiceLabel products, providing the broadest range of cloud-based labeling solutions for direct and channel partner customers across the globe. Together they will further enable supply chain agility, support evolving regulations and optimize business operations for companies across a wide range of industries including life sciences, manufacturing, food & beverage, retail, automotive, consumer products, apparel and more.   “We are delighted to combine with Loftware and look forward to expanding opportunities for our channel partners and end customers by providing new solutions and innovations to help them grow their business,” stated NiceLabel CEO, Chris Walsh. "The two companies offer truly complementary solutions that are more vital than ever. This combination represents a terrific opportunity to further accelerate growth especially as organizations look to address evolving customer and regulatory requirements and standardize labeling across worldwide operations,” he commented.   Loftware is hosting a webinar on Thursday, January 14th at 10am EST featuring Loftware President and CEO, Robert O’Connor, Jr. who will discuss how the combination of Loftware and NiceLabel will fundamentally transform the labeling market.

Resources, Tools, and Training Enable Participants to Address Growing Network Complexity and Boost Revenue   Opengear, a Digi International (NASDAQ: DGII) company and a leading provider of solutions that deliver secure, resilient network access and automation to critical IT infrastructure, today announced the launch of the Opengear Channel Certification Program, the company’s first technical certification program for  its Network Resilience platform that is used by more than 75% of Fortune 100 companies to manage and secure mission-critical network infrastructure.   As network infrastructure and management gain sophistication and complexity, the Opengear Channel Certification Program significantly elevates the knowledge and value sales engineers can provide to customers. The program includes a complete suite of critical tools, education, resources, and training that channel members require to drive new revenue and addresses the challenges faced in selling and deploying network management solutions without ever visiting customer sites.   “Emerging tech and broad adoption of cloud, IoT, and edge computing are making network management increasingly complicated,” said Bryan Keepers, Director of Channel Sales – Americas. “But this also presents a challenge for sales engineers, who are expected to be experts and trusted advisors to their customers. Selling virtually – which we expect to continue even after the pandemic – further complicates the challenge. That’s why technical sales teams require new tools and training to better understand the unique challenges and requirements of each individual customer and deployment.”   Addressing the increasing demand for Smart out-of-band management and NetOps automation solutions, the Opengear Channel Certification Program gives sales engineers, solutions architects, and other network professionals in-depth knowledge about Opengear’s best-in-class technology. Participants also learn to effectively demo products and provide customer service remotely from anywhere. The program not only helps the channel develop new and ongoing revenue streams, but can also greatly reduce sales cycles since no travel or on-site visits are required.     Certified channel participants receive a thorough review of critical network-management challenges facing organizations today and the solutions to address evolving needs. The end-to-end training courses cover topics ranging from command line interface access to firewall settings and configuring USB ports to managing a separate management plane, securing and conducting failover to cellular, and implementing advanced NetOps automation. The program also includes a series of instructional videos and on-demand lessons. Participants must pass a series of quizzes and comprehensive tests to complete the program and earn a diploma showcasing their qualifications.   Aimed at serving its growing roster of partners, this new series marks another development in Opengear’s Americas channel certification program that recently added a new “Elite” tier providing new benefits and discounts for top-selling participants.   For more information, visit https://opengear.com/partner/.  

Adtech Pioneer Teams with PR Pros to Promote the Power of Real-Time Data Analytics for Cross-Media Advertising Advocado, a cross-media data management platform fueling advertising performance, has selected Bob Gold & Associates, a nationally recognized boutique public relations and marketing agency, as its PR agency of record. The agency will help promote Advocado’s data-driven approach for improving multi-screen campaigns in real time, and ultimately, connecting the dots between linear advertising and digital behavior.   Advocado’s platform makes advertising perform better by using TV ads or in-program content to trigger real-time actions across search, social and shopping platforms. The advanced solution capitalizes on micro-moments by perfectly timing the start and stop of Google Ad-word bid adjustments at the exact moment a viewer engages with a TV ad.   “Bob Gold and his award-winning team are recognized throughout the industry for the effective communication and campaigns as utilized by everyone from Fortune 100 companies to startups,” said Brian Handrigan, Co-founder and CEO of Advocado. “Data is the new currency in AdTech, and our cutting-edge technology makes us the industry’s Fort Knox. With their expertise, Bob Gold & Associates can help tell our story can be told in a powerful way.”   “Advocado’s sophisticated technology and real-time audience analytics provides advertisers, media companies and agencies with the insights they need to optimize ads immediately, maximize ROI, reach campaign goals, and cultivate long-lasting strategic partnerships. It’s becoming remarkably clear that data is the new currency in AdTech, where it fills a critical market share as the industry rapidly changes and fragments,” said Bob Gold, President of Bob Gold & Associates. “That’s where Advocado comes in – their innovative technology is a one-stop solution that helps decipher digital behavior, and ultimately, the science to understanding and predicting how to best motivate viewers to engage.”   Available to advertisers worldwide, the advertising to marketing platform helps power over 210 local US markets and is currently the most robust real-time TV ad insights platform. The advanced solution uses TV signals via patented watermark technology, natural language processing, automated content recognition, and real-time weather to connect offline and online audience data to reveal and influence the entire customer journey. Advocado’s success has been realized since its launch in 2018, with some clients achieving as much as 1,100% ROI. The data management platform captured the attention of research powerhouse, Gartner, who named Advocado a “Cool Vendor” as part of its May 2019 “Cool Vendors in Advertising” report. With an expanding product roadmap and data-intensive approach, Advocado continues to pioneer the space between TV and digital advertising, empowering brands with the insights they need to develop impactful campaigns and partnerships.

In May 2020, Bob Gold & Associates expanded its business service offerings like many other organizations during this year of turmoil to ensure our marketing and PR clients were getting the support they need during these unprecedented times.    With our new bankruptcy & litigation communications practice we've been able to meet the increase in demand with organizations across a plethora of industries including technology, media & entertainment, and telecommunications, being forced to reexamine their corporate strategies and initiatives.     We are pleased to be named one of the top 15 Human Resources Firms recognized for our efforts throughout 2020. Clutch ranks companies based on their verified client reviews, brand reputation, and ability to deliver high-quality results. Read through the Clutch methodology here.    Read complete Clutch news release here.  

Read here on Broadcasting & CableDavid Solomon, a 17-year Viamedia veteran, most recently serving as Chief Revenue Officer, has been promoted to President and CEO of the company, effective immediately. He succeeds Mark Lieberman, who joined the company in 2014 as President and CEO and who will remain a director on Viamedia’s board.   The announcement was made today by Terence Graunke, Principal and Co-Founder of Lake Capital, primary investor in Viamedia.   “Viamedia has always been at the forefront of innovation, delivering advanced solutions that make advertising simpler, more effective, and more profitable,” Graunke said.  “We are grateful for Mark’s many contributions over the years and are happy that he will be continuing as an active director on our board.”   “David has been a key player in Viamedia’s growth and many innovations and is the ideal executive to take the company to the next level,” Graunke continued.  “With Viamedia’s undivided support, MVPD, advertisers, businesses and communities have the solutions they need, at a time when it’s never been more critical.”   "Having worked closely with David over the past number of years, I know he embodies the customer- and employee-first philosophy that Viamedia has become renown for," said Mark Lieberman. "With David at the helm, I am confident that Viamedia will continue to meet the needs of the ever-changing local advertising marketplace."   Solomon brings more than 20 years’ experience in advertising sales including print, long-form media solutions and cable television spot sales.  His cable television sales experience began with TeleCable in Lexington, Kentucky.  Later he worked as a sales manager for Tele-Communications, Inc. (TCI) and, subsequently, AT&T cable advertising.  Later Solomon was general sales manager for Insight Media and Comcast Spotlight before joining Viamedia in 2003 as vice president.   “I want to ensure Viamedia is a destination employer. I want every client to know that we are putting their needs first. At one of the most exciting times for traditional media, we have the technology, the dedication and the skills to help ensure success for advertisers and our partners,” said Solomon.   Among Solomon’s many achievements was ensuring that Viamedia was the first company to represent and sell dynamic ad insertion by integrating with the latest ad serving technology companies for its 60 MVPDs including CenturyLink, Google Fiber, Service Electric, Cincinnati Bell, and others. This sparked a trend that is only expected to grow in the fast-changing TV ad market.   A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Solomon participates in numerous civic and charitable associations, and is active supporting Kentucky’s Sunrise Children’s Services, which assists abused, abandoned or neglected children. He will also soon be working with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Bluegrass to continue to give back to his community as a Big Brother.

PR News November 20, 2020 PRNEWS Announces Honorees for PR People and Rising Stars Awards   PRNEWS is pleased to announce the honorees for this year’s PR People and Rising Stars Awards.   From internal communications and community relations to crisis management, media relations and beyond, the individuals recognized this year cover the wide breadth and depth of the industry.   View complete list of PR News Rising PR Stars here.