An independently owned PR firm focused on bringing forward-thinking communications and lasting results to clients: 5WPR

Public relations is among the best tools modern businesses offer to address internal and external audiences. Good PR is crucial to success, and in an ever-evolving industry, it is equally important to have an agency ready to grow alongside you. 5WPR is an agency built for now, adopting current and modern methods to reach out to and connect with a wider range of audiences. 5WPR is proudly committed to developing prosperous partnerships between brands and consumers. 5W does not restrict itself by focusing on one particular industry. The agency knows that PR is beneficial to all industries, and with a workforce of more than 300 professionals, its experience and areas of interest are extremely diverse.

As a full-service agency based in NYC, 5W serves clients in the B2C space including beauty and fashion, consumer brands, entertainment, food and beverage, health and wellness, travel and hospitality, technology, and nonprofits, as well as clients in the B2B space across corporate communications, reputation management, public affairs, and crisis communications. Additionally, the agency has a dedicated digital marketing division specializing in social media, influencers, paid media, and SEO.

In conversation with Dara Busch & Matt Caiola, Co-CEOs of 5WPR

Q. PR campaigns are highly effective when they are targeted and tailored toward an individual. How flexible are your services for customization?

To be able to advance clients and the sectors in which they operate, it is extremely important to have specialized divisions and committed staff. Instead of providing a generic approach to PR, dedicated teams ensure that the agency’s services are completely customizable and that the time is being taken to understand and build best practices for specific clients and industries.

Q. It’s a job-seeker market now. It is harder than ever to attract and hire top candidates. How do you identify qualified individuals?

5W takes pride in hiring individuals who are passionate about what they do, and therefore, generate excellent work. The agency values individuals who express an interest in growing their careers, the leadership team at 5W has average employee tenure of more than seven years, with several of them having started and/or advanced their careers at 5W.

Q. It is quite difficult to achieve success in every PR campaign that is developed. How do you overcome failures?

From the start of a client relationship and campaign, it is important to have honest conversations about expected results, and never over-promise. Not every campaign is going to outperform the last and that’s fine as long as the client was not expecting something unattainable. For large-scale failures, it’s important to regroup and analyze to learn what went wrong. Doing this will allow you to implement guardrails or better practices moving forward, setting campaigns up for success.

Q. How do you understand the culture of the company before devising a PR campaign?

5W assures clients that the agency is a resource for them and that they are welcome to have open conversations and bounce ideas off one another, knowing that there is not just one right technique to carry out a task. This open communication between agency and client is the key to understanding goals and setting both up for success. Not only is it important to start the partnership with an honest kickoff conversation, but there should be scheduled recap conversations to go over results with the client and redirect strategy if needed.

Q. Tell us about your project management system.

5W employs a product management system ensuring teams can be proactive and analyzes long-term trends at the account, project, and employee levels. These systems help to define a vision that allows teams to confidently make decisions that are impactful and move the needle.

Q. Do you have any new services ready to be launched?

5W has a long history of being one of the first agencies to utilize new and developing markets and technologies. It has maintained an advantage over its rivals through its readiness to adopt and learn about new technologies and take a chance by foraying into these uncharted industries. The agency is always working to build out our practice and attract professionals in these new service spaces to ensure top-quality work is readily available within our new practice areas. The agency is actively building out new teams across both consumer and corporate practices and is eager to take on new challenges.

Q. What does the future hold for your company and its customers? Are exciting things on the way?

As an agency, 5W stays current with new markets, products, and specialties, aware that many of its current activities will continue to expand in the future year, particularly in industries that are expanding quickly and steadily.

Meet the leaders behind the success of 5WPR

Two outstanding CEOs have led 5W to this remarkable success. Co-CEO Matthew Caiola leads 5W’s Corporate, Technology & Digital practices. Co-CEO Dara A. Busch oversees the agency’s global Consumer Practice, which serves clients from a variety of sectors, including parenting, child and baby, beauty, entertainment, food and beverage, health and wellness, home and houseware, and travel and hospitality. Together, they supervise the agency as a whole. They provide direction to Human Resources, Finance, Operations, and Marketing, as well as make day-to-day decisions for the agency, ensuring that it continues to grow and succeed.

“We are known for needle-moving public relations programs, a novel approach, and innovative people who deliver measurable, game-changing results.”

“In a constantly shifting digital world, where people are bombarded with information and news travels in seconds, 5W helps clients navigate ever-changing media, business, and consumer landscapes.”