In her work at Allyn Media, Maureen designs and executes award-winning public relations campaigns for major initiatives for clients like Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, a popular entertainment destination for many North Texans. Located just an hour and a half north of DFW, 80 percent of Choctaw’s guests come from North Texas. Choctaw understood it was important to elevate the guest experience to meet the increasingly sophisticated expectations of its growing customer base across the Red River in Texas. To meet the elevated guest expectations, Choctaw opened Sky Tower, a new 21-story luxury casino-hotel tower at its flagship property in Durant. Maureen led a team that designed and executed a public relations campaign highlighting Sky Tower’s 1,000 hotel rooms, an expanded gaming experience plus new amenities, restaurants, lounges, entertainment options, and a world class collection of Native American art. Her team utilized existing, strong relationships with North Texas media to gain coverage, filmed Broll and video interviews with Choctaw leadership prior to the grand opening for news packages for DFW stations, pitched the Sky Tower Art Walk as a unique thing to do in a casino that didn’t involve gambling, targeting art and Oklahoma travel outlets, and used people’s pandemic fear of flying to promote the driving/staycation angle. In total, the campaign reached an audience of 731,370 with a promotional value of $9.4 Million. 

Authenticity, Simplicity, and Reach 

According to Maureen, the most crucial elements of brand positioning and message development are authenticity, simplicity, and approachability. It is essential to understand the target audience and effectively reach them in their preferred communications channels. For example, in her work with a nonprofit client building a campaign to promote the importance of biomarker testing in stomach cancer, she led a team that developed a campaign name (Test Your Biomarkers), logo, website and messaging, plus plans for digital marketing and paid social media. In every piece of this work it was important to keep it simple so people can easily understand what we are asking them to do: ask their doctor for biomarker testing so they can get paired with the right treatment for their type of cancer.  

Bridging the Gap 

Maureen and her team worked closely with a global convenience store client, conducting annual quantitative research to gain insights into the needs of their franchise owners and identify areas that required improvement in growing their businesses. During this process, they discovered that communication was a significant challenge. 

To address this issue, Maureen’s team implemented a more robust communication system. They developed a dedicated online portal exclusively for franchisees, providing them with access to essential resources and information. Additionally, a monthly newsletter was introduced, featuring details about product launches and messages from the company’s leadership. These initiatives aimed to enhance communication channels and foster a stronger connection between the corporate office and franchisees. 

To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, brainstorming sessions were organized with the franchisee leadership council. The team also created supplementary materials to further support the franchisees and help them feel more connected to the corporate entity. 

Subsequent surveys conducted with the franchisees revealed that these initiatives had a positive impact. Communication scores improved significantly, with an increase of nearly 50%, indicating that the implemented measures were successfully addressing the communication gap and strengthening the relationship between the convenience store client and its franchise owners. 

A Resilient Return

One of Maureen’s clients, a global environmental organization headquartered in Dallas, was hosting its first in-person event since 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to generate press coverage for the organization’s annual EarthDay conference and expo, which hadn’t been held in person for two consecutive years (2020 and 2021). Recognizing the need for something extraordinary, her team secured Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson to officially speak and kick-off the festivities by providing a proclamation declaring April 22, 2022 at EarthX Day in Dallas. As a result, every Dallas-Fort Worth TV station covered the event. The team was also able to have buildings and businesses illuminate the downtown skylines in Dallas and Fort Worth in green on EarthDay and secure media coverage on every TV station. Overall, millions of media impressions for the organization, the three-day conference and expo, and its leadership were secured.   

Excellence in Strategic PR and Communications 

For 40 years, the professionals at Allyn Media have provided award-winning strategic PR and communications, public affairs, creative design, advertising, public relations, digital and social media to companies, cities, nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations and causes. 

The firm has won hundreds of international, national and regional awards for excellence in creative advertising, podcasting, collateral materials and graphic design, public relations, public affairs, video production and podcasts. PR WEEK calls Allyn Media “the go-to guys for public affairs, public relations and sharp collateral.” Campaigns & Elections selected us as one of their national “Movers & Shakers.” 

• Client experience includes serving Fortune 500 companies like Walmart, Ryan Co, Bank of America Corp., Conduent, Verizon and Microsoft. Businesses facing major communication challenges like 7-Eleven Inc., American Airlines and ConocoPhillips. 
• Businesses facing major crises and communication challenges like Uber, 7-Eleven Inc., Kinder Morgan, Calpine Energy Corporation, Dallas Cowboys Football Club and Airbnb. 

• Public affairs experience includes Airbnb, Uber, Walmart, 7-Eleven Inc, Lincoln Property Company, The LOOP, Parks for Downtown Dallas, Megatel Homes, GAF and Airbnb. 
• Governmental experience includes Dallas Area Rapid Transit, North Texas Tollway Authority, North Texas Commission, and municipalities. 
• Architecture, engineering and construction companies and projects Texas Central High Speed Rail, Pape Dawson, URS (AECOM), GAF, Mesa Water, Upper Trinity Regional Water District, Trammell Crow Company, Britton Homes, Hillwood, Megatel Homes, Perry Homes. 
• Marquee nonprofits YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, American Heart Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Communities In Schools, Texas Women’s Foundation and The LOOP. 
• Allyn Media is a 100% women-owned business certified by the Texas Comptroller and by the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency (NCTRCA).  

• The Dallas Business Journal recognizes Allyn Media as one of the “Best Places to Work” and one of the “Largest North Texas Women-Owned Businesses.” Allyn Media won D CEO Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Awards 2021 for Equity Leadership. 

Embracing Adventure and Music 

Annual road trips to Colorado are Maureen’s favorite and she says there is nothing like being in the mountains in the summer to hike and escape the Texas heat. This summer she has a trip to Norway planned with her husband, sister and friends. She says she looks forward to seeing polar bears and all of the beautiful nature of Norway and sampling and learning more about Norwegian food and drink (and seeing Depeche Mode in concert to close out the trip). 

Navigating the Dynamic Landscape of Marketing and PR 

Maureen’s advice to young professionals embarking on a career in marketing and PR today: Understand that things are always changing and evolving and in turn, so will your job. Be open and willing to adapt and grow with the changes. Work hard, stay informed of the news so you can understand how your clients can fit into the news cycle. Keep learning new skills and meeting new people. That’s the way to grow.  

Nurturing North Texas Success 

North Texas is one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States, with more than 170,000 people moving there every year. That is a lot of newcomers! Maureen says It is exciting to be part of the growth and to help local and national businesses thrive during this unique time in her city and the region at large. 

As part of a growing North Texas-based public relations and public affairs company, Maureen says it is important to help guide and foster her clients as the area continues to grow and prosper during this unique time in the region’s trajectory. “It is a goal to not only grow our own business but to help our current and new clients be more profitable and find continued success,” she says.   

Website: allynmedia.com