BOSTON: In an attempt to strengthen its brand and eliminate confusion between its three companies, Boston-based Grand Circle Corporation (GCC) named Jackson & Company as its PR agency of record after a two-month review.
The 40 year old travel company auditioned four firms for the $250,000 account, according to director of communications Priscilla O'Reilly. Boston-based Jackson won out over Wenham, Massachusetts-based Mullen & Co.
Jackson & Co. founder and president Sally Jackson said the firm's pitch was 'smart and return-on-investment oriented.'
GCC decided to bring its PR in-house in January 1994, O'Reilly said, but after a series of acquisitions that brought Overseas Adventure Travel and VBT Bicycling Vacations into the fold alongside Grand Circle Travel, GCC needed help in branding its three companies.
'Our identity is getting kind of muddied,' O'Reilly said. 'We really need to take the GCC umbrella away and promote the three companies individually, and that's where Jackson comes in.' O'Reilly had handled the majority of PR responsibilities since 1994, she said.
'Each (GCC company) is a separate brand with separate services,' account supervisor Suzanne Wenz told PRWeek. 'It's almost like working with three different companies.'.
