FIRESTONE, CO: The National Honey Board awarded Barkley its consumer PR account as it gears up for the launch of a national positioning campaign this spring.
The firm was selected as PR AOR by the board in November and began work January 1, said Bruce Wolk, director of marketing with the Firestone, CO-based National Honey Board.
Barkley will provide media relations, social media, development of materials and Web site content, crisis management, and consumer outreach. Mike Swenson, CMO for Barkley, noted that food marketing has been one of the top growth areas for the firm in the last year five years.
The review was prompted by the appointment of new board members whom voted to review its largest vendors, including the consumer PR account held by incumbent Stephan & Brady for about four years.
Fifty-two firms sent proposals in August 2009 and four firms, including Barkley and Stephan & Brady, pitched for the account. Barkley was selected in early November, said Wolk.
Kristina Hoffman, VP of PR for Stephan & Brady, referred questions to the National Honey Board.
Although he declined to provide an update on the annual budget for the account, Wolk told PRWeek in July 2009 that the one-year contract had a budget of $750,000.
The National Honey Board plans to continue its work with RL Public Relations for Hispanic outreach, Segerstrom Communications for food service communications, and the Championship Group for sports promotion.
