Anton Nicholas, Managing Partner, ICR – Revving up Consumer Relationships: How Blue Engine Merges Creativity and Strategy in PR Communications

Today, there are countless platforms to reach consumers, but utilizing too many outlets can also fragment a brand's image. Our guest on this episode specializes in strategic brand exposure, providing clients with guidance to target consumers, and maintain a united market presence.

We're sitting down with Anton Nicholas, Managing Partner at ICR. Anton just celebrated his 12th anniversary at ICR, and he runs the corporate PR team for all of Consumer, from retail to apparel to food to restaurants to CPG. It's a big practice within ICR, but we've also added a new brand: Blue Engine, an ICR offshoot creative consumer communications agency, and Anton is also taking care of that.

We'll dive into Anton's career and his work with Blue Engine, but not before settling an important debate about snack foods...

Highlights:

• Tom and Anton break the ice (2:51)
• Anton's work background and path to ICR and Blue Engine (4:34)
• Anton describes the work he oversees at ICR (5:30)
• How the ICR Lifestyle Lab transitioned into Blue Engine (6:52)
• Anton explains what distinguishes Blue Engine's work from the Lifestyle Lab (7:52)
• The acquisition that led to Blue Engine (8:52)
• Size and scale of the business (10:04) 
• Where ICR and Blue Engine connect, and differ in their approach (11:52)
• Where the name 'Blue Engine' came from (14:21)
• The industries and clients Blue Engine is best suited for (15:28)
• Anton walks through potential hurdles as the business grows (17:47)
• An example of Blue Engine's offerings through their work with a specific client, and how they handle crises for clients (19:09)
• Anton answers a burning question from Tom (22:14)

Links:

Anton Nicholas on LinkedIn

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR Website

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, [e-mail].

What is Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders?

In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value.

In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & CEO of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment.

This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation.

For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com