Did you notice our name change?
It’s a subtle shift from Cookson Strategies Corp. to Cookson Strategic Communications (still abbreviated as CSC). It started when a friend walked by our old sign, read it, and then asked me “what the heck is Cookson Strategies?” While I could answer the question, my sign could not.
This triggered a strategy session during which the CSC team started treating ourselves like a client. We met, and agreed that a name change was in order, which also led to a new website, copy, and logo. When delving into the website and talking about the services we provide, another light bulb went off.
More than PR
We are not only a PR or communications company. We provide a variety of client-customized services centered around a common goal – gaining our clients the specific visibility they seek. In an era when communications tools keep evolving under the broader buckets of services we provide such as PR, marketing, social media, or nonprofit management work, the end result primarily stays the same. In addition, the term PR is so narrowly focused that many equate it to garnering visibility with the media. While all PR firms I know so much more than straight media placement, people still make that narrower association.
In short, we are a visibility company. We work with marketing and communications tools we know will achieve the types of visibility our clients seek. It sounds so simple and basic as I write this, however, I did not find any other companies describing themselves this way. Before solidifying this text, I shopped our new elevator pitch around visibility with trusted colleagues and a few dozen people I know. The response was consistent – of course, it’s all about visibility.
Blending, reinventing and honoring tradition
So there you have it. Our brand update better highlights our approach to proven communications strategies, from people who have always recognized visibility as the end-game. Given that we are located in a historic brick building in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, it was only appropriate to capture some of the heritage of the city that – from the industrialization of textiles in the Amoskeag Mills to the recent tech boom – is home to some of the most innovative and visible business and academic leaders in the region. Greg Duval from GREGORVIOS Graphic Design Studio took most of the photos featured on the website during an afternoon with us at the Manchester Historic Association’s Millyard Museum (thank you). Many thanks also to Meredith Noyes, designer extraordinaire at MSN Create, who shares office space with us at 36 Lowell Street, collaborates on client work, and is the creative power behind our new logo.
Please let us know what you think about the new look and share your feedback in the comments here or via our social channels. And keep an eye on this new blog for more news and ideas to visibility and communications success.
