ABOUT US
WE ARE CALL-TO-ACTION COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
A FONT-LINE, DIGITAL FIRST PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY
What's CTA About ? What's all this front line stuff?
In Lieu of an "About US' page that manages to never inform. We had Michael sit for an interview to get the facts and make it worth your time. This is part 1.
What's this "front-line" tagline about?
First off our tagline is, "Your Call-to-Action" but "front-line" is our point of difference. I want authenticity - something real and understandable for everyone. As I look back over my career, its obvious I want to be on the front line where the action is. That's where tough calls get made and you get your hands dirty. That is our culture - unafraid to face the problem and always looking for the decisive move. If you blink or second guess your position you'll fail. But we have unmatched experience being out front. We've seen just about everything. We're here to share that with our clients. People will believe that.
You mentioned experience. How does that plays out day-to-day?
I’ve always loved the maxim — cool people never have to tell anyone. It means if you got it, people will pick up on it. Experience is the same way. A calming presence, steady hand, maybe people look to you when things are tough. That's us - no fear. Lighthouses don't fear storms. Seat belts don't think about your bad driving. When the panic button has been tapped out that's when we're calm as a duck on the pond.
As for day-to-day, it may inform the type of client we work with. We aren't taking everyone. Every day we want to be executing our plan and advancing the ball. We know what type of client our approach meshes with in that regard. We will also be teaching our clients the philosophy behind our actions using our experience as a validator. We want them to have a real and lasting understanding of what we are doing. Winning is a goal, but so is creating change. Digital is still paid lip-service in the PR space and that has to stop. Misunderstanding and not having total buy-in from the client negates our ability to accomplish our goals.
Let’s be real: Don't all agencies say the same?
Not sure if we're itching for a dunk here, but with few exceptions, most PR agencies I know do good work and have experience. There's bound to be similarities. Where the point of difference reveals itself is in my experience as a political operative, a staff member for the US House of Representatives, corporate communications specialist, grassroots organizer, lobbyist and fixer - not just in South Carolina - but coast-to-coast. Call me Forest Gump - I've worked every angle there is in this space. You'd think I couldn't hold a job down, but I did them all well and have a wealth of knowledge that I'll put up against anyone. That diverse mindset, plus that I am of the micro-generation that knows life without digital but young enough to have been an early adopter as digital developed - puts me at the vanguard. This one time, at computer camp...yep computer camp with the Apple IIe.
One last key - accessibility. I've learned my lesson. Smart growth and control of overhead will allow me to spend my time doing what I am best at - serving clients. Our clients know me and know that i am on their account. I think all of that make us pretty unique.
Check out the continuation below.
OUR CORE BELIEFS
Some Agencies grow their creative staff in a lab with only the softest morning sun to nurture them. Others proclaim to be the true believers in Church of Consumer Data. While these things can b e important, when the chips are down, who you are at the core matters most.
EXPERIENCE
This matters most when choosing the right fit. Politics, public policy, and corporate communications at the highest level. We laid a 20+ year foundation to offer tomorrow's clients.
COST EFFECTIVE
Staring down certain death by government regulation or one of a million ways for a company to get canceled? Cost may not matter, but the rest of you still need a plan and the ability to executed - on a budget. We are not blowing smoke, we want to show you how it can be done.
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword...
We'd like to agree with this bold statement, but it truly depends on what you have gotten yourself into, doesn't it?
At CTA, we tend to follow the philosophy that drove Bruce Lee's fighting style - there is no perfect fighting style. Each is a tool and every tool has a job for which it was designed. You must learn to use every tool and deploy it at the right time.
Thus we carry our pen and our sword. Each tool has its place. Thats our key to how we operate and that's what our logo represents..
IN THE TRENCHES
At some point, agencies stopped "doing" while doing more "talking." That's over. Whatever size contract - we won't be dropping it in your lap. We are with you to execute and make the tough calls. We back up our name with sweat equity.
ACTION FIRST
"Paralysis by analysis" is all too common in situations where good, action-oriented PR is needed. When it's go time is when the lawyers talk about lawsuits and "yes" men devise a cover-up. What you need is someone who's been there and can show you the way. It's not the fall that kills you....
How Will The Client Save Money?
Our continued interview with Michael Rentiers on his plan to keep cost low to encourage investment in digital PR.
Aren't you just marketing? How is this claim of high quality & affordability true?
By itself, what I do isn't revolutionary but it's the combination of tactics and the willingness to to put in the work that get us there. Everything begins with the basics - eliminating inefficiency, duplication, and streamlining major sources of overhead. Then you organize your services and highlight the most profitable...I could stop there. You'd be surprised at how much money you've saved already. Still, there there had to be a way to do more.
I knew changes needed to be made. I identified my mistakes, weighed them against profit (skip the crying), and instituted a new and innovative way of operating (and a pledge never to be in that situation again). Necessity truly is the mother of innovation
So you were driven by past mistakes but that alone doesn't get us to what you're talking about. Where's the magic?
I can't lay it all out. I like to keep some stuff behind the curtain to share with clients. It's not brain surgery. I would like to try my hand at that one day, but I digress. At the core is a system by which the client bares the least amount of burden from our overhead. Rather than pricing services based on the totality of our offerings, I siloed our services into natural groups and they operate as individual entities. This enable clients with specific needs to avoid paying for a big agency price. You need traditional media and grassroots services? You don't pay for our digital teams. Conversely, you have a design or video project, then why bear the cost of our other services? This creates major savings for the client and opens up new lines of business development for me. Having niche brands allows me to develop an array of different business funnels. I can switch hats and pitch specific services while passing along the savings from the system. Here is a rough explainer of our family of businesses.
CTA Communications Group,
handling our full-service products and our new Executive Workshops. Issue advocacy, Brand Reputation and Crisis clients are managed here with support from the family. We haven't touched on the coming latest product Expert Influencers. Stay Tuned.
FALLOUT Design Co.,
named during a long rant back when COVID shut the world down and Russia was telling everyone it had a great new idea(which turned out to the same old idea). Our awesome design & video work is as creative as then naming suggests. We're irreverent, stylish and focused on any type of creative you can dream of. If you need branding or logo work, print layouts, websites, corporate video work, if it falls in the creative category - we got you covered.
Pen & Sword PR
Digital is king but that doesn't mean the press is irrelevant. We've noticed that critically important skills: media and public speaking training, pitching the press, and empowering employees have fallen by the wayside yet remain critically important for most businesses. If you have an event in the works that you would like coverage, or just want to get ahead of the game - we can help you develop these old skills reimagined for the new age. Do you even know the people covering you? Why not get a beer and say hello?
Logic Labs
Logic Labs is the future for me, and as such I don't want to get too deep into what that means. I will say that for now, my public speaking, and other culture and nonprofit work lives here. Any partnerships or collaborations will also be handled here. We are super excited about what this will grow to be, I'm really proud of these companies. They are yielding great results and we are having fun.
Still, at our core, we are the same steady presence our clients can count on. The big change is the understanding of how badly innovative PR is needed and how budget conscious businesses are for doing PR. We think we'v solved for that issue. So no matter what you need - media training, graphic design work, video projects, ghost writing, or grassroots - there's no one doing it better.
WE WANT TO MEET YOU!
We hope you learned a lot about us. One more fact is that we're people persons even though we spend a lot of time communicating online. We know this might be brand new for you, or, like us, nothing beats being able shake hands and make eye contact when doing business. If you've made it this far - we might as well get together and talk specifics. Let's schedule a meeting - just click an option below - its free and easy,
EMAIL US
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