Company Profile
Kellen Communications, a recognized leader in the public relations field since our foundation in 1945, has grown to become one of the nation's 50 largest public relations firms. By forging close partnerships with our clients, Kellen Communications has developed dramatic loyalty and longevity - in fact, we still retain our first client after 56 years.
Kellen Communications offers a wide variety of professional services, from Consumer Marketing to Web Site Development. Whatever service your business requires, our team of award-winning public relations professionals has the knowledge, skills and expertise to meet your goals. Because of our varied experience, we know how to reach audiences in both consumer and commercial markets and have strong relationships with the trade and consumer media.

With offices in New York City, Atlanta and Washington DC, and affiliations with agencies worldwide, Kellen Communications is ready to meet your global public relations needs. Thank you for visiting our Web Site to learn more about us.

Client List
AT&T
Allied Signal
AMC Institute
Andersen Corporation
Apple Products Research & Education Council
Association for Dressings and Sauces
Association of Fund-Raising Distributors and Suppliers
Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association
Bang & Olufsen
Calorie Control Council
Comics Magazine Association of America
Con Edison
Copper Development Association
Cultor Food Science
Distinguished Restaurants of North America
Edison Electric Institute
Georgia Power
Greeting Card Association
Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association
Home Fashion Products Association
Infant Formula Council
International Copper Association
International Inflight Food Service Association
International Jelly & Preserve Association
Lennox Hearth Products
Lindal Cedar Homes
Magic Sliders
Main Street Brands
Matrix Awards
National Association of Home Builders
National Association of Margarine Manufacturers
National Candle Association
National Labor Management Cooperation Committee
National Pasta Association
National Pecan Shellers Association
New York Women in Communications
North American Profiles Group
Processed Apples Institute
Procter & Gamble
Research Chefs Association
Stanley Works
Tarco Specialty Products
Unilever Bestfoods
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Window Covering Manufacturers Association
Window Covering Safety Council

Success Stories
Kellen Communications and Winning Results Go Hand in Hand.
What distinguishes Kellen Communications from the rest is on-the-job creativity that leads to outstanding results. The success of our work has earned client loyalty that few agencies can match. Our client list includes organizations that have been with us for more than 25 years - one has been with us for 56 years, which we understand is a record for the public relations industry. Both Kellen Communications and our clients have received numerous honors and awards for our work, including two prestigious Silver Anvil Awards from the Public Relations Society of America.

Please read on for a sampling of the outstanding results that we have achieved for our clients.

Lennox International
Home Is Where The Hearth Is

The challenges in re-launching Lennox International’s Hearth Products Division included a series of too-rapid acquisitions, resulting customer service problems and the desire to create a new brand identity. While the company worked on improving its business, Kellen Communications’s mission was to build upon the original brand’s reputation for quality as we informed consumers about the newly incorporated product line. Our campaign included placing the client’s products in high-visibility showcase homes, hosting major media events at the International Builders Show and the industry’s annual retail channel show, and providing a constant flow of information, articles and product announcements for the trade and consumer press. Over the past 18 months, Kellen Communications has generated more than 60 million brand impressions in print circulation totaling 18 million readers, with an equivalent advertising value of well over $1,000,000.

Alar Crisis
Putting the Brakes on a Pesticide Scare

Kellen Communications played a key role in protecting and communicating the interests of the Processed Apples Institute after a controversial 60 Minutes story reported that Alar, an agricultural chemical used on apples, was toxic to children. As many as 40 million viewers saw Ed Bradley's story, which was illustrated with a skull and crossbones superimposed on a red apple. School cafeterias banned all apple products. Grocers posted signs proclaiming their fresh apples were "Alar-free." One panicked mother even sent police after a school bus to retrieve an apple from her child's lunch.

Kellen Communications quickly implemented a proactive media strategy to defend the reputation of processed apple products by compiling product safety data and communicating this data to consumers via the national media. The end result was successful containment of mass hysteria. Eventually, PAI called for the withdrawal of this unnecessary agrichemical - confirming that the apple processing industry was clearly on the side of consumers.

Andersen Windows
Making Andersen Windows a Household Name

When Andersen Corporation hired Kellen Communications, it was a mid-sized Midwestern millwork company that made a pretty good window. Unfortunately, so did thousands of other millwork companies in the United States. But Andersen had a dream - to make their windows into a well-known, national consumer product. The building industry did not believe that consumers would ever remember the name of a window. But thanks to good products, shrewd distribution and a 25-year partnership with Kellen Communications, Andersen Windows became a household name.

From the beginning, Kellen Communications recommended that Andersen devote itself to newspaper stories about windows because research revealed that consumers were uneducated about the topic. Through Home Planning, Kellen Communications's newspaper feature supplement, Andersen furnished newspapers across the country with 50 stories a year and quickly became "the expert" on window styles and types, energy savings and comfort. At the same time, Kellen Communications began a vigorous trade program with a series of published case histories about window installation, sales and other valuable information - which made heroes of the installers, contractors and builders who used Andersen Windows. Over the years, Kellen Communications expanded Andersen's program with consumer magazine publicity, media seminars, specialty houses, direct mail and other promotional tools. Today, Andersen Windows is one of the nation's most recognizable and respected window brands.

Apple Juice Research Promotion
An Apple (Juice) a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!

At the suggestion of Kellen Communications staff, the Processed Apples Institute provided a grant to the University of California-Davis to conduct an in vitro study on the health benefits of apples and apple juice. Researchers identified the various phytonutrients in these apple products and determined that fresh apple extracts and apple juice reduce LDL (or "bad" cholesterol) oxidation in human blood cells - in layman's terms, the research proved that drinking apple juice could help lower the risk of heart disease.

Through intense media pitching and other promotional tactics, Kellen Communications was able to generate widespread interest in the UC-Davis research findings - even though the study was not conducted in humans. Stories about the health benefits of apple juice appeared in hundreds of newspapers, magazines and Internet news sources. Broadcast coverage was exceptional as well, including a video news release that aired in more than 75 cities. (Kellen Communications strategically distributed the VNR when the research findings were published and then again during apple season for additional publicity.) This one small research study, which has already reached more than 85 million consumers, continues to make headlines to this day. Research in humans has since been completed, which supports the earlier findings.

Defending Fundraising
A Tragedy Threatens to Put Fundraisers Out of Business

After an 11-year-old New Jersey boy was brutally murdered while selling fundraising items door-to-door in his neighborhood, news of the tragedy immediately placed product fundraising companies under intense scrutiny. In addition, a bill that would put many of these fundraising companies out of business was introduced in the New Jersey legislature.

Kellen Communications immediately went to work on behalf of our client, the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors and Sellers. In the days following the tragedy, Kellen Communications coordinated and participated in more than 40 print and broadcast interviews - adding balance and perspective to the resulting media reports. Kellen Communications also wrote, produced and distributed television and radio public service announcements featuring film star Danny Glover - which were seen by more than 32 million people - and prepared an "Issues Kit" (including an extensive Q&A document) for AFRDS members to use when dealing with hostile school officials. To date, Kellen Communications has thwarted anti-fundraising legislation in New Jersey and elsewhere through an effective government affairs program. Working closely with school boards and PTAs, Kellen Communications has helped to assure that product fundraising is safer than ever. Schools continue to conduct these important programs with confidence.

Electric Smart House Program
Adding Some Spark to the Electric Utility Industry

The electric utility industry came to Kellen Communications in hopes of redefining their image among homebuilders and the home buying public. The perception that electric heat was expensive and inefficient was also hurting the sales of new technologies, including heat pumps and remote monitoring services. Kellen Communications created the concept of linking the electric utility industry directly with the dynamic and resonant trends of home electronics. By tying home automation to the value of electricity, the focus was no longer on individual components but on the total value of electricity. This concept also repositioned the electric utility industry as a leader and innovator in the marketplace.

The Electric Smart House, a custom-built house that featured innovative uses of electricity and automation, was conceived, designed, built, furnished and promoted by Kellen Communications. The Electric Smart House was enormously successful, with more than 30,000 people visiting the home and more than 400 million impressions nationwide - including feature placements on Good Morning America and CNN and front-page stories in USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times and Orlando Sentinel.

Margarine Research Promotion
Spreading the Word about Margarine

For the last several years, the margarine category has been in decline, mainly due to negative publicity and research studies about trans fats. Our client, the National Association of Margarine Manufacturers, provided a grant to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas in hopes of ending the margarine vs. butter debate once and for all. The results of the study, which involved 46 families, were remarkable - regular soft margarine significantly lowered total cholesterol and LDL (or "bad") cholesterol when compared to butter. In about one-fourth of the families, the margarine-based diet reduced cholesterol levels as much as cholesterol-lowering medication.

But long-standing media biases against margarine meant that it would be an uphill battle to generate positive media coverage about the study. Kellen Communications answered the challenge with extensive media pitching, a satellite media tour, a video news release and full-page newspaper advertisements announcing that the margarine vs. butter debate was over. Media coverage was widespread, mostly represented by broadcast media (the primary focus) reaching more than 40 million consumers. As a result, margarine sales increased by an astonishing 10% in a matter of weeks. Subsequent follow-up advertising and PR efforts resulted in an additional 43 million impressions. In total, more than 80 million people received positive messages about margarine.

Matrix Awards - Movie Stars, Media and More
Managing One of New York's Premier Events

The New York Women in Communications, Inc.'s Matrix Awards Luncheon is recognized by New York's communications and entertainment community as one of the most outstanding and prestigious events of the year. Every April, more than 1,500 guests gather at New York's famous Waldorf Astoria to salute remarkable women who have achieved the highest level of excellence in advertising, books, broadcast, film, magazines, newspapers, new media and public relations. This year's Matrix Award honorees and presenters included high-profile celebrities such as Michelle Pfieffer, Barbara Walters, Michael Crichton, Martha Stewart, Sheryl Crow and Al Roker. (Past honorees and presenters have included Katie Couric, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey and Rosie O'Donnell.)

For the past five years, the Matrix Awards have been professionally managed by Kellen Communications. Working with NYWICI volunteers, members of Kellen Communications staff are intricately involved with every detail of the gala - from development and registration to publicity. Under Kellen Communications's wing, the Matrix Awards have become a standing-room only event and proceeds from the event have tripled, helping to launch the NYWICI Foundation and provide scholarships to student communicators each year. The event has also generated worldwide media interest - from professional trade magazines such as Ad Age and Crain's to leading newspapers such as the New York Times and New York Daily News to Entertainment Tonight, E! and every major television network.

Kellen Communications's Holly Koenig shares "10 Tips on Managing Celebrities" (pdf)*.

*Note: Reprinted with permission from the August 2002 issue of Association Management, copyright 2002, American Society of Association Executives, Washington, D.C.

Mayonnaise Safety Awareness Program
Dispelling the Myths about Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise may be the "misunderstood" dressing, but the Association for Dressings and Sauces is working to educate consumers and industry alike that no one need "hold the mayo." Kellen Communications designed a multi-faceted program to communicate the safety of commercially prepared mayonnaise via a plethora of media vehicles. Brochures, color run-of-press, video news releases and traditional pitches to print media have been utilized very successfully. Within just the past two years (the program is ongoing), Kellen Communications has helped spread the facts about mayonnaise across the United States. The safety of commercially prepared mayonnaise was explained in a syndicated column by Ann Landers, thanks to information provided by Kellen Communications. Ann Landers' column is read by more than 90 million people around the world and is syndicated to more than 1,200 newspapers. Also, our color run-of-press reached 7 million readers. More than 5 million viewers in 29 markets saw our mayonnaise Video News Release. Mayonnaise "myths" were covered on radio broadcasts in 38 states. And tens of thousands of "Mayonnaise: The Misunderstood Dressing" brochures have been distributed to consumers and health professionals.

Passive Solar Energy Program
Shining Some Light on Solar Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy and the Solar Energy Research Institute came to Kellen Communications to launch a nationwide program in conjunction with local utilities and product manufacturers. Kellen Communications led the government in partnership with utility companies such as Bonneville Power, Northeast Utilities, Florida Power, Georgia Power, Arizona Public Service and Houston Power and Light.

Kellen Communications developed a nationwide education program to teach builders how to change their construction techniques, improve their siting and develop and implement saleable products. Nationwide and regional conferences were held, and major "Parades of Homes" were organized with the cooperation of utility companies in Denver, Minneapolis, California and New England. The program - which promoted higher levels of insulation, use of double-glazed windows, advanced glazing systems and thermal mass - resulted in a significant shift in building techniques and choice of products.

Saccharin Promotion
Making Life Sweeter for Diabetics and Dieters

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a ban on saccharin - which was the only FDA-approved sugar substitute at that time - Kellen Communications took action on behalf of our client, the Calorie Control Council. Kellen Communications created a multi-dimensional program that included scientific, public relations, regulatory and legislative components, using scientific evidence supporting saccharin's safety as the program's cornerstone.

To influence public opinion and generate consumer support, Kellen Communications placed full-page advertisements in national newspapers, conducted a massive grassroots letter-writing campaign and performed extensive media relations. Kellen Communications also created a special "saccharin train" that transported diabetic individuals to Washington so they could urge Congress to keep the FDA from banning something that improved their quality of life. (In fact, there were more letters written to Congress about this issue than there were about the Vietnam War.) The outstanding result was a Congressional moratorium that saved saccharin, and the government has since removed its warning label from saccharin products. This landmark program is often taught in journalism schools as a model for successful public relations.

Services
With our staff, knowledge and resources, Kellen Communications has the ability to do highly effective work for any company or organization - our reputation and longevity have proven this fact. But even with our success, Kellen Communications continues to function on an intimate scale. Our clients do not have to wade through layers of management and job descriptions to get something done. They can count on the personal and professional involvement of our principals and top executives. Quality service is the commitment of both our agency and staff.

Strategic Management
Kellen Communications is an agency of self-starters, geared to assume responsibility for every project phase from conceptualization to implementation. Our strategic perspective involves the traditional push points for developing an effective working relationship with clients: Situation Analysis/Goal Setting, Strategy Development, Implementation, Cost Analysis and Evaluation. Kellen Communications is with you every step of the way.

Consumer Marketing
Each year, millions of consumers see, hear and read about Kellen Communications clients through media coverage and promotional events. We have helped to position hundreds of products in both new and existing markets. Lindal Cedar Homes, a company with a 40-year reputation for manufacturing weekend cottages, is a perfect example. When the company wanted its custom primary homes - 60% percent of Lindal's business - known to the press and the public, Kellen Communications launched a major publicity initiative to change consumer perception of the company. Our efforts ultimately led to a feature in Forbes in which the writer noted the shift in market attention that we had engineered. We have also achieved remarkable results for products such as sports equipment, hand tools, wall coverings, building materials and foods, and have increased consumer awareness of significant association and government programs.

B2B Communications
In today's competitive environment, conveying complex messages to informed audiences can be especially difficult. These audiences need strong, clear information that is technically correct - especially in specialized industries. Kellen Communications has conducted B2B programs for dozens of clients in dozens of industries. These programs have run the gamut of strategically managed communications - from bylined articles and editorials, case histories, direct mail promotions, national media tours and trade show exhibits to workshops and seminars, industry speeches, consumer contests, satellite teleconferences and video news releases. Our staff has the knowledge and expertise to present your complex messages to the appropriate audiences in the crowded B2B market.

Media Relations
Kellen Communications is in daily contact with reporters, editors, program producers and on-air personalities across the nation to promote client products or issues. We talk with them by phone and in person. As a result, Kellen Communications has developed ongoing, beneficial relationships with many influential members of the media. We have also established our clients as reliable sources of information for their industries. Kellen Communications is frequently asked to write trend and issue stories for leading trade magazines for industries such as construction and home decorating. Kellen Communications also writes features for Home Planning, our agency-owned syndicated newspaper service that reaches 6,000 newspapers nationwide (representing almost 70 million readers).

Government Relations
Kellen Communications offers a broad range of public affairs capabilities, backed by a staff dedicated to developing and implementing effective legislative, regulatory and communications programs. Our staff is equally comfortable handling issue concerns at the local, state or national level. Throughout the years, Kellen Communications has handled many programs aimed at informing and influencing government officials and legislators concerned with our clients' issues or products. We successfully lobbied for the removal of the government's warning label on saccharin (a low-calorie sugar substitute) on behalf of the Calorie Control Council and were instrumental in changing fire codes in states such as California and Texas on behalf of the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association. We also worked with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to develop voluntary warning labels and hang tags for manufactured products on behalf of the Window Covering Manufacturers Association. Kellen Communications stands ready to effectively advance forceful, yet realistic, public affairs programs to meet the goals of our clients.

Crisis Management
Times of crisis are trying for any business. In many instances, Kellen Communications has successfully averted negative publicity and alleviated consumer backlash on behalf of our clients. We have extensive experience in crisis management, from formulating a proactive strategy and creating stand-by position statements to utilizing government and media contacts for comment on critical issues. For example, we guided the Processed Apples Institute through a potentially devastating pesticide crisis, defended the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors and Suppliers after the tragic murder of an 11-year-old boy who was selling fundraising items door-to-door, and helped the window covering industry respond to consumer concerns about the safety of window cords. Because of our crisis management expertise, Kellen Communications has been able to turn the tide for many of our clients.

Creative Communications
With our staff of highly skilled in-house graphic designers and desktop publishers, Kellen Communications can write, design and publish whatever our clients need - brochures, newsletters, magazines, annual reports, advertisements, direct mail pieces, original illustrations and more. In fact, we have created materials for almost every one of our clients. From concept through completion, Kellen Communications's creative team crafts a message and delivers it with the kind of punch that makes a positive impact on a target audience. Kellen Communications also boasts strong branding and identity development capabilities, including corporate logos, business cards and stationary. We truly believe that a picture says a thousand words. For more details about our complete offering of creative services, please visit www.sracreative.com.

Web Site Development
With millions of consumers relying on Web sites as their main source of information, the Internet has become a key factor in most public relations programs. Kellen Communications's full-service, award-winning Internet division, Kellen Interactive, has developed nearly 200 high-quality Web sites. Whether we create a Web site from scratch or make dramatic improvements to an existing one, Kellen Communications knows how to make our clients' presence on the Web fit their public relations goals. We have also been tremendously successful at getting our clients well-ranked on the top search engines (making them even more visible to consumers), thanks to our proven Search Engine Optimization process. For more details about our complete offering of Web-related services, please visit www.kelleninteractive.com.

Special Events Management
Kellen Communications has a flair for creating special events in special settings. We have orchestrated client meetings and celebrations at many exciting venues, including sailing ships in New York Harbor ("The Best Party in Town" for the National Tabletop Association) and parties at distinctive, elegant private homes nationwide. We have also organized unforgettable theme parties in Miami, Boca Raton and North Carolina on behalf of clients such as the Home Fashion Products Association. Kellen Communications also manages and promotes the annual Matrix Awards ceremony hosted by New York Women in Communications, which attracts major celebrities and nationwide media attention year after year.

Technical Writing
To reinforce our clients' prominence in their industries, Kellen Communications researches and writes technical histories and bylined feature articles that appear in prominent trade and technical journals as well as consumer magazines that reach target markets. Our staff includes technical writers with broad backgrounds in building technology, telecommunications, aerospace, metals, electronics and other industries. Clients such as the Copper Development Association, the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, AlliedSignal and M&T Chemicals have benefited greatly from our expertise in this area.

Media Tours
We regularly take advantage of our media-hub offices in New York, Washington, DC and Atlanta to introduce new products and concepts via local and national press conferences. Our staff is also highly skilled at developing and booking media tours, including deskside briefings and satellite media broadcasts. For many years, for example, we enlisted a former Miss America to tour the country for the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association and the Mineral Insulation Manufacturers Association, reaching millions of consumers through radio and television coverage.

Video News Releases
Kellen Communications has produced numerous video news releases (VNRs) and films that have reached millions of viewers. Our staff includes one of the country's leading experts on the use of VNRs, public service announcements and other electronic media for public relations purposes. Most recently, after the release of an important health benefits research study, Kellen Communications produced and distributed a VNR on behalf of the National Association of Margarine Manufacturers that reached more than 30 million viewers, encompassing most of the top broadcast markets.

Industry Expertise
After 56 years in the public relations business, Kellen Communications has had the opportunity to do high-quality work for companies and organizations in a wide variety of industries. We are confident in our ability to conceive and implement effective public relations programs for just about any industry or profession - but there are several specialty areas that we have excelled at time and time again. Read on for a sampling of some of our areas of expertise.

Associations
Associations exist to promote the common interest of their members in ways that cannot be done individually. Kellen Communications knows how to tailor an association's message to represent the industry as a whole, without promoting the interests of one member over another. We have mastered the art of finding this delicate balance. Because of our experience in this specialty area, Kellen Communications is highly skilled at keeping association programs moving toward a successful completion - on time and on budget.

Automotive
Many automotive companies have come to Kellen Communications because of our expertise in reaching original equipment manufacturers and the automotive after market. These companies have reaped extraordinary rewards as a result. The International Copper Association put Kellen Communications in the driver's seat to publicize and promote its newly developed CuproBraze™ technology, a revolutionary manufacturing application for automotive radiators that is now poised to become the wave of the future for the makers of cars, trucks and heavy vehicles.

Building Products
Promoting and publicizing shelter products has been a major focus since Kellen Communications' inception. We are known throughout the industry for intense involvement on behalf of manufacturers, retailers and trade associations that provide building-related goods and services used in residential, commercial, industrial and military applications. Our experience and broad base of contacts enables us to influence important audiences associated with commercial and end-user markets, from the highest level of management to key builders, utilities, distributors and government officials. We understand the building distribution chain, work closely with the trade and consumer media, participate in code and regulatory arenas and help to influence regulations that affect the industry.

Electronics & Technology
Among public relations agencies, Kellen Communications was an "early adopter" in this growing field. We created, supervised and promoted "Discovery House" - the first trade show exhibition to introduce the public to the future of home networking. Today, we employ a "tech-friendly" staff that understands trends in wireless communication, computer software, home appliances and other technological industries. More importantly, Kellen Communications long ago developed the ability to communicate how these industries are rapidly integrating into the world of home networking -- something that, in itself, creates quite a media "buzz!"

Environmental
Environmental issues are a major priority for almost any manufacturer's public relations and communications plan. The Kellen Communications staff has considerable experience counseling and preparing clients on environmental matters. We have helped clients prepare for trade shows that promote renewable energy, develop news stories on homes with energy-efficient products, and adopt new technologies that reduce waste in their manufacturing process. Clients who take the environment seriously know that Kellen Communications can create invaluable recognition and trust for their organizations in the eyes of businesses and consumers.

Food & Nutrition
Consumers rely on a variety of sources for information about their favorite foods - health professionals, the media, and Internet sites, to name a few. With a comprehensive public relations program, Kellen Communications can assist food associations and companies reach all of these key audiences in an effective manner. Many of our staff members (which include registered dietitians, nutritionists and food technologists) work solely on food accounts, and we have valuable contacts at leading publications and key health organizations across the country. We have also spearheaded and promoted health benefits research studies at leading universities with tremendous success.

Home Furnishings
Already recognized for our work in the building industry, Kellen Communications's existing connections to the shelter and lifestyle markets have made home furnishings a natural extension of the Kellen Communications niche. We are the agency of choice when it comes to creative work and brand creation for premier home furnishing associations and companies such as the International Interior Design Association, the Home Fashion Products Association and the Window Covering Manufacturers Association. Our close ties to these organizations allow us to stay ahead of events, trends and crises, which makes our work all the more effective when dealing with industry regulators and the media.