Needless to say, 2016 ended on a sad note for Nuffer, Smith, Tucker with the passing of our president, Bill Trumpfheller. Bill not only set the strategic direction for our firm, but also was a mentor, friend and community leader. Bill’s legacy will not be forgotten, and we at NST remain committed to moving the company forward, serving not only our client partners but also the communities in which we operate — Bill wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
To that end, we are embarking on a new chapter with a vision that was near and dear to Bill’s heart: redefining public relations. The sentiment has inspired our firm for some time and was formalized into a new vision in 2016. This vision — along with our values — will drive us as we move forward.
So what does “redefining PR” mean? Some may recall the days when public relations was viewed as a wheel of propaganda, churning and burning self-serving, bias-driven news releases and focusing mostly on securing the all-important media “hit.” No more. The institution of public relations has been and is constantly being redefined as something bigger, greater and more meaningful than its last iteration — and NST, along with premier practitioners across the globe, are driving the change.
In its new definition, NST is defining public relations not by tactics or strategies, but rather by frameworks for strategic thinking, relationship building, creating connections, storytelling and producing results. Over the last year alone, we’ve done things that few would define as traditional public relations. We’ve helped a multi-national animal health firm create a strategy to guide its innovation department in the development of new products. We’ve conducted research to understand policy issues relevant to Baja California businesses, and we’ve helped a publicly traded, global brand develop strategic partnerships and build charitable programs.
It’s not about abandoning what works — it’s about building on it, constantly growing our toolkit and giving all efforts modern and forward-thinking relevancy. We think Bill would be proud.