CASE STUDIES
Lyft Named Title Sponsor of Detroit City Football Club
Overview:
Lyft Detroit hired Espresso PR as its local agency of record to manage and develop its strategic communications, marketing and media relations.
The Objective:
Help Lyft secure a Detroit-based presenting partner and jersey sponsor for a Detroit-based sports franchise and develop and implement a communications strategy to maximize Lyft’s brand locally in Southeast Michigan. Espresso was tasked to help develop, publicize and manage all communications of Lyft’s title partnership with Detroit City Football Club.
The Results:
1. Arranged the placement of the Lyft logo on the front of all Detroit City FC’s jerseys worn for the 2018 season, as well as replica jerseys sold to the public. The news was reported locally and nationally on ESPN.com.
2. Espresso arranged for Lyft to be prominently featured on a weekly FOX Sports Detroit (FSN) webcast series.
3. Espresso built a successful campaign promoting Lyft as the official rideshare partner of DCFC. Espresso arranged all media interviews for Lyft representatives.
Dana White: The first Black woman to franchise a salon business nationwide
Overview:
Paralee Boyd Salon hired Espresso PR as its agency of record to oversee its communications and media relations. In 2021, Paralee Boyd owner Dana White made history as the first African-American woman to franchise a salon business.
The Objective:
Paralee Boyd’s historic announcement deserved national media attention, and Espresso was tasked with developing and executing a national media strategy for Ms. White and her salon.
The Results:
1. Espresso PR booked an exclusive interview for Dana White with CNN. The interview, which appeared on the front page of CNN.com, attracted hundreds of potential franchisee candidates, as well as the United States Military (see more about this below).
2. Following the CNN announcement, Dana White appeared in multiple outlets such as, Yahoo Finance TV, MSNBC, Roland Martin, as well as in Black Enterprise Magazine, The Franchise Times, Atlanta Black Star, and over 20 local publications, such as Crain’s Detroit Business and The Detroit Free Press.
3. The U.S. Military reached out to Paralee Boyd following the CNN announcement and has since worked with Ms. White to approve salons for Ft. Bragg, as well as 4 salons in Europe, 1 salon in the Middle East, 2 salons in Asia and 10 domestic bases.
Techstars Mobility
Overview:
Techstars launched a mobility-focused Detroit program beginning in 2016 with the support of companies, including Ford Motor Company and Lear. Managing director Ted Serbinski, a former partner of Dan Gilbert at Detroit Venture Partners, hired Espresso PR as its agency of record in Detroit.
The Objective:
Develop and execute a media and communications program to highlight all the founders and businesses coming through the Techstars Mobility program.
The Results:
1. Placed national feature stories in publications, including Forbes, Bloomberg, Wired and TechCrunch.
2. Developed a communications program to highlight Detroit Demo Day, an annual event to showcase every Techstars Mobility cohort to leading VC firms and prospective investors. The event was covered by numerous outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, CNBC and Automotive News.
3. Arranged bylined contributor opportunities for Ted Serbinski in publications such as Entrepreneur Magazine, VentureBeat and Forbes.
Altimetrik Corportation’s 2019 Move to Downtown Detroit
Overview:
With offices across the globe and over 2,500 employees, Altimetrik partners with Fortune 500 companies and empowers them to become more agile and successful. Altrimetrik opened a software and technology hub in Downtown Detroit and hired Espresso PR to oversee its communications and public relations efforts.
The Objective:
Develop and execute a media and communications program to highlight the Altimetrik Collider Detroit Innovation Center and manage all regional media for the company.
The Results:
1. Worked with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and his staff to welcome Altimetrik Collider to Detroit. Arranged interviews for Altimetrik Chairman Raj Vattikuti, Mayor Duggan and former Ford Motor Company CEO and Altimetrik advisor Jacques Nasser.
2. Developed an award-winning COVID-19 strategic communication campaign to highlight a partnership between Altimetrik and Henry Ford Health System to provide free COVID-19 testing sites at over 100 nursing homes in Detroit. The media obtained by Espresso won the 2020 Gold Bridge Award, as well as the 2020 PR World Silver Award for a COVID-19 Campaign.
3. Altimetrik Corporation Founder and Chairman Raj Vattikuti won the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award and was featured in multiple national news publications. Espresso also arranged a video team to film Mr. Vattikuti for a feature, which appeared on Ernst and Young’s website.
TESTIMONIALS
“Jake was a trusted partner for me in building the Lyft brand in Detroit, and my own personal brand as well. He is thoughtful in his advice, respected among his media peers, and never hesitant to share learnings as he helps you grow your business. I loved working with Jake and I’d have no hesitation recommending you to entrust your brand and business to his practice.”
“Jake manages our public relations campaigns and all communications for our Altimetrik Collider office in downtown Detroit. Espresso PR has secured multiple feature stories for our business and key speaking engagements for our executive team. We rely on Jake’s vast media experience to lead our brand’s communications strategy. Jake is also a business pro and we often seek his councel on developing new strategic partnerships in Detroit.”
“Jake is a dynamic leader and handles all of our PR and media relations. Espresso Public Relations gave us a boost for Demo Day at the Lear Innovation Center and additional support to our startups participating in the Detroit program. Jake is also great with personal branding and a true media professional. Highly recommend Espresso!”