Community-empowerment commitment earns Imprenta a Bulldog Gold
Imprenta Communications Group specializes in reaching diverse audiences—its mission is to empower communities of color by giving them a voice and communicating to them in ways that respect their diversity and understand their culture. While many similar firms focus on a particular segment or the entire market, Imprenta focusing on serving the Asian-American and Latino markets—the two fastest growing ethnic groups in America.
“Combining these two market segments has certainly led to Imprenta’s phenomenal growth in the last few years. For two years in a row, Imprenta made Inc. Magazine’s list of fastest-growing companies in America,” says Ronald W. Wong, Imprenta’s President & CEO. Read on to see why Imprenta was honored with a Gold Award in the “Boutique Agency of the Year—Specialty Practice” category in Bulldog Reporter’s 2016 Stars of PR Awards.
Agency Focus and Recognition: Founded in 2001, the firm has developed and executed culturally competent marketing, public relations, communications and advertising campaigns that deliver quantifiable and measurable results for government entities, public agencies and major corporations throughout California.
The firm’s in-house foreign language capability includes Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese), Vietnamese, Korean, Hmong and Tagalog, and the firm specializes in accessing hard-to-reach, limited-English-proficient audiences.
In addition to the Inc. acclamations, in 2015 the Los Angeles Business Journal ranked Imprenta the 12th largest public relations firm in Southern California.
Defining Principles: “The defining principles at Imprenta are based on conversations I have had with the team over the course of the years. They are also affectionately known as ‘The World According to Ron,’” Wong explains. He outlines those principles here:
- To each what we want and deserve—know what you want
- If it isn’t fun, don’t do it
- People before profits—working with friends is more important than making money
- Loyalty matters most
- If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything
- When feeling overwhelmed, take a step back
- Focus on the things you can control
- Power up on people if you have to
- Leverage relationships—find the win-win
- Be direct—the shortest distance between two points is a straight line
“Of course, there have been obstacles to overcome. However, by working together on a common goal and mission, no one person faces adversity alone,” he assures.
In addition to serving the public agencies, government entities, candidates, corporations and initiatives seeking to improve the lives of those in the community who need it most, the firm’s principals and staff have also worked in the administrations of President Clinton, Governor Gray Davis and numerous Speakers of the California Legislature, among others.
For Imprenta, “It’s About Winning”—winning for clients and their causes. Imprenta and its founding principles come from the world of politics and political campaigns. The company has been involved in hundreds of political campaigns, large and small, from millions of dollars to tens of thousands. This background in politics and on political campaigns has formed the basis of its strategy in serving clients and its approach to its differentiating work.
Secrets of Success: What is Wong’s number-one piece of advice to PR students and fledgling practitioners? “Read! Reading is a lost practice. Not enough people are reading,” he asserts. “People can discover answers and inspiration in books and articles. Reading also helps one to become a better writer, communicator and storyteller. As a result, reading not only educates, but inspires us all. If you’re looking for inspiration, an answer to a problem or are just curious about anything, there is a very good chance someone has written about it.”
Imprenta is fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some of California’s leading corporations and organizations such as Pacific Gas and Electric Company, The California Endowment, Southern California Gas Company, Covered California, California Professional Firefighters, California Department of Insurance, California Community Colleges, Resources Legacy Fund, North East Medical Services, Health Net, Frontier Communications, NBCUniversal and many other initiatives, issues and causes.
“The work we do for our clients is more important, now more than ever. You can’t turn back the clocks and deny the diversity that defines America. Companies and people that embrace diversity are positioned to win in the global market.” Wong concludes.
