Will business eventually cool off for real estate PR firms? Sure, when the market calms down . . . we may all be long gone by then. From glitzy residential projects to starchitect-driven vanity edifices to huge redevelopments, here are our selections for the year’s most notable PR firms in the real-estate sector. (Also notable: the top four firms here also appear in this year’s PR Power 50.)
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Speaking of that, definitely spend some time with the PR Power 50, our yearly effort (which takes, pretty much, the entire year to put together) honoring the 50 PR firms that we feel have made the biggest, most exciting moves over the course of 2018.
M18
M18’s grown from a tiny shop to a powerhouse with more than 100 active clients whose projects are changing the landscape in the US and abroad. The agency’s also built an enviable hospitality practice, and its projects across the board keep getting bigger—like the 24-acre redevelopment of downtown Tampa. Read more about M18 in this year’s PR Power 50
Rubenstein
Rubenstein, that NYC stalwart, maintains a healthy stable of real estate clients. There’s a phonebook’s worth of buildings, like the Chrysler Building and Rockefeller Center, as well as key players like Douglas Elliman, Jones Lang LaSalle, Rudin Management, and Tishman Speyer. Rubenstein’s roster also boasts New York icons like the Yankees, Lincoln Center and MoMa. And new entertainment clients include Broadway’s ubiquitous The Cher Show. Read more about Rubenstein in this year’s PR Power 50
The Berman Group
Revenue’s up 20% at Sarah Berman’s supremely capable agency, thanks in large part to its expert rollout of the rebranded Newmark Knight Frank. The firm also reps MIPIM and MAPIC, the world’s largest real estate conferences, and is partnering with several New York City government agencies on a think tank that examines biotech’s impact on real estate. There’s nothing technical about the firm’s work with nonprofits, however, with 16 organizations under the Berman wing. Read more about The Berman Group in this year’s PR Power 50
Beckerman PR
Beckerman seems to love gigantic projects, whether that be the adaptive reuse of a 130-acre New Jersey shipyard or the Philippe Starck-designed private space station set to blast off this decade. Other hefty clients: Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Mack-Cali Realty, Mission Capital Advisors. Read more about Beckerman in this year’s PR Power 50
Hundred Stories
Part of the secret sauce at Hundred is partnerships that pair clients—big names like Taconic Investment Partners, El Ad, Silverstein, Solow, Chetrit—with marketing partners like the New York Philharmonic, Tesla, iHeartMedia, Lalique and Bergdorf Goodman.
Optimist Consulting
They may not have the longest real estate client list, but it’s possible Optimist may have the most star-studded. This year, the Optimist crew is handling The XI, HFZ Capital, Bjarke Ingels’ first condo in NYC; 130 William, Sir David Adjaye’s first skyscraper; 11 Hoyt, Jeannie Gang’s first NYC condo; and two Rafael Vinoly buildings, 125 Greenwich and 277 Fifth.
Marino PR and Strategic Communications
2018 was a transitional year at Marino. Longtime COO John Marino took the reins as president from the founder—his father Frank, who became CEO. The Marino crew handled Google’s $2.5 billion purchase of longtime client Chelsea Market. Marino’s relationship with McDonald’s expanded. And the younger Marino brought in groovy clients like the Curaleaf cannabis dispensary network.
KrepsDeMaria
Two years after launching an NYC outpost, this Miami-born firm continues to expand in corporate, hospitality, and financial services. But it’s real estate where Kreps really rules, with a packed portfolio of South Florida, East Coast and national projects.
Relevance International
Real estate giants like Reuveni, Naftali, Madison Equities and HFZ Capital now occupy a platinum-toned client list at Suzanne Rosnowski’s six-year-old indie firm. Among them: ritzy residential projects like 111 Murray, Peter Marino’s The Getty project, the Green Bay Packers’ Titletown development and hospitality brands including The Royal Atlantis Resorts & Residences in Dubai and The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. With a new London office, big hires like ex-Brandman vet Emily Venugopal, adding a digital arm and building a global agency-partner network, the firm’s impressing with 30% year-over-year growth.
