As we mark 30 years in business, energi PR CEO and Co-Founder @Carol Levine had the opportunity to reflect on the journey and look ahead with @Onside Media. Learn more about how Carol and her business partner @Esther Buchsbaum built up an independent agency that competes with multi-nationals, and what the future holds for PR as a whole and energi in particular. Read the article below or at https://bit.ly/2QIbdcq.
Independent-owned agency Energi PR has been making multi-national level impacts in the health, lifestyle, and medical science industries. Committed to communicating the unique stories of their clients, Energi PR utilizes their own experiences to cultivate a lasting impression and improve their target audiences’ lives. Founded in Montreal by Carol Levine and Esther Buchsbaum as a multicultural and bilingual agency. Energi PR was the first agency of its kind to go national by opening its Toronto office. This year marks 30 years of innovation, leadership, and business integrity.
Carol Levine, Co-Founder
Carol reflects on the humble beginnings and intentions when starting Energi with Esther. “We believe we had more guts than brains at the time. We thought we could start an agency in Montreal, outside of the Toronto-centric climate and make it a national company. By being in Quebec and working in the rest of the country, we were able to help navigate both cultures and both languages seamlessly”.
As an independent agency, Carol and her team needed to be creative and innovative when marketing themselves to potential clients. However, Energi used this to their advantage by providing all of the benefits of a multi-national agency. “We saw that we would be able to work with clients that did not have experience, or might not be comfortable with global agencies. They would be more inclined to work with practitioners that were senior and were intimately involved with their business”.
Esther Buchsbaum, Co-Founder
Carol explains that the Energi takes a more dynamic and intimate approach to work alongside their clients. By prioritizing seniority, businesses working with Energi PR are guaranteed to receive high-quality service and guidance. “Many agencies display all of their heavy artillery to win the client’s business, then never see their client again. They put juniors on the account and limit the amount of exposure their seniors have. For us, our model is completely the reverse. Our clients are going to be dealing with senior people, and we are going to visible”. The integrity that Carol leads with cultivates a beneficial relationship with her clients. “We are always going be there for the client, not only when they have a problem”.
Hotels.com Event(Pre-Covid Pictures)
Prior to starting Energi PR, Carol and Esther had extensive health, public relations, and advertising experience. Their unique backgrounds gave them perspective on what was needed in the industry, and they set out to create it. Carol explains, “I had worked in PR for a community-based organization for several years, while my business partner had experience in advertising. We saw what was being offered and knew we could do better.
Austrian Airlines (Pre-Covid19 Pictures)
So, from the beginning, we knew what our values were and what our unique selling propositions needed to be”. Carol and her team’s stellar networking skills and value in relationships propelled Energi PR’s visibility. “For us, it is all about relationships. Starting without a huge client base, we got in touch with people who had crossed our paths and could speak well about the work we’ve done”.
Stephanie Engel, SVP, Client Service
With public relations and communications constantly evolving, Carol and her team need to adapt to provide expert advice to clients. “One has to evolve continually, whether it’s on a business level or a personal level. Once you stop learning about what is going on globally, you cease to be a trusted advisor to your clients. We need to stay current and be relevant”. Energi PR has a remarkable influence on businesses associated with health, lifestyle, and medical science. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Carol and her team had to pay even closer attention to the rapid changes so their clients can convey their message effectively.
Purgenesis Event(Pre-Covid19 Pictures)
For certain clients in the health care and life sciences sector, we support their ongoing communications with healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, investors, media, government and the public. COVID-19 has been especially hard on an already fractured healthcare system”. Energi represents major pharmaceutical companies as well as biotech, medical device, professional associations, and patient groups, and is most proud of the many award-winning disease awareness programs aimed at promoting early detection and treatment.
Currently, many doctors are not seeing patients in person. While this has been difficult for both the patients and the healthcare professional, it has given rise to greater interest and use of telehealth. “Being at the forefront of these changes is vital.” Another development that the Energi team is experiences is the increasing adoption of social media within the pharma industry. “Corporate reputation, recruitment, business news, social corporate responsibility, these are more are the kind of information that elite companies want to announce.”
“Energi makes sure our clients have a stellar online presence and can communicate information effectively and in a way that is compliant. So, we do a lot of social media content development and engagement”.
Healthy Lifestyle Event(Pre-Covid19 Pictures)
Energi PR has faced numerous hardships and triumphs over the last 30 years as an independent agency. Carol reflects on her fascinating journey. “As an independent, we constantly have to market ourselves. We are not being sent work, so we need to offer something that differentiates us. Being part of the GlobalHealth PR Network is one of many strategic partnerships that let us compete successfully against the multinationals.”
Melitta Event (Pre-Covid19 Pictures)
However, the necessity to flex this creative muscle gives Carol the freedom to run her business independently while also leading with integrity. “We answer to no one but ourselves. We have the flexibility to decide what our budget and goals will be for the year. While we need to be profitable, I can be creative about it, and determine our own culture and destiny.
For more information kindly visit: https://www.energipr.com/