When was McDougall Communications founded?
The agency was founded in 2011 by Mike McDougall, FAAO, APR, Fellow PRSA, who serves as its president.

What does McDougall Communications specialize in?
The firm offers comprehensive support for media relations and opinion leader relations, crisis and issues management, social media and digital content creation, research-centered initiatives and strategic analysis and planning.

What industries does McDougall Communications serve?
We work across multiple industries, with substantial expertise in medical, health, and life science sectors (including ocular health and science), as well as complex technologies, education, financial services, and community initiatives.

‍Does McDougall Communications offer eye care public relations?
Yes. No other public relations firm in the world has the ocular health and science experience and knowledge of McDougall Communications. Our team is immersed in nearly all aspects of the eye care sector and has been at the heart of many of the optometry and ophthalmology professions’ most innovative and most challenging initiatives. This breadth of experience spans all regions of the globe, encompassing proactive and reactive corporate and non-profit leadership, strategy, execution, and evaluation.

‍What makes McDougall Communications different from other PR and marketing agencies?
McDougall Communications values insight-driven strategy and creativity over brute force to create meaningful results. Its team has walked in your shoes; our counselors have held executive roles at Fortune 500 corporations, newsrooms, and start-ups alike. We customize our recommendations for each client’s unique needs, serving as a partner instead of a vendor. In a world of noise and chaos, the bold and the brave stand out—and we help clients blaze those trails.

Can McDougall Communications help with global, national, or local media coverage?
Media relations is a core service of McDougall Communications. Our public relations counselors have deep communications and journalism backgrounds and are trained to understand how mainstream and specialty newsrooms function. Each day, our teams work with digital-first and traditional editors, producers, reporters, and pundits to deliver and shape accurate, compelling content for their readers and viewers.

Does McDougall Communications provide social media support?
Founder Mike McDougall was one of the first to use social and digital media in the public relations field, garnering international attention in the late 1990s with blog-centered campaigns and some of the earliest corporate social media presences. Today, McDougall Communications develops and manages social media campaigns for global and local brands alike, making use of a broad array of digital tools, including generative AI, large-scale data modeling, and predictive analytics.

‍Does McDougall Communications provide crisis management?
McDougall Communications employs a mix of strategic messaging, media relations, public and community affairs, social and digital media, and internal communications to mitigate negative effects and help restore normal operations during times of crisis. In conjunction with legal and other functional counsel, we’ve played essential roles in executive management exits, labor unrest, production shifts, reductions in force, product recalls, societal unrest, employee misconduct, legislative disputes, medical emergencies, and more. This includes work for existing clients as well as new engagements as crises are unfolding.

Does McDougall Communications work with clients outside of the U.S.?
McDougall Communications works daily with clients in countries around the world, including Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Latin America, and Canada. It’s in-house team is supplemented through its partnership in the Worldcom Public Relations Group, with more than 2,000 professionals across 45 countries.

Does McDougall Communications work with clients in Rochester, N.Y., the Finger Lakes Region, and Upstate and Western New York?
McDougall Communications is the largest standalone public relations firm between New York City and Toronto. In addition to its global programs, it works with locally-based clients across New York State, including in Western New York (Rochester and Buffalo), Central New York (Syracuse), the Southern Tier (Binghamton), the Capital Region (Albany), and Northern New York (Watertown).

‍‍Does McDougall Communications work with small organizations or large brands?
Our size, seniority, and strategy-first approach gives McDougall Communications the ability to work with organizations of all sizes. Clients include some of the world’s best known multinational brands as well as start-ups and local non-profits who are seeking to make their mark.

Is McDougall Communications independently owned?
Yes, McDougall Communications is independently owned. It is affiliated with the Worldcom Public Relations Group, the globe’s largest partnership of independent communications agencies.

How large is McDougall Communications?
McDougall Communications has a full-time staff of eight public relations counselors, supplemented by a group of trusted consultants and contractors for needs such as design and coding. At any given time, it serves approximately 15-20 international, domestic and regional clients.

How can public relations help my business or organization?
McDougall Communications programs are developed to help organizations meet their strategic operating objectives. These may include revenue growth, new product and service introductions, expanded awareness, reputation enhancement and protection, and issues and crisis management.

How does McDougall Communications measure success for client programs?
The McDougall Communications team customizes measurements for every engagement, closely aligned with clients’ business and organizational goals and objectives to maximize return on investment (ROI). This goes well beyond simply vanity metrics and instead focuses on garnering results that make a meaningful difference to clients’ operating performance.

What is the typical process for working with McDougall Communications?
McDougall Communications uses a multi-step process with clients to determine a strategic foundation for every program or project and then applies it to a tactical plan that incorporated timing and budget. These are custom designed for each engagement.

Why should I trust McDougall Communications’ work?
McDougall Communications-led initiatives have been consistently recognized as some of the most creative, innovative, and results-bearing programs in the world, as evidenced by 16 Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil Awards (the Oscars of the profession), the Canadian Public Relations Society’s Campaign of the Year, and 100+ regional honors, including 12 Rochester PRism Best of Show nods.

‍‍How do I get started with McDougall Communications?
To get started with McDougall Communications, send an email to info@mcdougallpr.com or contact Vice President Heather Kowalczyk at +1.585.434.2148.

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