Press Release

TOBIN & Associates, which provides marketing and public relations consulting services to Northern California clients, today introduced a series of new services to help companies and organizations solidify their public profile without major long-term financial commitments.

Gary Tobin, founder and principal of the Marin County-based firm, said that despite the current economic environment, the ability to differentiate products and services in the marketplace was still key to organizational success.
The new, project-based services are:

• Fresh Look, which reviews and revitalizes website content
• Press Release Express, which can turn information into a distributed press release in on expedited basis, ranging from one to three business days
• Competitive Content Analysis, which analyzes an organization’s own messaging and website content vs. its most direct competitors and
• Core Message Development

Each of these services can be provided as a standalone service or as part of more comprehensive PR or marketing program.
“The reality is that many organizations, both companies and nonprofits, have neither the budget nor the staff to perform these core services any longer,” said Tobin, who founded the firm in 1995.  “At the same time, the need to develop and to deliver their messages does not go away.”

Tobin, who spent six years at the San Francisco Chronicle early in his career, recently added long-time journalist Leslie Harlib as an associate.  “Because we both have a background in daily journalism and experience in the PR, we bring a unique understanding of how to communicate clearly, how to identify core messages and how to reach target audiences.

“With ‘Fresh Look,’ for instance, we examine current website content to ensure that a client has the benefit of an independent, third-party analysis and then we provide an objective review and fact-based recommendations for improvements,” he said.
Tobin said that Press Release Express would be valuable to companies involved in dynamic industries as well as organizations who no longer have staff with media and public relations expertise.

"Press Release Express requires minimal resources from a client,” he said.  “We ask you what you want to say; what it will mean to people who read it, and why someone would care to get the information.  We then write a press release that communicates those core messages. And we can do it quickly.”

The total cost of a press release is determined by what form the raw information is presented (notes, written text, interviews, etc.), the number of drafts (and editing) required and the turnaround time requested.  “The goal is provide effective communications for clients on a low cost basis,” he said. 

"We have two additional services, Distinct Voice Analysis and Distinct Voice Development," said Tobin, "designed to help clients understand how their communications stack up against the messaging of their competitors and how to create messages that stand out."

TOBIN & Associates (www.garytobin.com) moved to Marin County in 2004 after being based in New York City since 1995.   Current clients include Claremont Rug Company, located in Oakland; Command Audio, based in Redwood Shores; Tamalpais Bank, headquartered in San Rafael, and Woodlands Market of Kentfield.