PR Mavens We Love: Stacey Heuser, Principal, The Narrative Group

Congratulations! Give us the inside scoop on how this happened and what comes next!

Thank you! Well, we were not seeking an acquisition, we had been approached in the past and had always declined. However, culturally, Citizen Relations are one of the most dynamic and people-focused teams I have ever worked with.  That really resonated with us, as we have a similar outlook on the way to treat employees, clients and agency partners.  We also have very complimentary capabilities, so that sealed the deal for us. Moving forward, we will maintain our vision and work together on clients and projects that make sense.  We also bring a bit more of a trend driven lens that will hopefully resonate with their current and future roster of clients.

What are some of the big benefits?

The acquisition allows us to offer better, more robust careers to our employees as well as best in class HR and benefits.  This is a struggle for a small boutique agency, so we are grateful to bring this opportunity to our team. On the client side, we are expanding our offering and will be able to access more in depth data and analytics that will provide enormous value when conceptualizing campaigns and activations.

What was the impetus to start TNG?

I felt there was something missing in the boutique agency space and wanted to work with smart people who wanted to make magic!

How are you structured?

We have three departments consisting of media relations, influencer marketing and experiencial. These three areas of expertise have dynamic synergy and overlap, but are led and run by seperate teams.

What is the mood in the office? What are you working on?

Positive, fun and fast paced. My main responsibilities are overseeing media relations and big picture client strategy, but currently I am ensuring the transition post acquisition goes smoothly.