How Blue Engine Merges Creativity and Strategy in PR Communications

By ICR | Podcast

Today, there are countless platforms to reach consumers, but utilizing too many outlets can also fragment a brand’s image. Our guest on this episode specializes in strategic brand exposure, providing clients with guidance to target consumers, and maintain a united market presence. 

We’re sitting down with Anton Nicholas, Managing Partner at ICR. Anton just celebrated his 12th  anniversary at ICR, and he runs the CorpComm team for all of Consumer, from Retail to Apparel to Food to Restaurants to CPG. It’s a big practice within ICR and those areas that he focuses on are Corporate and Financial PR, Transaction Communications, and Crisis Communications. He now oversees Blue Engine, ICR’s offshoot creative consumer communications agency. 

We’ll dive into Anton’s career and his work with Blue Engine, but not before settling an important debate about snack food…

Highlights:

• Tom and Anton break the ice (2:30)
• Anton’s work background and path to ICR and Blue Engine (4:21)
• Anton describes the work he oversees at ICR (5:18)
• How the ICR Lifestyle Lab transitioned into Blue Engine (6:46)
• Anton explains what distinguishes Blue Engine’s work from the Lifestyle Lab (7:45)
• Size and scale of the business (10:11) 
• Where ICR and Blue Engine connect, and differ in their approach (11:54)
• Where the name ‘Blue Engine’ came from (14:03)
• The industries and clients that Blue Engine focuses on (15:36)
• Anton walks through potential hurdles as the business grows (18:00)
• An example of Blue Engine’s offerings through their work with a specific client (19:35)
• Anton describes how the company handles crises for their clients (20:55)
• Anton answers a burning question from Tom (22:06)

Links:

Anton Nicholas on LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Website

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you’d like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.