Nashville: Established City, Blossoming Industry
Published on Oct. 26, 2022, at 5:03 p.m.
by Breanna Erickson
As PR practitioners, or soon to be practitioners, the idea that public relations is a growing field is nothing new. How much is it growing? According to IBISWorld, the PR industry has grown 2.5% annually from 2017-2021, and is projected to grow 6.9% in 2022.
In the U.S. alone, there are over 55,000 PR agencies with a combined market size of $17 billion. Because of the rapid growth of the digital market, media-centric industries like PR are apt to mirror the success.
A quick snapshot of a company that has grown alongside the digital sphere the within the industry is Edelman. In its 70 years of service, 31 years longer than the existence of the Internet, the agency has neared $1 billion in revenue with over 5,000 employees, and 60 offices worldwide, making it one of the top PR firms in business.
How does location affect the industry?
To gain some insight into this question, Nashville, Tennessee, is a good place to start. The city is projected to grow 56.1% in population and 97.4% in employment by 2060.
Since the founding of the WSM radio in 1925, Nashville has been known as the “Music City.” From WSM radio came the Grand Ole Opry broadcast, which formed the landmark venue that has been visited by some of country music’s biggest stars.
As the Music City, the titular industry brings in an estimated $10 billion annually and sustains over 56,000 jobs. This impact is more than that of New York City or Los Angeles, both of which having large music hubs.
Of course, to understand how Nashville is able to keep its reputation as the Music City while continuing to grow in size, the scope must broaden to fit those behind the scenes: industry professionals.
Bauer Entertainment Marketing is a Nashville-based agency named “Best in Business” and “Best Place to Work” by the Business Journal. The company has had multiple success stories, such as a 320% return for Nashville Zoo’s membership, 12.2 times return on advertisement spending, and 16.6 million impressions on a single livestream.
Jonny Scoblionko works at Bauer Entertainment Marketing as a senior account manager. In his position, he assists with the internal team’s onboarding and works directly with a number of clients.
Scoblionko likes to refer to Bauer’s services as “the accordion plan.” Because of the wide variety of clients it oversees and the various demands to fulfill, the agency has to be ready to handle any level of involvement from consultation to execution.
Recently, Scoblionko noted his clients’ desire to return to their roots. While livestreaming and heavily distanced efforts were appreciated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting in-person shows and re-establishing clients’ businesses as physical places are strong, while mask and distancing mandates are becoming more and more lax, according to Scoblionko.
There is a bit of a misconception about being future-forward for many brands. Especially for clients that Scoblionko works with, there is not always a need to innovate (if a tactic is working well, that is). Scoblionko stated that looking back at past campaigns and interactions that worked well and using those as templates moving forward is a key aspect to inciting the most engagement, in many cases.
“[Messaging] is becoming a bit more formulaic,” Scoblionko said. Even though the tone of many clients has shifted from online events to in-person ones, the method stays — generally — the same.
Scoblionko shared that “in the past two years [Bauer] has grown over 200% as a team.” Because of this growth, the agency has seen many new faces and potential for spreading its client base.
One of these fresh faces is Sydney Huckaby, a current intern at Bauer. As an intern, Huckaby analyzes social media engagements, writes social concepts and reports on the accounts she oversees.
Due to the individualistic and diverse culture surrounding Nashville, Huckaby believes that it makes for a much intertwined, communicative organization. “It’s more fun than an average internship,” she shared, reflecting on some past positions she occupied. “You get really close to the people you’re working with.”
The engaging, community-centered culture boosts company morale by hosting parties and happy hours for employees to get to know each other outside of a working environment, according to Huckaby.
Huckaby noted, “There’s so much more that [Nashville] can offer now than being just the ‘Music City’.”
It’s true. Since 1990, Nashville has created over 500,000 jobs and made a name for itself as the economic engine of the state. It is among the top 10 cities for job growth, yet remains below average for cost of living.
Huckaby shared her insight into Nashville possibly being the “Southern New York City” — it even has its own Broadway Street.
The fast-paced growth and demand of internet communication and the expansion of audiences are crucial in the PR field. Could the flocking of PR practitioners veer from New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles to cities like Nashville?
Scoblionko likes to refer to Bauer’s services as “the accordion plan, because the services are fully scalable.” Due to the wide variety of clients it oversees and the various demands to fulfill, the agency has to be ready to handle any level of involvement from consultation to execution.
Recently, Scoblionko noted his clients’ desire to return to their roots. While livestreaming and heavily distanced efforts were appreciated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting in-person shows and re-establishing clients businesses as physical places are strong, while mask and distancing mandates are becoming more and more lax, according to Scoblionko.
While innovation is crucial for keeping up with trends and staying up-to-date, many brands like to stick to their roots. Especially for clients that Scoblionko works with, there is not always a need to innovate. If it isn’t broken, why fix it? Scoblionko stated that looking back at past campaigns and interactions that worked well and using those as templates moving forward is a key aspect to inciting the most engagement, in many cases.
