As the public relations industry continues to reel in the midst of today’s tumultuous economy, and a newly optimistic political climate, the best multicultural shops are finding themselves recalibrating in search of the perfect blend of talented staff, substantive programs and clients who understand the value of both.
Flowers Communications Group (FCG), the top-rated, Chicago-based PR agency specializing in award-winning multicultural integrated marketing communications, is no exception, having recently welcomed back into the fold Rashada Whitehead as senior vice president and managing director. Whitehead, returning to FCG after nearly four years with Chicago’s GolinHarris agency, was responsible for helping to lead brand strategy and account management for McDonald’s Corp.’s global and U.S. business efforts, notably its sponsorship activation of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
In her previous capacity with FCG, she helped manage and lead a host of agency accounts, among them Lawry’s Foods, Miller Brewing Co., Merisant/Equal Sweetener, Washington Mutual Bank and Altria Group, Inc., executing communications strategies and programming for each in more than 20 U.S. markets. Whitehead also contributed to developing the award-winning signature programs "The Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Series," "The Magic of Homeownership" with Washington Mutual and Earvin "Magic" Johnson and "Know Your Money" for Altria Group, Inc., in partnership with the National Urban League.
"Returning to FCG provides a tremendous and unique opportunity for me to bring to life my passion for diverse, multicultural communications, strategy management and entrepreneurship," says Whitehead. "I am looking forward to helping shape the road ahead at FCG and the industry overall." Augmenting this good news, FCG also announced the simultaneous appointment of Christina Crawford as account group supervisor, coming to the agency after two years at GolinHarris as an account supervisor in the corporate communications group working with global clients such as the Dow Chemical Company, Wrigley and BP.
Both Whitehead and Crawford completed their undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago and Champaign campuses, respectively. Whitehead, however, earned her master of science in Integrated Marketing Communications at Chicago’s Roosevelt University, while Crawford was bestowed her master of arts in Strategic Communications from the University of Missouri at Columbia. States Crawford, "I’m excited about the intersection between marketing communications and community relations that is available at FCG and supported by its client roster. I feel like Flowers is the ideal place to combine my professional and personal goals related to these areas, while maintaining FCG’s position as the premier agency for this work."
Flowers Communications Group was founded in 1991 with a mission to provide quality public relations and marketing programs to reach and respect the African-American and Hispanic markets. FCG is an independent, minority and MBE/WBE integrated marketing, multicultural marketing communications firm. The agency executes national, regional and local programs in the top 20 urban markets. FCG’s current client roster includes Altria Group, Inc., American Honda Motor Co., the Chicago White Sox, the Kellogg Foundation, Lawry’s Foods, McDonald’s, MillerCoors and Nielsen Media Research. In 2006, FCG successfully launched its Hispanic division, FCGLatino.
FCG has received numerous honors throughout its 17-year history, including the prestigious Platinum Trumpet award bestowed by the Publicity Club of Chicago for the best overall public relations campaign. In addition, Flowers Communications Group has earned numerous other industry accolades, including Golden and Silver Trumpets from the Publicity Club of Chicago; Spectra Awards from the International Association of Business Communicators; Silver Anvils from the Public Relations Society of America; the CIPRA regional award from Inside PR magazine; CEBA - Communications Excellence To Black Audiences awards and numerous others for communications excellence.
