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WPCNR MADISON AVENUER. By John F. Bailey. December 7, 2006 UPDATED December 8, 2006: Take a couple of reporters who wanted to make a buck and noted a void when they saw one and then created a business that takes over an entire market and you have Geof Thompson, Liz Bracken and Dean Bender founders and still champion caterers of cadence, cadre, and cache in Westchester County, Thompson & Bender, of course.
The glamorous trio celebrated their twentieth anniversary Thursday evening at a boffo affair, where you could mingle with the powerful, influential, and accomplished at where else, The Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, easily the event of the year. Meanwhile, what makes Thompson & Bender great?
MR. SPIN IN WESTCHESTER ON TOP OF THE COUNTY FOR A NIGHT: Geoffrey Thompson, Chair of Thompson & Bender on a tour of the City Center North Tower in March, 2004. Cappelli Enterprises is one of Thompson & Bender’s blue chip clients. Photo by WPCNR News
Thompson & Bender Night: The T & B Team, (L to R), Dean Bender, Liz Bracken-Thompson and Geof Thompson are lauded by Susan Tolchin, Assist to County Executive Andy Spano, who praised Thompson & Bender as the “Go-to” guys for public relations in Westchester County, while saluting them for “giving back” to the community. Tolchin praised T & B for their work on the Westchester Office of Tourism and Liberty Lines while announcing the team was going to handle promotion of the Empire State Games in Westchester pro buono. Photo, WPCNR Papparazzi.
The Thompson & Bender Organization. The most gracious, classy persons you can work with as a reporter. Photo, WPCNR Papparazzi.
Number one, Thompson & Bender returns all calls, personally, no matter who you are, the 25 or so T & B specialists treat every person who calls them with respect whether you’re Jimmy Breslin or John Bailey. This is important. They also return the calls on the same day, within the hour, unlike most media relationists in government and industry. They do not use voice mail or automatic answering on their phone system. Any company that does means “your call is not important to us.”(Companies take note of that.)
Thompson & Bender attempts to get you answers to a question the same day, and do not give you the typical snooty stuffy “We’re up here on Olympus and you’re not and maybe George will get back to you attitude” exhibited by media spokespeople and certain high priced Fifth Avenue flack agencies to the rich and famous. No matter how blunt the question or sensitive they are not offended by it, because they recognize good news questions when they get them.
T & B thank “a few close friends and relations at the grand ballroom of the Trump National Golf Club last night. The First Class Affair attracted Mayors, legal firms, developers, realtors, and clients and a clutch of media personalities saluting T & B’s 20 years. Photo, WPCNR Papparazzi.
They do a top notch job with their materials. Fact sheets are always available with photos at events and news conferences which is appreciated. The materials are slickly prepared, too. In a usable, downloadable format, too. Another aspect of the T & B touch is they go out of their way to include special treatment, tours, which deliver more angles on a story.
Though Thompson & Bender delivers only good news for their clients the professional way they package it — not being tooooooo over the top in enthusiasm — and backing most releases with factoids that bolster their case — show a tenacious staff able to convince clients what is best for them to bring out positive news coverage. Thompson & Bender’s relentless efforts pay off in positive impressions and eventually result in community acceptance for controversial projects.
The earnest, just-right Thompson & Bender touch is soooo believable — it sells enough of the public on their client’s position. Thompson & Bender’s efforts have gone a long way towards providing positive acceptance of developments that have been flashpoints for community opposition, while their sensitive packaging of awkward situations eases the negative impact of critical news stories. This is a talent few public relations agencies have.
Unfortunately, not all clients listen to Mr. Thompson, who has, being a former reporter, a knowledge of how to package bad news in a positive way — that will soften the blow. Unlike most persons who deal with the press he does not view reporters as the enemy, but a challenge and he does not blithely tell outrageous blatant lies. (Note to press spokespeople: the fastest way to not get the coverage you want and the treatment you want is to lie blatantly to a reporter once. The secret is to say you do not know, you do not think so, you will clarify it, or go off the record and explain the situation. That softens the story.)
When Messrs. Thompson and Mr. Bender and Ms. Bracken work events they are staging for clients — the events usually go off like clockwork — and engender an air of casual elegance, of importance not just a staged event. Events are never in bad taste. Humor is eschewed. They also are always glad to see you and make it a point of making socialities and giving reporters little inside bits. We are suckers for being treated nicely, since we seldom are — and though I know that — it still works wonders.
They also know everybody and connect clients new to the county with the right persons to know. Bender, Bracken and Thompson and the likeable professionals who work for them are the nicest aspects about covering Westchester County. Because they are the kind of persons they are, they get people to treat their clients a little better in stories than they would otherwise be treated — which is what public relations is all about.
Congratulations to Thompson & Bender! Geoff — it’s time for you to write a book on the spin business — may I suggest: Hello, this is Geof Thompson That simple direct earnest leading edge of importance signature greeting is Mr. Thompson’s best asset: direct, important, earnest, with an air of conspiratuality to it, when he descends down to Geof ThompSON the way he says it….demonstrating a subtle deference to you, and acknowledging you as important.
20 more years!
