Beth McRae: An Eminent PR Professional Turning Things Around on a Dime  | Insights Magazine

Having over 30 years of enriching experience in the PR and marketing industry, Beth McRae has worked with companies ranging from WD-40 Company, Discount Tire, Sprint, and Tiffany & Co., to Google, Red Bull, KB Home, Sunny Delight, and many smaller companies and startups. For her, it is all about passion, determination, results and positivity to build and nurture relationships with people and to turn every challenge into an opportunity.  

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In our endeavor to find “Arizona's Most Influential Business Leaders, 2021,” our paths crossed with Beth McRae, a talented PR person who has many secrets to the marketing and PR worlds. Beth is the CEO of The McRae Agency and has won over 60 awards for PR and marketing work, including the Bank of America Enterprise Award.  

In an interview with Insights Success, Beth unveils her entrepreneurial journey and how she is helping brands achieve their sales goals through PR, marketing, and social media. 

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Below are the highlights of the interview: 

Tell our readers about your position at The McRae Agency, your journey, challenges, and experiences in your career. 

I have been the CEO of The McRae Agency for more than 26 years. Our firm has been voted the “#1 PR Firm in Arizona” more than once by Ranking Arizona Magazine and we have won over 60 awards in various categories over the years. While we started out small in 1995, we have had the honor of working for amazing brands such as Google, KB Home, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, Sunny Delight, Z Gallerie, Discount Tire and Massage Envy, as well as many start-ups and smaller companies. We handled the PR launch of Red Bull into the United States. 

Through creativity, talent, resourcefulness, and hard work, we have beaten out many larger firms to win the trust of brands across the United States.  One of our clients has worked with us since 1996, a testimony to the types of relationships we foster with companies looking for serious results. 

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Being a CEO, what is your opinion regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Public Relations & Communications Industry? And how has The McRae Agency managed to overcome it? 

The pandemic had a similar effect on many companies as the major recession from 2008. There was a reactionary approach to PR and marketing which was to cut budgets and hunker down. I’ve always believed that approach to be a mistake, since leveraging PR and marketing during a crisis is important to succeeding in the long run.  

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We did see companies cut their PR and marketing budgets, especially during the early months of the pandemic, when there was so much uncertainty. Because of our longtime reputation for garnering excellent results, our clients reengaged with us fairly quickly. We are now thriving and growing. 

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What people, what books, what life factors have influenced and impacted you? 

I have always admired the author Al Ries and, later, his daughter Laura Ries, who have written many savvy marketing and PR books. I was fortunate in my early PR career to have a fantastic mentor who taught me all about empowerment. She gave me the freedom to be creative and produce a superior work product without hovering over me every step of the way. Moving to San Diego to launch my PR career and, later, my PR firm, was a pivotal move for me. Moving away from my hometown challenged me in many powerful ways that proved to be instrumental in my career trajectory. 

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What is your thought on the necessity of a positive work culture? In what ways do you implement it at your organization? 

Without a positive work environment, employees will not perform at their best levels. I saw this first-hand at an agency that had a negative work culture that caused misery among the staff and resulted in top performers leaving the firm. I do not micro-manage my team, but rather empower them to take initiative and “own” their own schedules and manage deadlines. This approach has served us well for over 26 years. The clients win every time with this method since they interact with our happy team members and receive the highest quality results. 

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What is your opinion on the necessity for businesses to align their offerings with newer technological developments, especially when it comes to Online Marketing and Social Media?  

This is non-negotiable, in my opinion. When social media was in its infancy, we convinced our clients to be a part of it right away, even though we got push-back from several who thought social media was just a fad. Clearly, that has not been the case. Every successful PR program should incorporate a healthy dose of digital marketing and social media into its integrated program. We always advocate for that. 

Please list your strategies and services that make you and your company standout from the competition. 

I came from a large PR agency prior to starting my own company and I saw how they would use a “bait-and-switch” method with clients. They would include the senior-level people for the first couple of meetings and then push all of the work down to the entry-level staff. I made a promise that I would never treat my clients that way, so I am personally involved in every client account. It is very unusual to have the CEO of a PR firm involved in each account so that differentiates us from our competition.  

I also have an MBA, something that is also quite unique in the PR realm. We are a full-service agency, which means we offer everything from strategic planning and research to events, publicity, marketing and social media, and all things between. This results in a seamless program for our clients, making their lives easier. 

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In what ways have you or the company contributed to the community? If given a chance, what change would you bring in Public and Media Relations for clients? 

I have been volunteering since I was young, having had excellent role models as parents. As a company, The McRae Agency has provided countless hours of pro bono public relations and marketing expertise to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the Arizona Humane Society, American Heart Assoc., American Cancer Society, and numerous small organizations all around the country. Giving back to the community is one of our core values. I would instill this in all of our clients, if possible, and make it part of their holistic PR and marketing programs. 

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How do you envision on sustaining your company’s competency in a cutthroat and volatile world of business? Where do you see your company in the next five years? 

I don’t view our business community as cutthroat. In fact, we have partnered with many PR and marketing firms successfully over the years. There is more than enough business to go around, and we should focus on collaborative relationships rather than competition. We have managed to stay relevant and strong through the various business cycles and challenges over the past 26 years and know that we will continue to thrive for many more years. We have always attracted incredible clients and talent and we absolutely love what we do!