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Crisis Communications
Every organization experiences its share of crises. We’re available to help minimize any damage, and find effective ways of moving forward.
We are Celebrating 25 Years!
Click to view a few of our samples from over the years.
Here we Gogh!
Markowitz Communications were extremely fortunate to have been brought in by the team at Impact Museums to help promote Pittsburgh’s new Lighthouse Artspace and the exclusive and highly awaited debut of “The Original Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit Pittsburgh.”
The MC team (Michael Machosky, Michael Schroeder, and Bonnie Markowitz) want to thank our friends in the media for joining us ( TribLive, Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Today Live! to name a few – even though it was very short notice) for our exclusive hard-hat tour of the raw, under-construction space at a vacant warehouse in a little-trafficked section of the North Side. It was a little difficult to imagine the transformation about to take place, but that tiny glimpse of the show was enough to know something special was afoot.
Then, on the same day they were finishing construction, we brought the media back to witness the entire immersive show! That night was the exclusive VIP party. where we invited a number of our friends (in the media and otherwise) for an unveiling of the exhibit and the first look at its mesmerizing beauty. And the rest is history!It all resulted in sold-out shows as far as the eye could see.
Up up and Away!
It was the biggest thing to hit Pittsburgh since the 40-foot Rubber Duck cruised up the Ohio River — a 90-foot floating Van Gogh head was spotted hovering above Flagstaff Hill in Oakland.
Everybody wanted a pic with the giant Van Gogh balloon (ears fully intact). It wasn’t easy to get even more attention for the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit that had already been sold out for weeks, but this did the trick — plus, the offer of free tickets for the first 100 who got up early and snapped a shot of Vincent and posted it to social media at 7 a.m.
Plus, every TV station and newspaper in town (and beyond) found room for this striking visual in their news coverage — how many giant Van Gogh heads hovering over Pittsburgh do you normally see–?
photo credit: Steve McWilliams Photography
The scoop heard ‘round the world
It was April Fool’s Day, but the joke was on Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor, Pittsburgh’s oldest (since 1923) and most beloved purveyor of frozen treats. They were preparing for the Spring and Summer busy season – but could not find enough employees. With 16 positions to fill and no applicants, owner Jacob Hanchar turned to us.
The pandemic changed everything, of course, but as things were finally starting to open up and vaccinations were becoming commonplace, a worker shortage was becoming obvious for many restaurant and retail businesses. It was getting hard to get people to come back for low-wage, stressful jobs dealing with the public.
So we conferred with Klavon’s owner Jacob Hanchar, and asked: “What if you offered employees $15 an hour (plus tips)?” That’s generally considered the standard for a living wage (though it can obviously vary by state and city). Pennsylvania has been stuck at a $7.25 minimum wage since 2009.
Jacob ran the numbers and concluded that it would work. We thought if we did it first and publicized it – even issuing it as a sort of challenge to other businesses to do better would get some attention.
“The Graceland of Pittsburgh ice cream knows how sweet a living wage is,” said Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman.
“I’m happy to see Klavon’s, a city treasure, set the bar for a livable wage,” chimed in Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.
Almost every local media outlet covered Klavon’s in some fashion, and it was the talk of the town. Soon afterward, a Pittsburgh Business Times story about companies attracting employees with better pay appeared with Klavon’s as the lead example.
Suddenly, the story went viral on Twitter and was being quoted and Tweeted by writers and thought leaders across the political spectrum. Britain’s Daily Mail – one of the most-read websites in the world — picked it up. MSNBC scheduled an interview with Hanchar via Zoom on Stephanie Ruhle’s morning show to discuss his business expertise. Everyone from Bernie Sanders to actress Debra Messing tweeted about it to their millions of followers.
Perhaps most importantly, Klavon’s became flooded with thousands of job applications. They had the choice of the crème de la crème of ice cream scoopers for their summer season and the assurance of a loyal and committed (and happy) labor force for the foreseeable future.
Let’s Chat
Markowitz Communications
Attn: Saul Markowitz
6401 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-977-8517
