Twenty-five years ago, Chris and Liza Dittoe took a leap of faith. With Chris’ background in sales and Liza’s expertise in public relations, they started Dittoe Public Relations out of the basement of their home. Today, we are an award-winning national PR and social media agency that works with over 40 industry-leading companies and brands.
I was fortunate to find my way to the agency over 18 years ago, immediately following graduation from Indiana University. From an intern to senior vice president and partner, my role has evolved alongside the growth of the business. Dittoe PR has been like a second family to me – and to so many others as well. Throughout the ups and downs of life and work, some of my favorite memories of the past nearly two decades are with my Dittoe PR family.
As we celebrate 25 years in business, here are some of the highlights of my Dittoe PR journey:
- The experience of working with some of my first clients, including Zotec Partners, AirFlow Breeze, STORServer, Senario, NearMed and Sonicu, set the tone for immersing myself in the world of PR and understanding industries I previously had little knowledge of. Working with these clients taught me about the thrill of getting an amazing piece of coverage that positively impacts the client’s business. That rush is something I still get today when a “yes” email comes through from a journalist and when I see the piece of media coverage come to fruition.
- I still recall the first meeting we had in 2011 with our friends at the Western Golf Association (WGA). They selected Dittoe PR to help promote the 2012 BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club. I’m proud to say that 13 years later, WGA is still an incredible partner of ours. Working on numerous BMW Championships gave me the opportunity to be within putting range of some of the greatest names in the sport of golf – Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and many more – as we set up shop in the media center from before the sun came up until well after it went down.
- In 2014, Giant Eagle Inc. chose Dittoe PR to lead local media efforts for the 2015 grand opening of the new Carmel Market District store and adjacent GetGo Cafe + Market, the first locations in the Hoosier state for the company. In the 10 months leading up to the opening, we secured 86 stories in the local Indianapolis media market. Through the years, we had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the biggest names in the food and restaurant industry, including Graham Elliot, Buddy Valastro (aka the Cake Boss), Carla Hall, Michael Symon, Adam Richman, Marc Summers, Joey Chestnut and more.
- In 2015, nearly 1,000 TCC employees from across the country dressed in superhero capes and costumes to participate in the first-ever “Rally for Riley.” All employees and attendees formed a human chain around the hospital, symbolizing a “hug” for the 300,000 patient visits that occur at Riley Hospital for Children each year. Dittoe PR Vice President Mallory Smith and I were onsite to coordinate media coverage of the event and participate in the “hug.” We landed an incredible story with People magazine that helped bring attention to TCC, Riley Hospital and the event, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.
- In 2017, tech startup Canvas, a text-based interviewing and recruiting platform, chose Dittoe PR to help the company make its public launch. Working with the team at Canvas, including Aman Brar and Amber Ferrari, has been another highlight of my PR journey. Dittoe PR landed prominent profile pieces on Canvas in dozens of prestigious national media outlets, including a print Wall Street Journal story on the cover of the business management section. In the first seven days of the launch, we secured 39 media stories, resulting in 126.5 million media impressions and an ad equivalency value of $237,736. Additional national coverage included Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Washington Post, Quartz, CNBC, USA Today, CNN and more.
- In 2019, our team worked with GetGo to host a “Make It to Break It” event at Lucas Oil Stadium in an attempt to achieve the Guinness World Record title for “Most People Making Sandwiches Simultaneously.” While we didn’t quite beat the world record that day, it was so fun to have all the Dittoe PR team members come out in support. We’re proud of the media attention we garnered for the event, including over 70 media hits, 12.3 million media impressions and $350,000 in ad value equivalency. Bonus: All sandwiches made at the event were donated to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.
- If you know anyone who works at Dittoe PR or you follow our social channels, then you know we like to make an oftentimes stressful job fun. In winter 2022, Dittoe PR celebrated the holidays at The Vogue with a Dolly Disco, a costume contest with cash prizes, catered food and more. Dittoe PR Vice President Greta Snell and I took the costume contest seriously, doing our best to pull off a classic Dolly Parton look… and we won!
I’m so grateful to have worked for 18 years with the best in the PR business. From holiday scavenger hunts to me jumping out of boxes to scare teammates, we’ve managed to squeeze in a little fun in between all the hard work.
Thank you to Chris and Liza for taking a chance and starting a company that truly means so much to so many.
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