SERVICES
Next Public Relations Inc. is a full-service, boutique marketing communications consultancy based in Toronto, Ontario with 20+ years experience in lifestyle, retail, food and beverage, wine and spirits, consumer brands and B2B. In partnership with our team in Quebec, we service clients across Canada.
We have worked with some of the country’s most influential brands and have helped define marketing strategy from conception to execution.
When helping a client tell their story, we begin by assessing the world around us. We look at strategic insights and considerations. Your audience. The cultural climate. Timely news hooks. The white space. The land minds we want to avoid.
This helps to inform a smart strategy, bullet-proof messaging and an ownable narrative that will position your organization and the great work you’re doing in the most favourable way.
We then recommend the right people and the right channels to tell your story. This includes an integrated communications approach, where paid, earned, owned and shared work together to maximize ROI.
STRATEGY & CHANNEL PLANNING
- Strategic Planning
- Brand Positioning + Purpose
- Ownable Narrative Development
- Channel + Content Strategy
- Strategic Partnerships
- Crisis & Issues Management
- Digital Marketing Communications
- Profile Building & Publicity
CONTENT DEVELOPMENT & STORY TELLING
- Go-to-Market + Product Launches
- Influencer Engagement + Content Partnerships
- Media Relations
- Event Management
- Social Media Strategy + Content
- Creative Asset Development
- Spokesperson + Talent Management
- Media Training
- Copy writing + Editing
- Stakeholder + Internal Communications
- Sponsorship
- Measurement + Reporting
WORK
PHILOSOPHY
We like to work with nice people who are doing good things.
As a nimble founder-operator agency, Next Public Relations Inc. works quickly from strategic plan development to execution.
We offer approachable, hands-on, senior-level counsel at a fraction of the cost of big agencies. Our operational costs are low, so we can offer more competitive pricing and exceptional value. When projects require, we scale up by tapping into our extended team and Quebec partners.
Our values are rooted in mutual trust and respect, transparency, honesty and teamwork – and we often “tell it like it is”.
Above all, we take pride in everything we do and we think of our clients as partners.
If this philosophy matches yours, let’s talk.
CLIENT PARTNERS
About
Laurie Weir, President & Founder
Those who know me well, have heard me ask that question countless times.
Yes, admittedly, part of the reason is because I am a bit impatient. However, the main reason for that question – “What’s next?’ – is due to my natural curiosity and constant drive to push things forward. To learn new things. To stay ahead of the curve. To be better.
I truly believe it’s because of my somewhat incessant asking of that question that I’ve gotten to where I am, both personally and professionally.
Oh, and it’s the reason I named my company, Next PR.
If you’re looking for a quick run down of my credentials (aka my bio) instead of the harrowing yet insightful personal tale of a PR heroine, you can skip right to it here. Otherwise, stick with me for two more minutes, and let me share the story of how the power of curiosity and pushing back against the status quo has been the secret sauce to my success. And how it can be yours, too!
When I started my career, fresh out of school, 20 years ago, the world of corporate public relations looked very different than it does today. My main job was to get clients earned media coverage. Basically, I did media relations. And a lot of it.
The media landscape was broad and varied, and there were so many opportunities to pitch a well-thought-out story, and get that earned editorial coverage my clients craved.
Enter the mid 2000s, and things quickly changed.
The once sweeping media landscape started to shrink. Fast.
The internet happened!
There was the rise of online publications.
Then social media quickly began overtaking traditional media as the main way people consume their news.
Reporters were being replaced with influencers.
It was getting harder to get the same kind of coverage. The same strategy and tactics that worked so well for years were suddenly falling flat.
The industry needed to evolve. And so did I. I had to ask myself, “What’s next?”
Well, what was next was that I landed at a bigger agency and began to learn the lay of the digital landscape and consumer marketing.
The learning curve was steep, but if I do say so myself, it’s the kind of challenge I’m made for.
Gone were the silos that divided PR, marketing and advertising agencies of the past.
I was adding a whole new skill set of digital marketing tools, and leading my clients into new, uncharted marketing territories, proposing tailored mixes of PR and digital marketing magic.
Within a few short years I was leading some of our biggest accounts.
(By asking ‘What’s next?’ I even ended up teaching PR courses at Humber College!)
I was at the top of my game. I was making a great living. But something was missing.
I was neglecting my personal life – and my health. I didn’t have the time for the people in my life that were the most important to me. I wasn’t living the life I knew I wanted to be living.
I knew it was time to ask that tried and true question.
But this time I wasn’t so sure I was ready to learn the answer.
But I did it.
I asked myself, “What’s next?”
And let me tell you, asking that uncomfortable question, when you have a great job and financial security, is one of the scariest things you can do.
I wanted balance.
I wanted a more flexible work schedule.
I had learned a lot and I wanted to do things my way. And I wanted to work with my own team and with clients that I loved.
I had the relationships.
I had the skills.
I had the confidence.
I had the proven track record of exceeding expectations.
I knew I was ready for what was next.
Things don’t just happen. You need to make them happen. You need to always be asking, “What’s next?”
We all get comfortable. If something works – and works well – we tend to stick with it. Until all of a sudden it doesn’t work anymore.
What works today. May not work tomorrow.
My job at Next PR is to ensure my clients are always asking “What’s next?” and helping them carve that path.
So, if you’re wondering “What’s Next?” for your brand, we should talk.
Laurie Weir, President & Founder, Next PR
Laurie Weir founded Next PR in April 2016. A communications professional with 20 years experience in lifestyle, food, consumer, retail and B2B sectors. Laurie is dedicated to delivering exceptional client service, offering smart strategies and tailored recommendations that drive impressive results. She builds a trusted rapport and high level of comfort with each of her clients, becoming a true partner in their business who is always just a phone call away. She approaches programs with meticulous attention to detail, attentiveness and transparency.
Prior to launching Next PR, Laurie worked on the agency side for 14 years where she helped lead award-winning campaigns for clients including: BMW Canada, SUBWAY, Target, Best Buy, Kimberly-Clark, Campbell’s, McCain Foods, Maple Leaf Foods, Canada Dry Mott’s, Bosch, SodaStream, CBC, Moet Hennessy, Stella Artois, Microsoft, Fox Home Entertainment, Wine Country Ontario, Church & Dwight, TVO, G(irls)20 Foundation, Square One Shopping Centre, RioCan, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Boston Pizza, Canadian Health Food Association, Canada Beef, etc.
Committed to supporting the next generation of communications professionals, Laurie served as a post-graduate professor of media relations at Humber Lakeshore.
Daily, you’ll catch her getting in 10,000+ steps and enjoying a homemade green juice. But first, coffee.
Will Lamont, Vice President
Will is a seasoned communications professional with proven experience in developing award-winning intergrated marketing strategies and managing national and regional campaigns. Will was raised in the world of public relations, where he learned the art of storytelling, as well as the ability to translate different elements of clients’ key messaging into creative, engaging content for both consumers and media alike.
Over his 22-year career, Will has worked in a variety of consumer-focused sectors, with an emphasis on food & beverage, lifestyle, arts & entertainment and finance. He also has extensive experience working in Canada’s agri-food sector, executing campaigns focused on nutrition, animal welfare and agri-business.
In recent years, in addition to creating and co-hosting the marketing podcast “The 4am Report“, Will has produced, directed and scripted several B2B podcasts for businesses, industry associations and entrepreneurs. Will also led the PR arm for Toronto charity, Rainbow Railroad, helping shape its narrative and messaging during the organization’s growth phase, securing both national and international news coverage of its important mission.
His perfect work day? Finding creative solutions with his longtime friend (and now boss), Laurie Weir, to any client challenge put before him.
Will is a plant dad who lives in downtown Toronto. In his free time, he enjoys travelling, obsessing over the latest health and wellness trend, and chilling with his pals.
Why Us?
Maintaining excellent relationships and delivering exceptional service is our highest priority. Here’s what our partners have to say about working with us.
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Contact
Next Public Relations Inc.
11 Rosemarie Drive
Toronto, ON M1R 3T7