Month: October 2019

George Smith Partners’ David Pascale on recent Fed interest rate cut

Posted on October 31, 2019 by - Client News

The Federal Reserve opted to cut interest rates for the third time this year at its October meeting, by a quarter percentage point, to a range of 1.50 to 1.75 percent. But while lower rates should sustain the positive momentum in the commercial real estate industry for now, there are concerns about whether the rate cuts were really needed, according to industry sources.

The Fed signaled that no further cuts would be coming this year unless the U.S. economy experiences a significant slowdown. At the same time, the Fed is “not going to raise rates unless they see signs of heavy inflation, so the chance of another Fed rate increase is very minimal,” according to David Pascale, senior vice president with George Smith Partners, a Los Angeles-based commercial real estate capital markets advisory firm.

Read the full article: Another Interest Rate Cut Will Help Hold Up CRE Values, But Was It Needed? (National Real Estate Investor)

The Tangent Agency’s Marc Becker on ads during the streaming wars

Posted on October 31, 2019 by - Client News

With Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max and Peacock all hitting the market between this November and April 2020, streaming services will spend big on marketing to attract subscribers and compete for share.

In this new landscape, networks will have to reevaluate whether to accept tune-in ads from competitive streaming services. TV networks mentioned in this story either did not reply to or declined requests to comment.

The networks depend equally on the app store, Google’s advertising prowess and Amazon’s ecommerce marketplace. Disney grossed $55 billion on licensing toys in 2019, compared to the $7 billion it brought in from the box office, said Marc Becker, CEO at LA-based Tangent Agency.

“[These companies] all offer each other so many outlets and platforms to reach consumers, I don’t think they want to muddy those waters,” he said.

Read the full article: Streaming Services Must Reevaluate How They Accept Ads From Competitors (AdExchanger)

 

The single most important tip for a stellar 2020 | eNews from OWC

Posted on October 31, 2019 by - eNewsletter

The fourth quarter of the year is the time to pause and do the one thing that will make 2020 a success: observe, a talent that comics like Jerry Seinfeld built into a career. What idea of ours hit the mark and landed the punchline?  What hopeful plan missed expectations and fell flat? Take a look back on 2019 and make adjustments for the coming year. Planning is fun with the right approach.

Seinfeld says, “sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.” Anything we should stop doing? What did we do that wasted time, talent or budget? What delivered the best ROI? Did we go after a bright shiny object that just wasn’t worth it?

“There’s no such thing as fun for the whole family.” Did we connect with customers, investors and referral sources? How do our employees feel about us? Just look at Glassdoor. Have we asked how we’re seen in our community and industry? What is our reputation? How can we improve next year?

“Men don’t care what’s on TV. They only care what else is on TV.” Are we being tuned out because our messages don’t resonate or perhaps we’re not hitting them on the right medium or platform? What is our unique value proposition that will engage our audience? Are we communicating an action they should take?

Here are five things to help you observe 2019 so that 2020 becomes your best year ever:

  • Have the goals changed, or will they change?
  • Evaluate engagement by audience: customer, board, employees, regulatory, industry, media. Rate each on a scale of 1 to 10 and determine what it would take to get them all to 10.
  • Drill down into big flops — the bigger the failure, the better. Then, dissect and determine whether it was a personnel, purpose or performance failure?
  • Optimize and repeat big successes.
  • Brainstorm creative ideas for the coming year – big, silly, organic, riffs on old ideas. Nothing is dismissed … until we craft the plan.

I love this time of year—the sense of accomplishment in making it this far, the recognition of lessons learned and the chance for a fourth quarter sprint to bring it all home.

Looking back is looking forward. See you at the 2019 finish line.

George Smith Partners’ Paul Monsen on the WeWork saga

Posted on October 24, 2019 by - Client News

According to Fortune, there are some investors that may have exposure to WeWork’s declining fortunes without realizing it: buyers of the mortgage-backed bonds called commercial mortgage-backed securities, or CMBSs.

“The greatest danger comes where the pool of mortgages is between $300 million and $600 million and a building that might have trouble collecting lease payments represents at least 5% of the total,” says Paul Monsen, VP at George Smith Partners. “That can have massive impact on the entire bond. I would be a lot less concerned about the ones in the upper tiers, $750 million or above.”

Read the full article: Another Wrinkle Emerges in the WeWork Saga (Fortune)

OWC honored for nonprofit work at the 55th Annual PRSA-Los Angeles Awards

Posted on October 22, 2019 by - OWC News

Olmstead Williams Communications was awarded two PRisms at the 55th Annual PRSA Los Angeles Awards on October 15, 2019. OWC won the awards in the Events & Observances, Healthcare and the Public Service, Not-For-Profit categories for its work with Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.

“It is an honor to be recognized by our peers for the work we are doing on something as meaningful as mental health,” said Tracy Williams, CEO and founder of OWC. “Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and we want to be part of the solution. We are proud to partner with Didi Hirsch to help remove the stigma surrounding suicide and bring awareness and education on this important issue.”

Read the full announcement: Olmstead Williams Communications Honored for Nonprofit Work at the 55th Annual PRSA-Los Angeles Awards

George Smith Partners’ Steve Bram on fire season and insurance

Posted on October 21, 2019 by - Client News

Fire season is upon us, and the increase of fire damage has meant significantly higher insurance premiums and more home sales.

“Insurance has gotten much more difficult in both residential and commercial, and insurers have pulled out of some high risk markets near canyons and brush completely,” Steve Bram, co-founder and principal at George Smith Partners, tells GlobeSt.com. “So, the insurers won’t insure in some markets and there are big price increases in the markets where they will insure. If you have a house in a high-risk market, the insurer might take the policy from $10,000 to $30,000 or $40,000. Those are the kinds of increases that we are seeing.”

Read the full article: More Fires Mean Higher Insurance Premiums (GlobeSt.com)

Cure Pharma launches chewable drug delivery system

Posted on October 9, 2019 by - Client News

CURE Pharmaceutical just announced the expansion of its oral drug delivery product line creating CUREform™ which includes CUREfilm®, one of the most advanced oral thin films on the market today. The new line adds CUREpods™ chewables and emulsions to meet increased demand for alternative dosage forms that can improve solubility and absorption.

“Building on the market demand for CUREfilm for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications, we are expanding our oral formulation platform to redefine how medications are delivered and experienced,” said Rob Davidson, CEO of CURE Pharmaceutical. “We are broadening our manufacturing footprint due to growing market awareness for our ability to deliver formulations at scale.”

Read the full announcement: CURE Pharmaceutical Debuts CUREform Drug Delivery Line Adding Chewables and Emulsions (GlobeNewswire)

Read additional coverage here.

 

 

Our Gift To You: 5 Ways to Make News in Q4

Posted on October 2, 2019 by - eNewsletter

Getting noticed in the media translates to more business, but if you can’t be the news, be part of the news. The opportunity lies in the cycle of news coverage and in the willingness of business leaders to pitch in to fit in.

Media outlets face annual challenges in finding new approaches to events such as “Black Friday,” “Cyber Monday” and “Year-End Review.” The holidays create inevitable demands on media from Halloween to New Year’s Eve and the necessary but dreary coverage surrounding realities like tax filing deadlines.

PR can help them meet the challenge—creatively and without waiting to be asked.

What do reporters want? Expert testimony, anecdotes, information, photos and new data tailored to make the predictable interesting. Where does that come from? The tech CEO, healthcare company executive, attorney, financial advisor, accountant and business consultant willing to weigh in on the news calendars of the coming months.

For example:

  1. Holiday travel offers an opportunity for transportation stories. Fuel companies can calculate how much oil and gas are required to get everyone to grandma’s house for Christmas dinner. Airlines and their auxiliary businesses can issue an annual Travel Time Index, geographical trends or offer tips for getting through security hassle-free and efficiently. Analyze company data to see if any unique holiday-related statistics can be shared with journalists.
  2. What’s a holiday without a data break? Payment and ID tech experts are sought-out sources for an explanation on fraud alerts and managing hacks during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Just three tips can get you in the story and position you as the expert.
  3. Insights from marketing tech companies like our client Retina that analyzes customer lifetime value to better target holiday marketing spend will hit home with reporters covering the business of advertising. Case studies on a stellar marketing campaign that crushed it is a treasure trove for media.
  4. In light of the #MeToo movement, attorneys and law firms can reach out to issue five tips to have a litigation-free holiday party.
  5. Local dailies and weeklies want to hear about companies giving back. Tell them your story and offer photos for holiday spirit stories. Latch on to trending feeds with hashtags like #GivingTuesday, #BlackFriday, #SmallBusinessSaturday, #CyberMonday, #holidaytips, #HappyHolidays, #holidaysarecoming, #ChristmasCheer, #holidayhacks, #holidaysurvivalguide.

Give us a call before winter gets here to make sure you’re not left out in the cold.

George Smith Partners’ Zachary Streit on real estate investment and technology

Posted on October 2, 2019 by - Client News

Real estate investors and managers are increasing investments in newer property types that will benefit from the growth of the tech economy.

Investors in real estate investment trusts, for example, have more exposure to categories of properties such as cell towers and data centers that didn’t exist 20 years ago. Asset owners top-heavy with core properties have a smaller percentage invested in niche sectors, but even in core funds managers are filling out their small allocations to new construction of these niche property types that they expect will evolve into core real estate.

There is keen investor interest in data centers, cold storage or any property category that could benefit from the technology economy and might withstand moderation of economic growth, said Zachary Streit, Los Angeles-based senior vice president of George Smith Partners Inc., a real estate advisory firm that assists investors with financing and arranging real estate deals.

The economy has been in recovery for more than 10 years and investors are searching for alternative asset classes that might outperform traditional real estate sectors in a downturn, said Mr. Streit, who said he personally has arranged and closed more than $1 billion and underwritten in excess of $6 billion of debt and equity financings for real estate transactions.

Read the full article: Investors, managers go where the technology is (Pensions & Investments)