We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mary Vail a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mary, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My compassion for others guided me into the field of public relations. I believed that everyone (and every organization) has a unique story and deserve to have it told. I wanted to use my skills to share their stories with the public and media. My empathy for others also imparted me with a “mission-driven” mindset. Community activism had been a significant component of my life since my youth, volunteering alongside my father at fundraising events.

As a military wife with 2 children, we were frequently moving from one duty station to another. Employment opportunities were limited, therefore I volunteered my services with different not-for-profit organizations to promote their missions and activities.

When my husband retired from the Navy in the mid 1990’s, we moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. After freelancing for several years, I founded my company Mary Vail, Publicist. But, I envisioned a different business model from the typical Public Relations/Advertising firms.

I believed that the interaction between a business and its community should not be a one-way exchange. Business owners and corporations should be willing to give back to the community that supports the business entity through the purchase of goods and services. If I was going to utilize my PR expertise to make them a household name, then they needed to have a stake in the well-being of the community. Thus, I enacted a mandate whereby clients must support community activism.

This mandate provided me with much insight regarding a potential client. The majority were eager and willing to make that commitment, these were the type of businesses that I wanted to work with and promote. Then, there were a few who were adamant about not giving their time or resources to assist causes. They just wanted to be in the limelight and sale their goods or services. These, I outright refused to represent.

Another key differentiator for my business model was how I managed the services expended supporting a client’s community activities. Since, I required the client to become more involved in the community, I did not feel it was proper to “charge” them for time and services spent to promote their philanthropic endeavors. This purpose-driven strategy was in contrast from other firms that charge for “goodwill campaigns”, billing hours upon hours for creative, public and media relations activities.

The goal was to inspire and support my clients in developing a sustainable philanthropic program, not a one-off gifting donation. To create IMPACT with a long-running program that truly resonated with the business, its product/services, and its employees.

This strategy proved extremely successful for my clients. Traditional media (TV/Radio/Print) were enthralled by these storylines and in short-time, I became known as “the philanthropic publicist”.

As digital media became more mainstream, I continued with the same business philosophy evolving tactics along the way. Now, close to 30 -years later, I still impart the same mission-driven strategy.

One of the most successful and longest-running programs is the Float Like A Duck water safety initiative established for Paragon Pools, a custom residential and commercial pool builder in Las Vegas, NV. In 2003, we launched the campaign with a mission of “Educating the public on the importance of SAFETY while celebrating the joys of water sports!” The campaign has evolved over the 20 plus-years, winning numerous awards and expanding far beyond the local community. https://www.paragonpoolslv.com/float-like-a-duck-water-safety

And, as a business owner, I practice what I preach, by building a legacy of philanthropic campaigns across the globe. For 15-years, I hosted a food drive benefiting the Southern Nevada Salvation Army as part of the USA Weekend Magazine Make A Difference Day campaign. The impact of the campaign was recognized on a national level garnering a $10,000 grant to support the food drive and locally with the Key to the City of Las Vegas.

I also offer my services to international nonprofits to assist them with their global goodwill. I have completed two campaigns with the Grameen Foundation’s Bankers with Borders program, a remote assignment working with female owned businesses in Palau and a hybrid assignment with a social enterprise in Kenya. https://grameenfoundation.org/take-action/volunteer

https://maryvailpublicist.com/

Mary, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

In addition to being a “mission-driven” organization, other key principals I promote are being authentic, original and accurate in all public relations, marketing and communications activities. This includes all content whether it’s written, spoken or in imagery.

Building trust with the media is vital for the success of a PR firm. Journalists and reporters are confident in the storylines I present to them, because they know I have done my due diligence in uncovering and presenting truthful facts and imagery for interviews and articles.

When crafting an organization’s “brand”, I stress the importance of having original imagery in all aspects of their marketing content including print as well as on-line. Therefore, I offer hi-resolution professional photography and videography services for their portfolios. All too often, I visit a website with “stock” images to promote a company. To me, this strategy is not authentic or original.

My photos have appeared in print across the globe, on magazine covers and images have won numerous top awards for my clients. Surprisingly, my images have been found on other websites without my permission. When a cease-and-desist letter does not alleviate the transgression, I hire a copyright lawyer to proceed with other actions.

The principal of authenticity, originality and accuracy are even more relevant in today’s society where AI has given people freedom to “create” fake content, steal identities and over-exaggerate results.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

One of my favorite success stories is when I was recruited to manage the Gladiator Goddesses professional dance team for the Las Vegas Gladiators Arena Football league.

I am not a dancer, but my marketing and PR reputation served as a catalyst to succeed in this endeavor. I oversaw every element of the team from auditions to training, scheduling, payroll, promotion, media appearances and game day activities.

Strategy focused on funding, professionalism and community outreach.
FUNDING
I established a sponsorship program whereby local businesses could sponsor a dancer providing financial and/or in-kind services to support the team. Other revenue sources included appearances for businesses such as company gatherings or convention work. The revenue earned from these sources covered costs for new uniforms, accessories and payroll.

PROFESSIONALISM
Instilling a professional mindset with the dancers was achieved by making some dramatic changes to the organizational structure. Auditions were judged by professional dance leaders in the community. Selectees were required to sign a code of conduct agreement that outlined expectations of their role as a Goddess, rules and regulations as well as disciplinary actions. Must-attend weekly training and practice sessions were scheduled prior to and during the season. In lieu of a choreographer, I divided the dancers into teams giving each group the responsibility of choreographing a song for the upcoming season. This gave them the experience and responsibility of designing and teaching the routine to their teammates, empowering them to have more stake in the team’s performance.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH
To fulfill the Gladiators’ community outreach initiatives, each Goddess was required to make a minimum of 10 volunteer appearances to support the football team’s activities. After they fulfilled the 10 appearances, the dancer would be paid a small stipend for any future appearances.

As the manager of the Goddesses, I transformed an unorganized, underfunded, under-utilized team of dancers into a highly sought-after and respected group of professional entertainers resulting in a profit center for the organization.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

By 2011, I have achieved significant milestones in my career and personal life including receiving major accolades for my work in philanthropy.

But, one of my life’s goals was to earn a Master’s Degree. Yet, having been absent from the university environment for 20 years, the anticipation of stepping back into the academic setting was quite intimidating. Researching master’s curriculums, I came across the executive MBA program at UNLV, a faced-paced, 18-month program designed for decision makers, executives and entrepreneurs was the perfect fit for my scholastic yearnings and schedule.

What came to pass was a fulfilling endeavor- one that was relevant to my needs and background, rather than the traditional theory-based education. The EMBA program fostered an “integrated educational culture” through a system of collaboration, sharing, and teaching experiences. EMBA students aren’t isolated individuals striving solely for their own objectives; they are an important element of a Cohort; each one bringing strategic experiences, expertise and insight to fellow team (class) mates.

The program instilled a cohesive environment; one where camaraderie, respect and trust could flourish. And while, the curriculum was a bit daunting and overwhelming at times, the unique support system designed to aid students was reassuring and truly valued. The real-world application of each subject matter was another distinguishing element in my success with the program; from analyzing HBR Journal articles, to writing and presenting extensive case projects based on course content and applications.

I looked forward to each and every class knowing I would leave with greater insight, skills and tools that could be implemented immediately in daily business activities. The advanced body of knowledge and resources has enhanced my critical thinking and analysis capabilities.

The EMBA program has provided me with the essential tools necessary to translate my years of practical experience and intuitive PR skills into a well-defined, comprehensive methodology with applications, terminology and analytical reporting that will resonate with corporate executives and stakeholders.

Earning an EMBA from UNLV empowered me to reach beyond the standard PR industry practices by broadening my range of capabilities and offerings to benefit clients (both for-profit and nonprofit), seeking a more well-rounded solution to their public relations and marketing dilemmas.

The capstone course of the curriculum was an international seminar which involved traveling to South Africa. Our cohort meet with global businesses such as The Cullinan diamond mine to learn about the complexities of international trade. We also participated in a multi-site educational excursion reflecting on apartheid and the work of Nelson Mandela to gain context on how cultures, religions, politics and policies influence business practices.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://maryvailpublicist.com/
• Instagram: @maryvailpublicist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryVail.MBA.Publicist
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryvailmba/