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About The Gentry Agency

The Gentry Agency is a boutique public relations agency in Dallas, Texas, that specializes in results rather than one particular service line.  We use our best-practice expertise from a variety of industries and businesses to create a successful public relations program that is anything but cookie-cutter tailored specifically to your business. Let’s talk about you.  Hit us up, would you?



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There are PR firms and marketing companies.  There are social media experts and traditional public relations agencies.  And then there is The Gentry Agency. We have deep expertise in a variety of industries, from consumer businesses such as retail, luxury and lifestyle, restaurants, entertainment and events, health and beauty, to healthcare, B2B and even non-profits. What sets us apart is our results-oriented style and our passion for your business.

 

CASE STUDY: TASTE OF DALLAS

Originally started by the West End Restaurant Association more than 20 years ago, Taste of Dallas grew over the years into its own brand.  A new management group purchased the event in 2009 and began to revamp it, wanting to move away from an image that had gotten stale and farther away from the heart of the event, food.  The decision was made to move the annual event to Fair Park and broaden it to be an event for the whole family.  A new public relations strategy was needed to bring families and serious high-end diners to Taste of Dallas, as well as the five-star culinary talent that had shied away from the event in the past.

Objectives:

  • To redefine Taste of Dallas as a “must-do” event
  • To launch the “new” event brand in a new location
  • To revamp the Taste of Dallas brand into something family-friendly and culinary-worthy
  • To draw a crowd

 

Tactics:

  • Launch an aggressive regional media relations campaign with creative news hooks, can’t-miss ideas, and media-savvy chefs and experts – with targeted messaging about the “new” Taste of Dallas
  • Conduct strategic messaging and outreach to the high-end culinary crowd in DFW and encourage participation in the retooled event
  • Work creative hooks into the event to not only enhance attendees experience, but also to provide interesting things for a variety of media to cover, from sports to food, family to art, calendar editors to assignment chiefs
  • Work closely with the management team to uncover interesting news hooks, stories, and ideas from vendors, sponsors, volunteers, and other participants in the event

 

Results:

  • In the first year, conducted 39 live television segments before and during the event, a record for the Taste of Dallas.  In 2011, for the event’s 25th Annual Taste of Dallas, increased that by 20 percent to an unprecedented 52 live television segments – not including dozens of print and online mentions, bloggers, and other media who filmed, shot and reported from the event.
  • Became an integral part of the management team, often called in to help solve problems not related to public relations – a valued team addition
  • Created a buzz that resulted in more than 150,000 attendees each year (numbers for 2011 expected to be higher, but final counts have not come in yet) – restaurants that participated were happy and ran out of food both years, vendors ecstatic at the traffic, management excited about successful event, reviews from public and bloggers positive.