Caitlin Gardner, CFE 🌸

Blooming Communications helps brands and executives grow authentically. As your Chief “Gardner” (pun fully intended), we dig deep into your goals, prune away distractions, and help you harvest the fruits of your hard work. Whether I’m preparing an executive for the spotlight, landing earned media placements, or creating integrated PR campaigns, I deliver results rooted in creativity and business insight. I’m also a professional speaker sharing my Strategic Communications Playbook as a keynote speaker. I believe every brand and leader has a story worth telling. If you’re ready to amplify yours—or just curious about how to make your communications strategy bloom—let’s chat!

I teach about entrepreneurship, innovation and careers in business, media, PR and journalism. Professor for the prestigious Summer Media Institute focused on social media, digital marketing, communications and innovation.

Supported the strategy, planning and implementation of a new co-brand with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions.

Established the communications department and leading a team responsible for public relations, digital marketing, internal communications, video production, social and paid media for the American Express Travel home-based travel franchise company. • Manage multi-million dollar media budget, including creative concept development for all ad campaigns and oversight of Google AdWords/Google My Business and Amazon Alexa skills. • Collaborated with technology team and launched a dynamic mobile-first website, which generated more than 30k leads and 500k+ video impressions. • Led the implementations of Pardot and HubSpot, the company’s first CRM systems, a true digital transformation and MarTech project. • Partner with travel brands, cruise lines and destination partners for mutually beneficial projects, such as a Satellite Media Tour and virtual video series. • Oversee communications strategy for company’s annual seven-day convention welcoming 1,000 attendees and most recently hosted it virtually with webinar-based platform and various internal videos produced.

As Director of PR, I work in house promoting Cruise Planners' key messages and working strategically on writing, media pitching, script and presentation development, executive visibility, franchise development, SEO-rich website copy, corporate social responsibility, social media strategy, event planning and more. I help our franchise network with tools to be successful growing their franchise business and also help support our new franchisee growth all the while promoting the brand visibility, which benefits all. I collaborate with our brand partners including travel brands, cruise lines and destination partners for mutually beneficial projects.

Led agency team to create integrated, strategic campaigns for a variety of B2C and B2B clients across hospitality/travel, lifestyle, restaurant, cosmetics/beauty, CPG, banking/finance, agriculture, home construction and exterior design industries. Responsible for daily community management, digital advertising, analytics and reporting for clients. • Managed live social media campaign by creating behind-the-scenes content at New York Fashion Week, generating thousands of social media engagements and earned news coverage in media outlets such as Women’s Wear Daily. • Served as background subject matter expert on social media best practices and trends for Baltimore Business Journal. • Developed social media strategy for the agency, resulting in it winning the American City Business Journal’s Social Madness Contest for medium-sized companies. As a team, we manage the daily content, community management, strategic digital approach, integrated social media campaigns (including email, e-commerce), social media advertising, social media analytics/reporting and more.

Provided strategic direction, counsel and tactical support for clients’ media relations programs. • Executed the Men’s Wearhouse annual retail public service campaign – a month-long event – enhancing best practices and increasing YOY results and efficiency over three-year period. Commenced campaign with a publicity stunt in 11 top U.S. markets, resulting in 1B+ media impressions, a mention on CBS’ The Early Show, and three top industry awards. • Team management: Managed a team of 4-6 professionals as part of the core communications team, provide strategic direction, media relations counsel and client management to maintain positive relationships with key influencers and clients though constant communication, press releases, press briefing prep materials, press events in top markets, satellite media tours and other traditional PR tactics. Lead and supported accounts in retail, finance, transportation and CPG brands. • Media Relations: Secured millions of national media impressions for clients including placements in Associated Press, Reuters, New York Times, Bloomberg, USA Today, Crain’s Chicago and NY Business, Houston Business Journal and earned hundreds of local television, radio and blog hits. On a daily basis, researched and wrote proactive and creative pitch angles and diligently followed up to be the go-to PR professional for journalists on deadline. • Social Media Integration: Managed multiple Facebook and Twitter accounts for brands focusing on fan engagement, strategic brand messaging and measureable results. • New Business/Agency PR: Supported agency leadership in developing new business strategies, presentations and pitching. Also promoted new business through media coverage for the agency focusing on C-suite executives. • Was promoted from Account Executive to Senior Account Executive to Media Relations Strategist to Media Relations Supervisor during two-year tenure.

- Managed public relations accounts for international boutique hotels and large-scale resorts while maintaining mutually-beneficial relationships with travel writers, bloggers and trade professionals using both traditional and new media avenues and coordinating photo shoots, events and website-driven promotions. - Secured national, top-tier media coverage for clients across online, print, television and radio coverage. - Introduced SEO and social media capabilities to the agency.

Maintained client relationships through daily contact, created design campaigns using premier design software, managed 12 diversified accounts, recruited new clients, and presented the company’s image to the Key West community.

Supported crisis and catastrophe planning, reorganized corporation’s Crisis Manual, created targeted media lists to pitch media outlets and helped organize annual teen safe-driving event. Analyzed daily media coverage to write monthly media reports to be distributed to corporate officers about Allstate’s reputation.