Australian media training and crisis management agency NewsFlash Media Group has joined specialist marketing organisation – Assembled Group.

After operating NewsFlash Media Group as an independently owned business for more than seven years, Principals Lahra Carey [featured image] and Steve Carey (unrelated) recognised the added value of aligning their services with other marketing agencies.

“We are often called upon to prepare CEO’s for a campaign launch, only to find the messaging hasn’t been fully developed, or properly researched through the lens of the current news-cycle,” Carey said.

“Further, in a crisis management situation it’s crucial that all marketing agencies are working together because speed and uniform messaging to all stakeholders, across all aspects of the marketing are key to successfully managing fast-moving crises.”

Lahra and Steve  whose client base includes many Australian top-200 companies – including Crown Resorts, Transurban, BHP and Mercer – say they are committed to retaining their hands-on approach to personal training and crisis rehearsal.

“Our backgrounds as reporters and news editors coupled with our experience in preparing executives for Royal Commissions, Senate inquiries, and critical media interviews isn’t really a transferable skill,” Steve Carey said.

“However, being able to collaborate with the other agencies within the Assembled Group to influence messaging before any proactive campaign goes live will improve the chances of positive editorial exposure – and will also result in a more seamless ‘through the line’ approach.”

Chair of Assembled Group, Craig Hart has hand-picked 8 independent specialist marketing agencies and also started a media planning and buying agency – Assembled Media – as he begins building, what he plans to become, the largest network of independent agencies in Australia.

Assembled Group has invested in a range of capabilities including; strategy development, advertising, public relations, social media, digital marketing, design, brand identity, media training, public relations and customer relationship management.

Hart – known for his senior roles at Omnicom in Asia, Photon Group and Blueprint Group – understands that a media training and crisis management capability is an essential requirement to preparing executives who are increasingly called upon to handle complex communications effectively and through multiple channels.

“Particularly in the B2B marketing space, executives must ensure they have carefully rehearsed their messaging before any media interview or town-hall announcement,” Hart said.

He said NewsFlash Media’s deep experience in the earned media space provides a competitive edge for the group – especially for clients who would prefer to deal with discipline experts within the same group.

“Assembled Group believes in the strengths of each individual agency to alone or in combination with other member agencies deliver a relevant proposition. The job of the group is to bring together the right specialists to attend to the precise issue or opportunity facing our clients.”

“But when it comes to media training and crisis management, there are no other agencies in this space with the same level of experience and competitive edge as that of NewsFlash Media Group,” Hart said.