Ep 2 Meet Aqua's Public Relations Director
Welcome to this episode of Aqua Talks! Join hosts Larry Aldrich and Mady Dudley as they dive into some of the hottest trends and insights in the marketing and PR world. In today’s episode, Mady explores the rising trend of sleep tourism, where travelers prioritize rest over traditional vacation activities, and how destinations incorporate sleep-focused amenities to cater to this demand. Mady also shares her professional journey, offers a detailed look at the evolving landscape of public relations, and highlights the role of AI in reshaping the industry. Plus, she discusses her goals for 2025, including attending the IMM Travel Conference and building strong media relationships. Don’t miss this insightful conversation filled with valuable takeaways for anyone interested in the marketing and PR space!
IN THIS EPISODE:
- (1:58) Mady discusses the rise in popularity of sleep tourism
- (3:54) Mady shares her marketing journey and defines public relations
- (7:00) Mady talks about her favorite campaigns and the most significant changes in public relations marketing she has seen over several years
- (10:44) Mady shares her goals for 2025 and discusses going to the IMM travel conference
- (13:31) Reach out to Aqua Talks for your free consultation
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Sleep tourism is a growing trend in which travelers prioritize rest over traditional vacation activities. Hotels and destinations incorporate sleep-focused amenities like turn-down services, sleep masks, and sleep yoga classes to meet this demand for relaxation and rejuvenation.
- Public relations has expanded significantly, incorporating earned media, paid content, influencer partnerships, and thought leadership articles. The rise of AI tools, like ChatGPT, is also reshaping how PR professionals create and structure pitches, making the process more efficient and creative.
- Building strong, thoughtful relationships with reporters and media outlets is essential in PR. This approach emphasizes long-term connections, ensuring that even if a reporter isn't currently working on a relevant story, they may reach out in the future. Being detail-oriented and innovative in finding new ways to tell a client's story is crucial.
RESOURCES:
ABOUT THE HOSTS:
Meet Larry Aldrich, host of Aqua Talks. With a background in the U.S. Air Force and as the founder of Bruinsis Technology LLC, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Larry has decades of experience in the public and private sectors. In 2024, he acquired Aqua Marketing & Communications, merging the firms into a leader in destination marketing and public sector solutions. Join Larry for insightful, lively conversations and actionable marketing takeaways in each episode of Aqua Talks.
Meet Mady Dudley, a public relations expert skilled in crafting strategic campaigns that elevate brand awareness and generate buzz. With roles at Codeword, Red Rooster PR, and Paradise Advertising, she’s worked with top clients like JW Marriott Marco Island, The Dalí Museum, and Visit Indian River. Mady's achievements include amplifying earned media for Google and driving a 25% boost in referral traffic for a client within 90 days. Tune in to Aqua Talks, where the future of destination marketing takes flight.
Larry Aldrich, Mady Dudley, Aqua Talks, Sleep Tourism, Public Relations, Media Relationships, Marketing Trends, PR Industry, Travel Trends, Influencer Marketing, AI in PR, Content Creation, Media Outreach, Travel Marketing, Thought Leadership, PR Campaigns, IMM Travel Conference, PR Strategy
Transcript
Larry Aldrich: Hi, I'm Larry Aldridge, president CEO of Aqua Marketing and Communications. I'm here with my co host Maddie Dudley, where we're going to talk about public relations and how we use it in the tourism and destination marketing industry. Before we jump into our segment on, you know, marketing trends. How was your morning?
Mady Dudley: Really good. I went to yoga class this morning. I made myself a matcha. How about you? How's your day? Or how's your week going?
Larry Aldrich: My day was kind of busy. It's Friday. It was a long week. I'm about to jump on a plane and go to sleep, actually.
Mady Dudley: Oh, well, that is just fitting in perfectly for our next segment about sleep tourism, a really hot new trend within the marketing industry.
Have you heard of sleep tourism at all?
Larry Aldrich: Uh, I believe you and I discussed it a few times. So I'm really curious to hear your thoughts on sleep tourism.
Mady Dudley: So tell us
Larry Aldrich: all actually.
Mady Dudley: Yeah. Sleep [:I think that just speaks to how exhausted we all are and how much we all really need just a break.
Larry Aldrich: Does that come close to something like a staycation? So if I live in the suburbs and I leave my dog at home and go get a hotel room in downtown of the city that I'm in, Yeah. Just go to sleep all weekend.
Mady Dudley: Exactly. I
Larry Aldrich: forget to feed my dog.
Mady Dudley: Exactly. And a lot of hotels and destinations are now prioritizing like turn down services. So that could be a sleep mask that is in your room when you come back after a long day at a conference or it could be a specific sleep yoga class that they host on site that then makes you have an amazing night's sleep that night.
p. Let's say if I want to go [:Mady Dudley: Yeah, that's what all the big publications are saying is the new rage
Larry Aldrich: Sleeping while on vacation.
Mady Dudley: Yeah, I know. Who would have thought it?
Larry Aldrich: I definitely have to read more on that and we'll have some sidebar conversations on sleep tourism. Pretty interesting. Talking about public relations and being the PR director at Aqua Marketing Communications. Give us a background. Uh, let everyone know a little bit about your background on PR.
news from so many different [:So I received my degree in editing, writing and media. And then I went into two internships in PR, but then I was also a journalist. So I got the back end experience as well of. Writing for publications and, uh, going out and doing stories and going and doing interviews. So it was very helpful to understand the ins and outs of the news cycle and the media as a member of the media.
se journalists nowadays just [:Larry Aldrich: Aqua, we have a lot of, uh, great, uh, organizations that we work with, a lot of great clients.
We're going, we do a lot of, uh, uh, trade shows and events that we attend, and we talk to a lot of people. And I know you probably get this question a lot, but I'm going to ask. Can you define public relations in your own words?
Mady Dudley: Yes. So PR has expanded so much from the original days of the muckrackers and journalists and You know, people think PR just stands for making up fake stories, but I was brought up on the idea that in PR, you never ever lie.
s have to tell the truth and [:R. has expanded past that. It's also awards. It's also doing. Trade shows. It's also doing even some paid content, like writing a thought leadership article on behalf of a client as well. I could go on forever about what PR
with that said, we had a long: paigns that you worked on in [:Mady Dudley: One of the most fun clients, because I personally align with them a lot, is Punta Gorda Inglewood Beach. Their slogan is, our best side is outside.
So every time I'm in destination, I get to go and do a bunch of really fun outdoorsy things. Um, so we, we get to invite some reporters and destination and get them to experience all the beauty that the area has to offer. And it was just so fun getting to know these reporters who have. You know, trekked in Uganda with gorillas and, um, been in Iceland, gone fishing there.
They've done such incredible things, but they're still really interested in the hidden gems in Florida, like our clients, Punta Gorda, Englewood Beach. And it was really just so fun to get to know the area and meet new people. Okay.
Larry Aldrich: Yeah. I'll tell you what, you're a lot smarter than I am. So I didn't memorize all my questions, but I did write them down and study them.
I hope it doesn't look like [:Mady Dudley: So when I first started out, I think influencers were not as popular and these days they're used a lot and Paid influencers even fall into the PR realm now.
So we're not just doing earned. Like I said earlier, it's so much more than just earned media. Now we're expanding beyond that with thought leadership, paid influencers. There's a lot of pay for play based off of how much the media industry has changed. It's very volatile place to be. So you need to be on your toes at all times.
g platforms like chat GPT to [:Um, AI is built into platforms that are industry world class standards like meltwater. And they even have a I built in that helps you write your pitches. So we've gone from not being encouraged to rely on technology. Like back in the day, people were cutting out clips, literal clippings of newspapers. And these days we're using a eyes sort of like an assistant to help.
Larry Aldrich: It's good. I was actually, that was my next question. I was going to go into a, I asked you a question about AI and see how it's relative to public relations today. And. What do you see in the future, the future use of AI in public relations?
orter who used AI to develop [:So he was outed for this and then essentially, you know, frowned down upon by the industry. And I think he was also ultimately fired. So AI is really important when it comes to me, at least for sort of keeping me organized, structured, and doing a lot of the backend things. So then that way I can be a lot more creative with my storytelling and think of new ideas to pitch to reporters.
And Really just use that time to brainstorm a little bit more,
Larry Aldrich: and we could talk about PR probably for the rest of the day, rest of the weekend, but kind of to wrap this up a little bit. What are some of your goals or some of the things you want to achieve this year?
Mady Dudley: Well, I am attending the I. M. M. Travel conference in Toronto.
ping those relationships and [:But then on top of that, just think of, think of new ideas, follow trends closely. But I also want to be an innovator in this space. I want to know, sort of read between the lines of Okay, this is popular, and this is popular. Where do we fit into this? How do our clients speak to this so much? I have so many, so many holes, mostly just land top tier coverage.
But I think, you know, relationships are so important to me. There's an element. One of my favorite books is unreasonable hospitality. And although it's about the restaurant industry. It really highlights the importance of thoughtfulness when developing relationships and being detail oriented and relationships.
y be working with a reporter [: pertise as we move forward in: Over the rest of this year in:Thank you, Maddie. And I enjoy having you work with me and host with me and you're an excellent public relations director. And I'm lucky to have you.
w our podcast if you get the [:We also have a landing page aquatalks. com. You can find out more. About the podcast, any of our guests, uh, and so much more.
Larry Aldrich: See you on the next episode. Thanks for joining Aqua Talks.
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