af&co., based in the heart of San Francisco, is a full-service integrated communications agency with a passion for the hospitality industry. Our clients include restaurants, hotels, food and beverage brandsand special events. We specialize in media relations, influencer relations, marketing, social media and launch strategy, as well as concept development and operational consulting. Our goals are to provide personalized and expert guidance, build brand awareness, and generate results and results for our clients. We work hard and we love what we do. Our approach for each client is fresh, direct, creative and stylish. We inspire people to love our clients as much as we do! For more information, please see our website at www.afandco.com.

We’re Growing!!

Seeking a Passionate Senior Account Manager

Job Title: Senior Account Manager
Department: Marketing & Digital Strategy
Location: San Francisco, CA. Candidates must live in the Bay Area.
Salary: Commensurate with experience.
FLSA Status: Exempt

Senior Account Manager

With four to six years of experience, this position requires top notch marketing, digital and social media expertise complemented by sharp communication and leadership skills. Senior Account Managers are responsible for achieving and maintaining client satisfaction across a wide range of clients, and supporting agency growth through business development and team management. Reports to the Managing Director. A passion for restaurants and the hospitality industry, including hotels, beverages, and lifestyle consumer packaged goods, as well as a desire to collaborate with cross functional teams in marketing, public relations and brand strategy is a must.

af&co. Fundamentals:

• Brings strategic rigor, leadership and expectations for high quality of work to every account or project
• Displays friendliness, courtesy and is attentive to client and team needs
• Highly productive and efficient in time management as well as the management of others’ time
• Adaptable, flexible to change and responds quickly, not afraid to pick up the phone
• Adaptable, flexible to change and responds quickly, not afraid to pick up the phone
• Punctual, arrives on time and displays a positive attitude for/towards work, tasks, responsibilities, clients and co-workers

People & Team

• A go-to resource for internal peers and clients
• Builds positive relationships within the team through leading agency meetings, project check-ins
• Provide input for coworker performance reviews as key member of the team
• Manages up to department directors, managing directors, and agency president to foster collaboration and produce quality deliverables and performance reviews as a key team member
• Brings out the best in others by interacting with colleagues and clients in a positive, professional and motivating manner
• Understands team interaction, reads the room, and provides stellar account leadership
• Provides clear direction and feedback to team to ensure the best results
• Manage and support up to 2 marketing interns

Client Relationships

• Is a trusted advisor and central point of communication for eight to twelve clients.
• As a client lead, is accountable for the health and growth of client relationships
• Ensures all deliverables are creative, of the highest quality and relevant to the client’s business challenges
• Builds confidence with clients by delivering strategic solutions, well-organized project details, and clearly indicated process steps and billings
• Communicates in a clear and compelling manner in written, oral and presentation forms
• Drives timelines and account results effectively using internal project team meetings (kick-off, status, etc.) as appropriate

Strategic, Creative & Innovative Thinking

• Is competent at providing clients with strategic counsel
• Is highly creative and competent at communicating ideas; consistently brings “Bright Ideas” for driving revenue and increasing client relevance to key audiences
• Strong integrated marketing communications skills and knowledge across a broad spectrum of tactics
• Knowledgeable and up to date on hospitality, marketing and public relations trends
• Actively identifies inspirations and benchmarks for projects and share with team
• Writes pieces for the af&co. blog, newsletter or by contributing to the agency’s annual trend report

New Business Development

• Drives business development, actively seeking opportunities to respond to agency leads, supporting the managing director on this front where needed
• Comfortably uses a consultative sales approach to sell new business
• Is able to sell to all of af&co.’s capabilities and core value proposition for clients

Project/Financial Management

• Clearly communicates project priorities to team members
• Oversees activities including updating status reports, meeting agendas, monthly reporting, audits, etc.
• Drives timelines and action steps to drive successful program development
• Proactively raises concerns in a timely fashion so that action can be taken to solve potential issues
• Keeps the clients on task by focusing on quarterly goals to steer the team’s efforts and flags when projects become out of scope or overserviced

Marketing Expertise

• Leads client’s integrated marketing communications planning, identifying objectives, strategies and tactics
• Leads the creation of creative marketing campaigns and initiatives (including coordination of supporting collateral, presentations, proposals, invitations, etc.)
• Oversees execution of event and creative briefs
• Writes and edits flawless brand copy that will be utilized in marketing copy for collateral, email marketing, digital marketing, websites, invitations, etc.
• Strategizes, designs and provides copy, when necessary, for email marketing programs using Mailchimp or other appropriate software
• Is able to measure ROI and utilize data to make informed strategic or tactical recommendations
• Comfortable assessing advertising spends or other marketing expenses on behalf of clients or the agency

Social Media and Influencer Marketing Expertise

• Has a strong understanding of social media as a digital brand marketing channel
• Ensures team members are posting as contracted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, etc. daily
• Brings strategy and best practices experience to develop Facebook and Instagram advertising campaigns
• Oversees development of social media content; manages posting, engagement and reach to achieve identified goals
• Develops engaging brand content
• Ensures smooth execution of monthly photo shoots for clients using iphone photography or oversees junior team member
• Provides art direction and shot lists for professional photography
• Oversees design of social media graphics using Adobe Creative Suite or other appropriate software/ or oversees junior team member
• Analyzes and tracks statistics for each platform and utilizes findings to improve results
• Strategizes and develops influencer campaign programs to achieve client goals and drive awareness of key messages
• Maintains strong relationships with local influencers for potential partnerships
• Supports execution and coordination for client influencer visits or oversees junior team member
• Communicates ROI of influencer campaigns to clients
• Develops strategy for paid influencer partnerships as requested by clients
• Stays up to date with social media news and digital trends and shares knowledge and training with team

af&co. is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, accessibility, equity and inclusion where all employees are valued for their individual differences, unique talents, abilities and contributions.

Salary is based on experience, accomplishments and skills. Please contact Rose Guiliano at
rose@afandco.com with your resume and a cover letter. Specifically please include
the following in your cover letter:

1. A short introduction of yourself that we could share with our clients indicating why you were a great fit for our
team and their businesses.

2. Your restaurant/hotel passion/expertise

3. Favorite restaurant/chef and why?

af&co. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

af&co. is a full-service integrated lifestyle marketing & media relations agency. Our clients include restaurants, hotels, food and beverage brands and special events. We specialize in public relations, influencer relations, marketing, social media and launch strategy, as well as concept development and operational consulting. Our goals are to provide personalized and expert guidance, build brand awareness, and generate results and results for our clients. We work hard and we love what we do. Our approach for each client is fresh, direct, creative and stylish. We inspire people to love our clients as much as we do! For more information, please see our website at www.afandco.com

We’re Growing!!

Seeking a Passionate Summer Intern

Description

The internship will be very hands-on in helping our agency achieve our goal of providing outstanding service to our restaurant & hospitality clients. Specifically, the intern role will focus heavily in supporting our programming, marketing and public relations efforts. You’ll be involved in researching media leads, drafting public relations and marketing materials, social media content creation, social media influencer campaign outreach, programming support, helping coordinate projects and virtual events, plus occasional data entry.

While this internship is unpaid, you are compensated with valuable experience that will give you the skills to get you to the next level in your career. This is a fantastic learning experience for a highly motivated student. If you are interested in learning the inner-workings of public relations, marketing and hospitality, then we want to hear from you!

Responsibilities

We’re looking for someone who has passion for the hospitality industry and interest in learning more about public relations and marketing. The internship lasts approximately four months, with some flexibility. We work around school and work schedules, but do require a minimum of 15 hours per week between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. PDT so you get the most out of the internship. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our agency has become virtual so a motivated self-starter with a great home internet connection is key.

Requirements

You must be a current college or graduate student. This internship is unpaid, and we require that you receive school credit (this is non-negotiable). We are looking for someone to begin in January 2021 and wrap-up at the end of the spring term. You must know how to use Google Docs/Sheets/Microsoft Office, have great communication and writing skills and be a skilled researcher. The ideal candidate meets deadlines and is self-motivated, proactive, a creative problem solver, highly organized and detail/task-oriented.

Application Process

Interested? We’d love to know why. Send us a copy of your resume and a brief cover letter stating why you think you’d be a great fit for the role to: rose@afandco.com. Please include your schedule availability beginning August 23, 2021.

af&co., based in the heart of San Francisco, is a full-service integrated communications agency with a passion for the hospitality industry. Our clients include restaurants, hotels, food and beverage brands and special events. We specialize in media relations, influencer relations, marketing, social media and launch strategy, as well as concept development and operational consulting. Our goals are to provide personalized and expert guidance, build brand awareness, and generate results and results for our clients. We work hard and we love what we do. Our approach for each client is fresh, direct, creative and stylish. We inspire people to love our clients as much as we do! For more information, please see our website at www.afandco.com.

We’re Growing!!

Seeking a Passionate Public Relations Director

Here’s the scoop:

Job Title: Public Relations Director
Department: Public Relations

Reporting To: Managing Director
FLSA Status: Full time, Non-Exempt

Requirements for Position:

With eight to 10 years of experience, this position requires top notch public relations expertise complemented by sharp communication and leadership skills. The Public Relations Director is responsible for the PR team at the agency, which includes leading campaign strategy and planning for a wide range of clients, mentoring, training and developing individual team members, conducting high level media outreach, independently sourcing new business, and achieving and maintaining client satisfaction through client leadership. A passion for restaurants and the hospitality industry as well as a desire to lead cross functional teams in public relations, marketing and brand strategy are a must. While our team is temporarily working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is required that this position be based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

af&co. Fundamentals:

We are looking for someone who:

• Has a minimum of eight years of experience leading public relations initiatives in-house or at an agency; lifestyle and hospitality experience preferred
• Possesses a strong portfolio of secured local and national media coverage
• Has excellent relationships with a long list of San Francisco Bay Area and national media, specifically those that cover hospitality, food and beverage
• Is detail-oriented, very creative, empathetic, resourceful, tenacious, strategic, an assertive goal-setter and excellent communicator
• Possesses a keen interest in and passion for food, restaurants, cocktails, travel, and the hospitality arts and culture in general
• Has excellent writing skills which can be applied creatively and effectively to anything from a press release or pitch to a case study or client newsletter
• Is trained in AP Style
• A natural networker and team player with strong social skills who can juggle multiple projects with finesse
• Is a born story-teller with strong persuasion skills
• Serves as a knowledgeable mentor
• Fosters a fun, friendly, open, drama-free and efficient work environment
• Assists company with new business outreach
• Brings strategic rigor and a high quality of work to every account or project
• Displays friendliness, courtesy and attentiveness to client needs
• Is highly productive and efficient in time management
• Is adaptable and responds quickly to internal and external communication

In this position, you will play a significant leadership role at the agency, in partnership with the managing director and CEO, working with the leadership team on agency management and operations. In addition to managing the PR team, you will be the central point of communication for eight to twelve clients. You will build confidence with the client that strategic solutions, project details, process steps, billings and deliverables are well organized, communicated and managed. Additionally, you will ensure all correspondence, materials, presentations, proposals seen by prospective and existing clients are error-free, of highest quality, relevant to the client’s business challenges, and reflective of af&co.’s approach.

af&co. People & Team:

• A go-to resource for internal peers and clients, highly respected for their expertise
• Builds positive relationships within the team by leading agency meetings, project check-ins, and performance reviews as a member of the leadership team
• Brings out the best in others by interacting with colleagues and clients in a positive, professional and motivating manner
• Understands team interaction and provides stellar account leadership
• Thoughtfully delegates work to junior-level talent with their career development in mind, providing clear direction and feedback to ensure the best results
• Collaborate with managing director and CEO on team leadership and agency culture initiatives

Client Relationships:

• Is the client lead, trusted advisor and central point of communication for eight to twelve clients, while simultaneously engaged with all PR client teams at the agency
• Builds confidence with the client that strategic solutions, project details, process steps, billings and deliverables are thoughtful, well organized, communicated and managed
• Ensures all deliverables are creative, of the highest quality and relevant to the client’s business challenges
• Communicates in a clear and compelling manner in written, oral and presentation forms
• Drives timelines and account results effectively using internal project team meetings (kick-off, status, etc.) as appropriate

Strategic, Creative & Innovative Thinking

• Is highly creative and competent at communicating ideas; consistently brings “Bright Ideas” for driving revenue and increasing client relevance to key audiences
• Strong integrated marketing communications skills and knowledge across a broad spectrum of tactics
• Knowledgeable and up to date on hospitality, marketing and public relations trends
• Actively identifies inspirations and benchmarks for projects and share with team
• Authors thought leadership pieces through the af&co. blog, newsletter or by contributing to the agency’s annual trend report

New Business Development

• Supports managing director in drivings business development, actively seeking opportunities to respond to agency leads and generating leads independently
• Comfortably uses a consultative sales approach to sell new business
• Is able to sell to all of af&co.’s capabilities and core value proposition for clients
• Develops custom proposals to meet the needs of potential new clients while showcasing the value of the agency
• Consistently works in collaboration with the managing director and CEO in driving the agency’s growth strategy

Project/Financial Management

• Establishes and clearly communicates project priorities to team members
• Oversees activities including updating status reports, meeting agendas, summaries, audits, etc.
• Develops and drives timelines and action steps to drive successful program development
• Proactively raises concerns in a timely fashion so that action can be taken to solve potential issues

Public Relations Expertise

• Leads clients’ public relations planning, identifying objectives, strategies and tactics
• Has strong, personal relationships with top tier media, locally and nationally
• Pitches media on a regular basis
• Consistently builds new media relationships on behalf of the agency
• Leads the creation of creative public relations initiatives that drive relevance and revenue
• Secures features, mentions and round-ups for clients on a regular basis
• Ideates, writes, edits, and executes pitches that achieve PR goals for clients and agency
• Oversees and when necessary researches/writes press releases
• Edits and approves all press releases, using AP Style, before sharing with client or distribution to the media
• Oversees creation of targeted media lists for client pitches that lead to results
• Ensures capture of editorial calendar opportunities for clients
• Is able to measure ROI and utilize data to make informed strategic or tactical recommendations
• Develops engaging brand content/li>
• Ensures smooth execution of photo shoots for clients
• Provides art direction and shot lists for professional photography

af&co. Perks

• Working with a fantastic, tight team of PR and marketing pros who are passionate about our industry and clients
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Business development bonus
• Paid vacation with additional comp time
• Partial reimbursement for cell phone service
• 401K retirement plan with profit sharing
• Pre-tax transit benefit
• The thrill of working with and experiencing our amazing clients, which often includes enjoying delicious food and beverages!

Salary is based on experience, accomplishments and skills. Please contact Rose Guiliano at
rose@afandco.com with your resume and a cover letter telling us about:

• Your most successful media relations campaign and why
• Your restaurant/hotel passion/expertise
• Your leadership/management style
• Favorite restaurant/chef and why?

Please note that candidates are also required to complete an official application and timed writing test. Finalists will be asked to share references. af&co. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

af&co., based in the heart of San Francisco, is a full-service integrated communications agency with a passion for the hospitality industry. Our clients include restaurants, hotels, food and beverage brands and special events. We specialize in media relations, influencer relations, marketing, social media and launch strategy, as well as concept development and operational consulting. Our goals are to provide personalized and expert guidance, build brand awareness, and generate results and results for our clients. We work hard and we love what we do. Our approach for each client is fresh, direct, creative and stylish. We inspire people to love our clients as much as we do! For more information, please see our website at www.afandco.com.

We’re Growing!!

Seeking a Passionate Account Manager

Here’s the scoop:

Job Title: Account Manager
Department: Public Relations
Reporting To: Managing Director(s)
FLSA Status: Full time, Non-Exempt

Account Manager

This position requires three to five years’ experience, with strong public relations and marketing expertise, complemented by sharp communication and leadership skills. Account Managers are responsible for achieving and maintaining client satisfaction. A passion for food, restaurants and the hospitality industry, as well as a desire to learn more about marketing, media relations and brand strategy, are key to success in this role. While our team is temporarily working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is required that this position be based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

af&co. Fundamentals:

We are looking for someone who:

• Possesses a strong portfolio of secured local and national media coverage
• Has excellent relationships with a long list of San Francisco Bay Area and national media, specifically those that cover hospitality, food and beverage
• Is detail-oriented, very creative, empathetic, resourceful, tenacious, strategic, an assertive goal-setter and excellent communicator
• Possesses a keen interest in and passion for food, restaurants, cocktails, travel, and the hospitality arts and culture in general
• Has excellent writing skills, which can be applied creatively and effectively to anything from a press release or pitch to a case study or client newsletter
• Is trained in AP Style
• A natural networker and team player with strong social skills who can juggle multiple projects with finesse
• Is a born story-teller with strong persuasion skills
• Serves as a knowledgeable mentor to account coordinator(s) and intern(s)
• Fosters a fun, friendly, open, drama-free and efficient work environment
• Assists company with new business outreach
• Brings strategic rigor and a high quality of work to every account or project
• Displays friendliness, courtesy and attentiveness to client needs
• Is highly productive and efficient in time management
• Is adaptable and responds quickly to internal and external communication

In this role, you will be the central point of communication for six to nine clients. You will build confidence with the client that strategic solutions, project details, process steps, billings and deliverables are well organized, communicated and managed. Additionally, you will ensure all correspondence, materials, presentations, proposals seen by prospective and existing clients are error-free, of highest quality, relevant to the client’s business challenges, and reflective of af&co.’s approach.

A successful candidate will be able to:

• Lead client’s integrated marketing communications planning, identifying objectives, strategies and tactics
• Manage content for digital platforms (social media, blog, website, e-newsletters, etc.) for af&co and its clients
• Directly manage client social media profiles, including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn
• Manage influencer campaigns from start to finish
• Use Sprout Social and Klear or another influencer marketing platform
• Create and manage social media ad campaigns through Facebook Business Manager
• Manage client photo/video shoots
• Create and manage client email marketing campaigns
• Create reports and analyzes KPIs for each client
• Measure ROI and utilize data to make informed strategic or tactical recommendations
• Collaborate with account teams on the planning and execution of events for af&co clients, with oversight by Managing Director
• Assist in overall digital brand strategy and messaging for all clients

Perks:

• Working with a fantastic, tight team of communications and marketing pros who are passionate about our industry and clients
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Business development bonus
• Paid vacation with additional comp time
• Work from home
• Partial reimbursement for cell phone and internet service
• 401K retirement plan with profit sharing
• Pre-tax transit benefit
• The thrill of working with and experiencing our amazing clients, which often includes enjoying delicious food and beverages!

Salary is based on experience, accomplishments and skills. Please contact Rose Guiliano at
rose@afandco.com with your resume and a cover letter telling us about:

• Your most successful media relations campaign and why
• Your restaurant/hotel passion/expertise
• Your leadership/management style
• Favorite restaurant/chef and why?

Please note that candidates are also required to complete an official application and timed writing test. Finalists will be asked to share references. af&co. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.