Industry vets launch strategic communications firm Arvo Advisory
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Courtesy of Arvo Advisory.
Longtime communication strategists Stephen Reiff and Steve Soltis have launched executive communications firm Arvo Advisory.
Why it matters: The firm's goal is to bridge the gap between business strategy and communication.
Context: Reiff worked in corporate strategy, politics and management consulting before most recently serving as head of strategy and corporate communication for MoneyGram International.
- Soltis previously ran CEO and employee communication at Coca-Cola, UPS and MCI. He also teaches strategic communication at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
What they're saying: "Chief communications officers are being called upon more and more to be strategic partners in the business, not just great communicators," Soltis told Axios. "So we think connecting corporate strategy and communication strategy can be very additive to the overall success of a business."
The big picture: Arvo Advisory is one of the many boutique challenger firms to launch in recent months amid a shifting agency landscape.
Zoom in: Arvo's differentiator is its connection to communicators with MBAs, who have come up through the business strategy ranks, says Reiff.
- Arvo Advisory has assembled a bench of subject matter experts — like Coca-Cola alum Doug Busk, investment banking and McDonald's alum Danielle Cupps, former Home Depot chief communications officer Steve Holmes, and Corteva alum Dana Bolden — who will serve as advisors in support of specific client work.
The bottom line: "Disney CEO Bob Iger has said that your strategy is only good as your ability to articulate it. That perfectly summarizes what we're trying to do," says Reiff.
Go deeper: "Challenger" firms rising: Top PR talent defect from big agencies
