#Newsmaker: Tracy Jones on Positive Dialogue's integration into Duke Group

Tracy Jones is the owner of Positive Dialogue Communications.

The three owner-managed businesses have been working together on end-to-end marketing campaigns over the past year and these highly successful collaborations have organically led to formalising their relationships with the shared ambition of igniting significant growth in both the local and global advertising industry.

All three, fiercely independent, award-winning agencies with proven track records and significant client bases will retain brands under the auspices of the Duke Group.

Duke, Mark1 and Positive Dialogue join forces to form Duke Group

29 Jul 2019

Here, Tracy Jones, who is the owner of Positive Dialogue Communications, elaborates on what the partnership means for the firm and what she is most looking forward to as a result.

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Please tell us more about the partnership and what this means for Positive Dialogue.

Whilst we remain Positive Dialogue Communications, our integration into the Duke Group enables us to work collaboratively with Duke Advertising and Mark1 to implement fully integrated creative, digital and PR/influencer campaigns, with a strong measurable component.

Given our combined client portfolios, we’re now able to now offer existing clients a full-service offering with tailor-made solutions to their business challenges. In addition, it’s rectified our transformation agenda given that Duke Group is 100% black-owned and B-BBEE Level 1 – enabling us to work with blue-chip corporate clients.

Lastly, as a scaled entity of +/- 70 people, it allows us to be able to deliver against bigger established clients within the marketplace – which has always been a long-term strategic vision.

What are you looking forward to as a result?

Being able to deliver strategy-based campaigns that use a combination of full-service tactics, which assist clients in moving their business forward – through the delivery of transparent, meaningful results. It’s these long-term client relationships that will remain a core focus for us.

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With the rise of digital, the plethora of PR tactics and mechanics have grown exponentially and we’re now able to collaborate internally with Duke and Mark1 to ensure we can offer many more options that may have previously been unknown to clients. Our combined brain trust of senior industry specialists will ensure that clients receive the highest standard of strategic business solution thinking, executed seamlessly with trackable and transparent results.

What’s at the top of your to-do list?

Establishing a solid foundation of integration across the three teams with systems and processes in place to ensure we’re able to collaborate, implement, adapt to client change and deliver. One of the benefits is being cost-effective, adaptable and agile in the execution of campaigns and now that we’ve scaled collectively, we want to ensure we hold true to that value proposition for clients.

What do you love most about your career in PR and Communications?

The way in which PR has become a strategic and valued component within the media and marketing sector, with a seat at the table, at the start of the client’s business challenge conversation.

Being able to deliver campaigns that assist clients in growing their businesses and helping them establish leadership credentials in their specific industries. I personally enjoy networking clients with other strategic partners that generate a successful outcome for both parties.

And, lastly, you never know what your day will bring when you walk into the office. Every day is completely different from the last.

What are you currently reading, watching and/or listening to for work?

I’ve just finished a Ted Talk by Francis Fry on team culture and reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

Tell us something about yourself not generally known.

I’m a qualified chef! I started my career at the Mount Nelson Hotel but after fainting on the floor after cutting my finger on the first day, I decided the PR manager role was better suited for me – and the last 20 years in PR has been the result.

For more, stay up to date with Jones, click here for her MyBiz profile, and Positive Dialogue Communications on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.