NEW YORK—March 11, 2021—SourceCode Communications, award-winning technology communications agency, has announced the launch of WeRaise PR, a full-service public relations agency that delivers integrated campaigns to brands while advancing working mothers in the PR industry. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensued by the she-cession, WeRaise was founded to support an empathy-first working culture that enables working mothers to excel professionally without compromising personal priorities.
The PR industry has always had a difficult time retaining top female talent. Building a strong culture that reflects employees’ values is one way to stem the tide. WeRaise has created an environment that lives by the company’s mission and values. The new agency model will benefit parents, caregivers, and clients alike by placing working moms at the center, creating a sustainable work environment that values life-work integration.
“Following the launch of our Diversity Marketing Consortium and in response to the crisis facing working women caused by the COVID Pandemic, we wanted to build an agency that works with personal priorities not against them. We wanted to enable moms and caregivers to further careers on their terms, and give clients access to some of the best talent in the industry at more accessible commitment levels,” said SourceCode’s co-founder and managing partner Rebecca Honeyman, who was elected as a new board member of the PR Council earlier this year.
Led by Moon Vitiello, managing director and industry veteran whose 17 year career spans multiple sectors representing diverse brands in consumer and B2B businesses across the world, WeRaise is made up of experienced and talented PR practitioners committed to provide brands with better processes, pricing and outcomes. One mission of the new agency is to make premier-level strategy and creativity that was previously only accessible to companies with seven-figure budgets available to start-ups and mid-sized companies looking to grow or evolve.
“We’ve learned an enormous amount about what brands really need and don’t need by working with a variety of clients across industries in our careers,” said Moon Vitiello, managing director of WeRaise PR. “We have an opportunity to work with great companies that may not have the financial access to top shelf talent and services. Clients are also demanding diversity on their teams, and they’ve become much more sophisticated about it. You can’t be competitive in 2021 if you are leaving 50% of your best talent at the door.”
Prior to WeRaise, Vitiello climbed many ladders in public relations before eventually co-founding her own PR firm in 2014. Having maintained valuable and longstanding relationships with her clients and the media, Vitiello takes a proactive approach in guiding the strategic direction of campaigns and programs, bringing to each her vision, leadership, integrity, and commitment to excellence. Over the course of her career, she has been instrumental in publicizing some of the most prestigious consumer and B2B brands including The Dannon Company, Pfizer and Cricket Wireless/AT&T.
As a mother and industry veteran, Vitiello cares deeply about maternal bias and has witnessed the systemic problems within the public relations agency. “70% of the industry are women but our representation at the leadership level is tilted. If we actually want to make sure that working mothers advance and succeed, there has to be change, there has to be benchmarks and goals, and there has to be accountability for the failure to do so,” said Vitiello. “Flexible hours? Yes, you can have that. Plus long-term benefits like health insurance, paid parental leave, childcare stipend. It’s not either/or. It’s both. We recognize that no single company or policy will shift the status quo, but by supporting mothers at work and providing them benefits that are central to women, WeRaise is making a clear commitment to the importance and value of caregiving.”
SourceCode has become part of a formidable group New York-based technology agencies, most recently being named PRWeek’s 2020 US Outstanding Boutique Agency, one of America’s Best PR Agencies 2021 by Forbes, the #10 fastest growing agency by Adweek, and included on PR NEWS’ 2020 list of Top Places to Work in PR. The firm founded the Diversity Marketing Consortium and recently announced the appointment of Stephen Waddington as its first non-executive director. The company currently has a number of open roles available off the back of more than 41% growth in 2020. Current FY21 projections have the agency once again reaching similar top-line growth percentages.
