A new global push by Ireland could mean more two-way trade and investment
When the Japanese firm New Cosmos Electric wanted to launch their natural gas detector alarm (shown right) in the U.S. market, they were faced with a perception problem. With nearly 300 natural gas explosions in U.S. homes annually, they needed to make the case for their DeNova Detect device, while at the same time promote the advantages of natural gas appliances.
So, the firm (as New Cosmos USA, Inc.) turned to Miami-based Zen Media to help their launch at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Zen’s PR team first targeted trade outlets that discussed appliance safety, in order to message an informed industry audience.
They then placed Cosmos executives (with media training) as “thought leaders” in mass-audience news stories – print, podcast, online, and television – as “the voice of reason” to talk about concerns with trending natural gas products.
The result was an explosion of awareness of the DeNova Detect residential battery-powered natural gas alarm at the Consumer Electronics Show, leading to multiple deals with big-box retailers. The Las Vegas mayor’s office was so impressed it declared January 6 as Natural Gas Safety Awareness Day.
In a world full of fast-paced, instant communication and social media influencers, Zen Media CEO Shama Hyder has developed a team that works across all platforms to promote clients that range from Chase Business and the US Navy to DFW Airport, Mary Kay, and Tupperware. Hyder prides herself on a deep understanding of how to navigate the digital world to build brand awareness. Having written her graduate thesis on Twitter (now “X”) when it had less than 2,000 users, she has been named the “Zen Master of Marketing” by Entrepreneur Magazine and the “Millennial Master of the Universe” by FastCompany.com, helping solidify her agency’s reputation for both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) brands.
“The philosophy behind the name Zen is the idea that you must go with the flow,” says Hyder. “You must meet your audience where they are – both physically but also psychologically – not where they were 10 years ago but where they are today… To understand and reach the audience, where they are and how they want to be catered to, is the notion behind Zen.”
On the digital front, Zen Media employs AI to measure audience reaction across online platforms, such as their “Snooze or News” tool to evaluate the newsworthiness of press releases and suggest the best channels for distribution. Using this and other approaches to shared, earned, and paid social media, they have launched successful online campaigns for clients such as Cheetah Digital, Navy Exchange, and fintech company Dwolla. “A big part of the battle of succeeding in the digital age is relevance,” says Hyder. “What we do at Zen Media is focus on how to meaningfully connect with your audience across all of the changing platforms. [For example] we analyze how our clients’ buyers browse the internet and how that impacts their buying decisions.”
This doesn’t mean Zen ignores the physical world. Far from it. Hyder shares that her favorite campaigns are the ones that allow for a little creativity in the non-digital world. As part of a public relations campaign for Capital One, a sponsor for the YMCA Dallas Turkey Trot, Zen Media set up a campaign asking participants of the Turkey Trot to dress like turkeys. The result: 40,000 people participated, breaking the Guinness World Record for most people dressed as turkeys for a single event, garnering Capital One and the YMCA national press coverage.
Another example is Zen’s “mobile” campaign for Chase. They hit the road with a Chase BizMobile, a business center on wheels that traveled to 50+ cities to help small business owners with marketing, access to capital, and expense management. The campaign helped the brand connect with small business owners they hoped to do business with, as well as promote Chase Business as a brand so genuinely interested in helping small business owners that they were willing to travel the country to provide free advice. The positive public response led to write-ups in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and The Business Journals.
Beyond leading her marketing agency, Hyder has been a keynote speaker for the last 15 years. She’s traveled to 24 different countries as part of her speaking career, including Lithuania, Australia, and Egypt, where she focuses on social media, marketing, AI, and branding in the digital age. Her work is also in print, having published two books, “Momentum: How to Propel Marketing + Transform Your Brand in the Digital Age” and “The Zen of Social Media Marketing.” Her books have been translated into Spanish, Korean, Russian, and Japanese.
While her marketing expertise and willingness to learn and adapt help make Zen Media a successful agency, Hyder is also aware of the importance of leading by example. “Developing strong company leadership is about people, platforms, and perceptions. Mastering these three tactics puts you in good shape for leadership,” she says. “If you are a leader and you can learn how to manage and pull the levers on these three components, that is really what is going to differentiate between people who are winning as leaders versus those who are getting left behind.”
As head of one of the 0.1% of female-owned PR and marketing agencies in the U.S., Hyder is also proud to empower other female employees. “Some of my employees have never worked for a female leader. We have a lot of working moms and female team members. I can’t change the whole world, but it motivates me to change the small part of the world that I can change,” she says.
Lately, Hyder has been focused on perceptions of Zen Media in Miami, Hyder’s current home and the agency’s headquarters. “Zen has a strong presence here in Miami, and I feel this is now my community. I am excited about welcoming the remote culture we have fostered and the new jobs we are creating,” she says. “We are making an impact in Florida, and for marketers in general, by reshaping the contours of what it means to reach audiences today to market and sell. It’s a changing world out there. We need to keep up.”
