"Office Hours" #15: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Hi everyone,

Yeah, yeah, we know… Patience is a virtue, right? But how exactly does that virtue very directly and tactically apply to our work as publicists?

Here at JBC, we often discuss just how a lion’s share of our job is rooted in relationships: with our clients, with our stable of editors, and of course, with ourselves as a team. Patience, though, is often the underbelly of those relationships. And in the case of this newsletter, it takes time to build authentic connections that can result in the grade-A press wins you see covered here.

For today’s issue of “Office Hours,” we’re highlighting a selection of recent stories that were years — years! — in the making, because in PR, good things really do come to those who wait.

If you’d like to learn more, or have any questions we can help answer in our next installment, drop us a line at officehours@jbc-pr.com.

Thanks so much for being here.

‘Til next month!

Jenny & Melissa

Primary x “How I Built This”

How I Built This Podcast With Guy Raz featuring Primary: Christina Carbonell and Galyn Bernard

It’s been eight years since Christina Carbonell and Galyn Bernard left their jobs at Quidsi (formerly Diapers.com) to launch a new children’s apparel line that bucked conventional wisdom. Primary has now rewritten the rules of kid’s clothing by offering simple, gender-neutral styles known for their hand-me-downable quality, sustainable fabrics, slogan-free designs, and rainbow of colors for every baby and kid. A longtime JBC client, Primary’s founders sat down with Guy Raz to talk about their journey, from early startup struggles to surpassing $50 million in annual sales.

Nuuly x CNBC

Clothing rental service Nuuly reaches profitability, beating rival Rent the Runway to the benchmark

By Gabrielle Fonrouge (@fonrougegab)

After learning that Nuuly would reach profitability just four years after Urban Outfitters, Inc. launched the women’s clothing rental service, JBC secured an exclusive interview with CNBC’s retail reporter. We had already introduced her to David Hayne, President of Nuuly and Chief Technology Officer of URBN, at a retail conference earlier in the year, so she was familiar with Nuuly’s trajectory. The story ultimately captured this exciting milestone, which had been a goal for the company from the beginning, as it aimed to prove that clothing rental could become a profitable business.

Poker Power x The Wall Street Journal

What poker can teach you about winning at work

By Kayla Webster

Interest in this story resulted from a deskside request. The editor we reached out to had Poker Power on her radar from an event one of her writers had attended and raved about. Our deskside request landed on the right person’s desk at the perfect time, and catalyzed this piece into reality. After an interview with Poker Power President Erin Lydon, the team also coordinated interviews with a diverse roster of female executives who had trained with Poker Power and were able to speak to the skills they built in the boardroom and beyond as a result of practicing poker. Because our role is to elevate Erin’s profile, we also skillfully redirected their request for an interview with Founder Jenny Just to a short email Q&A to not overshadow Erin in the piece. This story appeared online and as a full-page print spread in WSJ. Major #girlpower moment!

Magic Spoon x Bon Appétit

We tried every Magic Spoon cereal

By Sam Stone (@sam_the_stone)

This incredibly detailed (and glowing!) review of Magic Spoon’s breadth of cereals is a testament of playing the long game in PR. JBC sampled Staff Writer Sam Stone in February 2023, and this full brand review ran in January 2024. Balancing persistence and patience is what drove this piece that reverberated far and wide with the CPG food space and beyond.

Dotti x Fast Company

The humble broom just got an $85 upgrade

By Elissaveta M. Brandon (@elissavetam)

The co-founder of Dotti sat down with design editor at Fast Company to discuss the multiple iterations this launch took and the challenges she faced while creating The Best Broom + Dustpan. This review covers all messaging points from is chic look to its effectiveness, all while positioning Dotti as a design brand. This piece came to live after leveraging media relationships and altering the pitch to include information the team knew this editor would like to know.

Brompton x Forbes

Brompton Bicycles’ 50-year sustainability journey

By Christopher Marquis

Brompton Bicycles recently announced their B-Corp Certification. President of North America Juliet Scott-Croxford spoke with Forbes to discuss the brand’s larger sustainability mission and journey to becoming the most sustainable bike brand. Sustainability has always been a foundation of the brand, and in 2024, the iconic brand that is a staple in the U.K. is working to create that same brand affinity in the U.S. to make biking more accessible and fun. JBC was able to secure this piece leveraging our relationship with the B-Corp reporter at Forbes.

Dermalogica x W Magazine

Dermalogica founder Jane Wurwand invented hype-free skin care

By Andrea Whittle (@awhittlebit)

Skin-care visionary and founder of legacy brand Dermalogica spoke with W Magazine ’s Features Director Andrea Whittle to discuss the origins of Dermalogica, including Jane’s credentials as a trained cosmetologist, and Dermalogica’s longevity with their unique marketing approach as “hype-free.” The piece touched key messaging points the beauty team strives to include in every feature piece — the importance of human touch and Jane’s POV on not using the word beauty, and why.

(For a closer look at how we secured some of our biggest press hits, see our guide to landing a front-page feature.)