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MBN USA

March 17, 2022

The Allen Lewis Agency finds success storytelling

By Genny Hom-Franzen

With the country’s newfound spotlight on the value of diversity, equity and inclusion, now — more than ever — corporations need to make sure diverse audiences are included in all aspects of their marketing and communications strategies. One company working to unsure its clients connect with African Americans is The Allen Lewis Agency, or TALA.

Founded in 2015 by best friends Jocelyn K. Allen Coley and Chandra S. Lewis, TALA is a full-service public relations, marketing and events boutique agency based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Combined, Coley and Lewis have more than 50 years of experience in PR.

TALA’s client list includes The Chemico Group, Disney Theatrical Group, INFINITI, Zillow, GreenPath Financial Wellness, Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program and City of Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.

In addition, the agency has been the communications agency of record for Nissan North America Inc. since 2016.

“We are one of the most sought-after agencies for multicultural communications in the business,” Coley said.

The storytellers

Lewis said TALA manages several PR initiatives for Nissan, including engaging multicultural and diverse media and influencers, organizing drive experiences that are culturally authentic and helping to tell the Nissan story.

“We introduce key stakeholders to the people who design, build and sell Nissan vehicles,” she said. “We help tell the Nissan story to the storytellers most trusted by multicultural and LGBTQ [lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer/questioning] audiences.”

Marcella McCullough, senior manager, supplier diversity development at Nissan North America, said she enjoys working with Coley and Lewis.

“The Allen Lewis Agency is a qualified, capable, resourceful organization that supports Nissan in areas such as branding, events and communications,” she said. “I appreciate the experiences and recommendations that Jocelyn and Chandra provide our supplier diversity team. They use their social media platforms during advocacy conferences that attract viewers and shows the brand popularity with followers. Their agency shows compassion and attention to details. Also, it is important to have ethical behaviors, and they demonstrate those behaviors when working with our organizations, but their experiences [also] provide guidance and directional strategies. The Allen Lewis Agency works well within Nissan.”

Certification and leaning in

How to land a big client like Nissan may be a mystery for some minority business enterprises, so Coley offers some advice. One key to TALA’s ability to secure the Nissan account was certification.

“Our advice for other minority business enterprises would be to pursue your minority-owned business certification and for woman-owned businesses to pursue that certification as well,” she said. “In addition, we recommend you ‘lean in’ to your network. Seek out those individuals who you already know and let them know how you can uniquely help them. Leverage social media to share case studies and success stories. Partner with people whose work you admire.”

Despite being in business for only seven years, Coley and Lewis have already garnered several accolades. TALA has seen at least 25% growth each year since it was founded. In addition, on behalf of client Nissan, TALA has earned numerous PR industry awards from trade organizations like the International Association of Business Communicators and PRNews Group at Access Intelligence LLC for programs introducing Nissan vehicles to new audiences.

Looking ahead, Coley said she and Lewis look forward to continuing to provide clients with their best possible strategic counsel and to spotlight TALA’s good work.

“Our mission has always been to provide our clients with unmatched service. It is our goal to continue to do so, while bringing clients new opportunities to expand their reach and tell their stories,” she said. “We plan to continue collaborating with clients who are making a positive impact on our world. We are at a unique moment in history, and multicultural communications is as important as ever. We look forward to leveraging our experience in this area to help clients reach new audiences in authentic ways.”

To learn more about The Allen Lewis Agency, visit theallenlewisagency.com.