Anna Crowe is the founder and CEO of Crowe PR, a bi-coastal public relations and influencer marketing agency with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Crowe has nearly 20 years working for iconic brands and pivoted to PR from an auditor position at a Big 4 accounting firm. She is a published, best-selling author, teaches marketing at the University of San Diego's School of Business, serves as city co-manager for Changemaker Chats, and sits on the board of the San Diego Chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization.
The Interview
Q: What are your core values, and how do those shape your business?
A: Our core values — authenticity, continuous improvement, relationships, results, and positivity — are engrained in our culture, celebrated daily, and emphasized in leadership training and strategic sessions. Authenticity means embracing who we are as individuals and understanding our unique strengths. Results-focused couples our commitment to excellence with measurable client KPIs. If we are servicing customers with the utmost professionalism and they're accomplishing their business goals as a result, we're fulfilling that core value.
Q: Advice for new PR leaders?
A: Manage authentically. Authenticity is one of the most important leadership skills in business and is often underestimated. Employees today are motivated by much more than financial gain — they want to be heard, enjoy their environment, partake in something bigger, and be recognized for their strengths. They need to trust their leadership team and know their manager has their back no matter what. By putting on a façade, a leader masks the strengths that make them powerful and authentic — empathy, transparency, and vulnerability.
Q: How have your work priorities changed since the pandemic?
A: Our work spans consumer goods, technology, hospitality, and professional services, so clients were impacted in different ways. Some industries temporarily shut down, while others flourished. We've helped many businesses navigate through PR, influencer marketing, social media, and crisis communications. We spent many hours solidifying and refining internal messaging for clients. While retailers are struggling and temporarily closing doors, we've adjusted strategies to promote consumer brands' e-commerce platforms and engage customers through multi-media content. Several tech and services clients are finding new opportunities as telemedicine becomes prominent. It's been rewarding to assist hotels to reopen and promote various restaurants' delivery options.
Q: How should brands prepare for future crises, especially on social media?
A: This year's pandemic and social issues prove the importance of a crisis social media plan and a sense of urgency. Many brands weren't equipped to mobilize their social media teams at the beginning of the pandemic, and customers took notice. Consumers expect brand actions to match brand values — any negatively perceived deviation could create a crisis. Social media content creation and engagement needs to be strategic and purposeful, with a time investment behind it. Implementing a crisis communications plan with prepared messaging and spokespeople brings reputation management into the online space.
Anna Crowe is the founder and CEO of Crowe PR , a bi-coastal public relations and influencer marketing agency with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Diego . Crowe has nearly 20 years working for iconic brands and pivoted to PR from an auditor position at a Big 4 accounting firm. She is a published, best-selling author, teaches marketing at the University of San Diego's School of Business , serves as city co-manager for Changemaker Chats , and sits on the board of the San Diego Chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization . The Interview Q: What are your core values, and how do those shape your business?
A: Our core values — authenticity, continuous improvement, relationships, results, and positivity — are engrained in our culture, celebrated daily, and emphasized in leadership training and strategic sessions. Authenticity means embracing who we are as individuals and understanding our unique strengths. Results-focused couples our commitment to excellence with measurable client KPIs. If we are servicing customers with the utmost professionalism and they're accomplishing their business goals as a result, we're fulfilling that core value.
Q: Advice for new PR leaders?
A: Manage authentically. Authenticity is one of the most important leadership skills in business and is often underestimated. Employees today are motivated by much more than financial gain — they want to be heard, enjoy their environment, partake in something bigger, and be recognized for their strengths. They need to trust their leadership team and know their manager has their back no matter what. By putting on a façade, a leader masks the strengths that make them powerful and authentic — empathy, transparency, and vulnerability.
Q: How have your work priorities changed since the pandemic?
A: Our work spans consumer goods, technology, hospitality, and professional services, so clients were impacted in different ways. Some industries temporarily shut down, while others flourished. We've helped many businesses navigate through PR, influencer marketing, social media, and crisis communications. We spent many hours solidifying and refining internal messaging for clients. While retailers are struggling and temporarily closing doors, we've adjusted strategies to promote consumer brands' e-commerce platforms and engage customers through multi-media content. Several tech and services clients are finding new opportunities as telemedicine becomes prominent. It's been rewarding to assist hotels to reopen and promote various restaurants' delivery options.
Q: How should brands prepare for future crises, especially on social media?
A: This year's pandemic and social issues prove the importance of a crisis social media plan and a sense of urgency. Many brands weren't equipped to mobilize their social media teams at the beginning of the pandemic, and customers took notice. Consumers expect brand actions to match brand values — any negatively perceived deviation could create a crisis. Social media content creation and engagement needs to be strategic and purposeful, with a time investment behind it. Implementing a crisis communications plan with prepared messaging and spokespeople brings reputation management into the online space.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
