BMF marks 100 years in New Orleans

Beuerman Miller Fitzgerald, Inc. launched a centennial campaign to mark 100 years of branding, advertising and crisis work from New Orleans. The agency says the milestone underscores its role in helping Southern brands grow while expanding its footprint across public affairs, litigation support and reputation management.

Why it matters: - BMF’s 100th anniversary highlights a century-long run in Southern communications, with work that has shaped major consumer brands and helped companies manage crises and reputational risk. - The milestone also shows how a New Orleans agency evolved from local advertising roots into a broader strategic communications firm with regional and global reach.

What happened: - Beuerman Miller Fitzgerald, Inc. launched its “First 100 Years” campaign on June 9, 2026, to celebrate the firm’s centennial. - The New Orleans-based agency says the campaign recognizes its work across advertising, public relations, public affairs, litigation support, crisis communications and reputation management. - The agency traces its origins to Fitzgerald Advertising, founded in New Orleans in 1926. - Fitzgerald Advertising later became Beuerman Miller Fitzgerald in 2002.

The details: - The firm has represented brands including TABASCO®, Pickapeppa®, Coca-Cola, Wesson Oil, K&B Drugs, Brown’s Velvet Dairy and Zatarain’s. - BMF also serves clients in hospitality, energy, healthcare, government services and consumer-facing industries. - The agency says it was one of the first U.S. firms to identify women as a distinct consumer audience and to place women in central client engagement roles. - Fitzgerald drew national attention in the 1970s for creative campaigns such as ice cream scented ink in print ads for Brown’s Velvet Dairy. - Longtime south Louisiana residents remember “Mr. Bingle,” the Maison Blanche character promoted through campaigns that included live on-air puppet shows. - Fitzgerald’s “Abita Man Can” campaigns helped consumers become comfortable with in-home water delivery for Abita Spring Water. - In 2002, Fitzgerald joined with Beuerman Miller to create BMF and expand into a larger strategic communications practice. - That expanded practice has included work for the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Delta Utilities, BP, Valero, the Gulf Coast oyster industry, Tulane Medical Center, The Helis Foundation and tourism destinations across the South. - BMF joined IPREX in 2004, expanding its access to an international network of independent agencies. - Heidi Otway, APR, CPRC, Global President of IPREX and President and Partner at SalterMitchell PR, said BMF is an “outstanding resource” for demanding clients along the Gulf Coast and a valuable part of the network. - BMF led communications for Shell’s “Coming Home” campaign after Hurricane Katrina to help signal that New Orleans was open for business and on the road to recovery. - Ron Thompson, BMF President of Marketing, said the core brand lesson has stayed the same over time: consumers expect a brand promise to be kept. - BMF acquired Bond Moroch in 2022, expanding its New Orleans footprint and strengthening its position in food and beverage, hospitality, and arts and culture. - Virginia Miller, BMF co-owner, said the firm is laying groundwork for the next 100 years. - Today, BMF says it is recognized for crisis communications, litigation support, reputation management and public affairs counsel, alongside brand-building work. - The agency says it has handled crises from the Gulf of Aden to the Aleutian Islands and supported legal teams in litigation from Georgia to Colorado. - More information is available in BMF’s centennial page.

Between the lines: - The centennial campaign is not just a birthday marker. It positions BMF as an agency that has survived multiple eras of media, consumer behavior and regional economic change. - The agency’s history blends classic consumer-brand advertising with higher-stakes reputation work, which helps explain its current positioning in crisis and litigation support. - The IPREX relationship suggests BMF uses global network scale while keeping its Gulf Coast identity and local market focus.

What’s next: - BMF is using the centennial to frame its next phase of growth around legacy, regional expertise and broader strategic communications services. - The agency says it is building for the next 100 years while continuing to serve clients across the South and beyond. - Its anniversary campaign will likely keep the firm’s history in front of clients, partners and prospective business as it expands from that legacy.