The Artistry of Creating What’s Never Been Done Before – Part 1

July 24, 2014January 2, 2015Lauren Gray Leave a comment

Before the previous World Cup, Nike asked its go-to creative agency, Wieden+Kennedy, to create ‘something that’s never been seen before and never been done before.’ No pressure, right? What sounds like an overwhelming statement at first, has now become the industry norm.

Creativity and innovation are not only critical in the public relations and marketing profession – they are vital to generating ideas that can differentiate a brand or an organization from a million others.

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But what is the key to continuous inspiration – is there even one? Is it as simple as reading magazines, researching industry trends and talking to as many people as you can? Or is it about being awake, taking things in and experiencing life?

I consider myself a creator and love my profession, yet, sequentially having to come up with new concepts, innovative solutions and BIG ideas ads pressure. I do love the challenge but at the same time, it’s worth exploring how one finds continuous inspiration after having been in the industry for a few or even many years.

On my journey to endless imagination and artistry, I asked five leaders in the industry to share some of the secrets that keep their creative juices flowing:

David Bruce, Senior Director of Brand and Integrated Marketing at Major League Soccer

“I believe pretty firmly that inspiration is everywhere; it could come it the biggest or the smallest form. To me, the most crucial factor in being inspired is not closing yourself off to anything – not coming to judgments. A lot of my energy comes from the city I live in and the sources of inspiration it offers. Living in a city such as New York, gives you this rich tapestry – this energy – gives you this vibrancy. To me, that doesn’t necessarily mean having to go to a show, seeing an art gallery. It’s just walking around the streets having my music on, listening to a podcast and observing things around me. You see street graffiti and kids acting in a cult-like way. Here, they are all part of a small collective and express themselves a certain way, whether it’s through music, with art or how they dress. Every part of the city has its own style and sensibility. Chinatown is different from the Lower East Side, Midtown or East Village. That energy you get from experiencing those various communities and how different they are offers endless inspiration. It gives me direction.

I also enjoy experiencing cuisines from different cultures, seeing how a restaurant creates an experience from start to end: How you enter, how they greet you, what the waiters and waitresses are wearing, looking at the different types of menus, how everything is staged, what music is playing in the background, how you leave – all that, for me, is fascinating. You also see it in hotels, or when getting on and off an airline; it’s the small and unexpected things, the attention that people pay toward certain elements of an experience. I try to remember those things and create a memory log of things that I can regurgitate when I need to.”

Janet Froelich, Former Creative Director of the New York Times Magazine and Real Simple

“I think that a lot of what you do when you problem solve in an area that you’ve worked in for a very long time, is you feed off of it. It’s like a language that you learn so well, that you can use it without thinking about it any longer. You can structure new ideas by examining the nature of the problem. That also means, working off and with other people. I strongly believe that creativity is often collaborative. No matter which field you go into, you will work with other people. Today, I was reading an article in the paper, about how different Paul McCartney and John Lennon were. John Lennon was more of a wild spirit and undisciplined in his approach whereas Paul McCartney was very structured. They played off each other, sometimes battling it out, but often coming up with a much better solution than either of them would have had alone. So, some of it is about collaboration, learning to work with other people, developing a strong team, and understanding the nature of a problem solving in your specific discipline. The more you solve those problems often, the better you get.”

Check back on Monday for part two featuring Nicole Dobrzynski ‎(Global Football Brand Manager at Nike), Tony Telloni (Managing Director at Golin NYC) and Ben Roth (SVP Creative at MKTG Inc).

Helma von Zadow works with the Brand and Integrated Marketing team at Major League Soccer and is a member of the PRSA New York Chapter. She served on the 2013-2014 PRSSA National Committee as vice president of professional development. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Doing It All and Then Some as a New Public Relations Professional

July 17, 2014January 2, 2015Jess Noonan Leave a comment

In the world of public relations it’s hard to find time to sleep. New stories always need to be pitched, thought-provoking tweets need to be sent and time-sensitive crises need to be extinguished. Learning to build and maintain an image, whether it’s for a brand, organization or individual can consume your life if you let it. As new professionals we feel like we have something to prove. Just the thought of turning off our phones might make us feel like we are going to miss the PR opportunity of a lifetime. I have good news! Another opportunity will come along.

As a new professional in the PR industry, finding a work-life balance can be challenging. We want to over deliver and work long hours to earn our spot at the meeting table. Also, our job is fun, which makes it hard to stop. In what other industry do you get to create engaging news stories, take over the social media world and throw memorable parties? Time flies in the PR industry and I often find myself begging the clock for a few extra hours.

Despite your love of the job, the hours and intensity will eventually catch up with you and your life outside of work will want to take center stage. So, how do we “do it all”?

Race Against the Clock – With limited hours in the day it is extremely important to manage your time. First, make a list of your tasks. Next, prioritize them by deadline and importance. This may seem obvious, but do the items with a tight deadline or items that need multiple approvals first. If you are at a standstill with an individual project, bounce ideas off a colleague or mentor. When booking meetings or after work socials, make sure you have a little time to breathe between each event. Rushing from one thing to the next will wear you out.

Divide and Conquer – You have a team surrounding you for a reason. If you need a press release reviewed, a few social media posts written or brainstorming support, don’t hesitate to delegate to an intern or co-worker on your team. Even if you work solo on a daily basis, you still have a network of PR professionals (i.e. PRSA) surrounding you to lend a hand. Using others around you as a resource will help you accomplish more within your work hours.

Learn The Art of Being Selective – With professional organizations, recreational sports, social events and service projects, when do we say no? Building networks, professionally and personally is extremely important, but be mindful of which organizations suck time and which ones add value. Join a select few organizations where you can commit and truly engage. Don’t join everything just to say you did.

Unplug – When the workday is over, disconnect from your electronics. We all need time to reboot. It has taken three years in the industry for me to realize doing this is okay. Our clients take vacations and our bosses sleep at night. We can too. Being without an iPhone, laptop or Wi-Fi can be scary, but take that time to enjoy the world around you. I promise you won’t regret it and your quality of work will show for it.

Hannah Wilson works as an Account Executive at Spark Strategic Ideas. As a leader on the account management team she oversees the daily actives of over 50 Moe’s Southwest Grill locations, international toy manufacturer Schleich and North Carolina-based restaurant Hubee D’s. Hannah graduated with a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in public relations from Virginia Tech. She is a member of the PRSA Charlotte New Professionals board.

New Pros Survival Guide: Hard Choices Leading To A Better Career

July 14, 2014January 2, 2015Lauren Gray Leave a comment

This is a re-post from PRSA’s blog PRSAY. As previously featured…

Most public relations graduates exit college somewhat overwhelmed by the myriad decisions they are faced with – which city to move to; should they work for an agency, boutique or corporate; what field of PR should they practice; etc…

The options might seem endless.

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For some, whether or not to join PRSA might be among the choices they’ll need to make. While the path to professional development and career growth often leads to PRSA, membership isn’t always part of the immediate career plan for young PR professionals – as Heather Sliwinski mentioned in the first installment of our New Pros Survival Guide – for others, especially PRSSA members, the transition to PRSA is anticipated and for a few it is already predetermined.

Lauren K. Gray, PRSSA Immediate Past President (until recently) and PRSA New Professionals Section Blog Co-Chair, discusses her unique path from PRSSA to PRSA and offers some advice for new pros making the transition from student to professional. She also adds a few career tips to your New Pros Survival Guide.

Q. How did your involvement in PRSSA affect your decision to join PRSA?

Lauren Gray: My situation was a little different in joining PRSA because I was technically still a PRSSA member. As the Immediate Past President for the PRSSA National Committee, it was imperative I join PRSA as my position served as the link between PRSSA and PRSA to encourage the transition from the pre-professional organization to the professional organization. Even if it would not have been mandatory to join, I still would have joined PRSA because of the value I received from PRSSA which I knew would continue in PRSA and I wanted to continue my own professional development.

Q. How does PRSA membership differ from PRSSA?

LG: It’s really not that different. You get out of both organizations what you put into them. I was very active as a PRSSA member and I’m still very active as a PRSA member. I still learn and grow through the volunteer opportunities I sign up for. All of my PRSSA friends are now PRSA friends and the fun continues! Professional development wise, I think the webinars and conference sessions are more in-depth over the basics and introduction levels of PRSSA sessions.

Q. What is your best experience so far as a PRSA member?

LG: This year, the best experience I’ve had is serving with a very talented and collaborative PRSA New Professionals Executive Committee. I’ve really had a lot of fun serving as the blog co-chair with Jess Noonanand we’ve done a good job rebranding the blog to The Edge and updating the design and layout. It’s been great to collaborate with many of the other chairs on the committee and I was really excited we were able to put together a presentation for PRSA International Conference on understanding the importance of today’s hybrid PR professionals.

Q. How has being in PRSA helped you to boost your career?

LG: Two ways: friendships and professional development. Most of my closest friends are PRSA members or will soon be members. They’ve supported me with career changes and personal council as well as providing friendship and support in other ways. Those types of friendships are invaluable. From working with so many people in PRSSA and PRSA, I’ve learned how to work with different personalities, how to plan large and small-scale events from conferences to career forums, how to manage a running blog and obtain writers, how to be a follower or adviser when it’s someone else’s turn to lead and the importance of continued learning throughout my career. That’s probably not even all the ways PRSA has helped my career, but it’s a start and I know that list will keep growing.

Q. What is one piece of key advice you would give a recent graduate or new pro to help their career?

LG: Take chances. It seems so many communication and PR majors are determined to land at one of the big agencies we all know, but they might not understand they could have an even better and more valuable experience at a smaller agency, a corporation or a startup. As new pros, now is the time to take chances and figure out what you want to do early before you’re stuck doing something you don’t want to do later. Apply for or take a job you never thought you would be in and see if you like it. You never know who you may meet and where you may land.

Q. Is there any rest of the “wickedly determined?” Can a recent grad take the summer “off” and prep for their interviews in August?

LG: Absolutely! I know many graduates may graduate on a Friday or Saturday and start work that next Monday, but it’s a good idea to take some time off because once you start working there are no more summer breaks and vacation time is short. Enjoy your last real summer! Take informational interviews, take some time off and prep for interviews in the fall. I think it’s great to land a job in PR or communications for the summer, but volunteering or moving to a different location for another job can be just as valuable. Success isn’t measured in jobs or job titles; it’s measured in the amount time you set aside to reach all of your goals, including just having fun and being young.

Q. Anything else you’d like to add?

LG: It’s one thing to be a PRSA member, but it’s another thing to be an involved member. Like I said above, you will only get out of this organization what you put in it. Take time to listen to the webinars, write a guest post for one of the PRSA blogs, attend local conferences and attend local meetings. Look into joining a national or local committee as well; we’re always looking for volunteers and committee members! Being in PRSA is rewarding in so many ways, but you have to put yourself out there and really get involved first.

Lauren K. Gray is a new professional working in marketing, public relations and social media communications and currently works as a Project Manager at The Visual Brand in Westport, Connecticut. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Book Review: Improvise: Unconventional Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO

July 8, 2014January 2, 2015Jess Noonan Leave a comment

This post is part of The Edge monthly series of book reviews on books relevant to new PR professionals.

“He has worked with some of the country’s most fabled business leaders, such as Apple’s Steve Jobs, Disney’s Michael Eisner, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. He has helped introduce the world to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pokémon, and the seedless watermelon,” states a blurb about Fred Cook on the back of his latest book Improvise: Unconventional Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO.

If a description like that doesn’t inspire you to read a book then I don’t know what will.

This isn’t your average career development publication. It’s an entertaining education on leadership, creativity, business and getting ahead of your competition rooted in the very thing that propelled Cook to CEO of Golin—his unique experiences.

His outrageous stories catalog his adventures as a cabin boy on a Norwegian ship, a salesmen of leather goods in Italy, a doorman at a four-star hotel, traveling across the world, starting his own PR firm and many other experiences. These narratives, however, aren’t random. They all have a specific purpose: to keep you eagerly reading along and easily transferring otherwise complex lessons.

Much like the book’s title suggests, Cook puts a great deal of emphasis on the power of improvising. Employing his above-mentioned stories and wit, he details logical steps to embracing your weird thinking and harnessing it to advance your career. A consistent theme is the importance of gaining a variety of experiences to synthesize to your advantage.

The importance is showcased as Cook describes the very moments that equipped him to effectively maintain client relations and think outside the box to gain new business like Starbucks (before they were huge).

With so many qualified young professionals entering the marketplace, you’re going to be required to stand out. This book will help you do just that and is a must-read for the new pro as well as the seasoned veteran.

So start expanding your perspective and varying your experiences—pick up Cook’s Improvise, and I promise that your career will never be the same.

Ben Butler is the founder and president of Top Hat IMC—an integrated marketing communications firm in Wexford and Pittsburgh, PA. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and on Twitter (@BenButlerPR).

So You Want to Start a PR Career in Government…

June 30, 2014January 2, 2015Lauren Gray Leave a comment

There are many perceptions about government in Washington D.C. – political campaigns or press conferences with a mayor or congressman. Yes, there is some of that, but there is much more. Let’s explore how government public relations works and some things I’ve learned over the years.

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What is it like?

There are many opportunities in government. Think of the city you live in and the news. Every day you see stories about police, fire, public meetings, road closures, housing, rezoning and much more. In fact, government seems to make up a lot of the news and media relations is a part of the job. There are other tasks like websites, graphic designs, safety campaigns, community engagement, social media, employee communications and many more = similar to working in-house for a business. Depending on where you live you might work in a communications department that represents the whole city or you may work strictly for a department such as transit, fire, utilities or police. There are also county systems, state departments and federal departments.

What I’ve learned…

Everything is public information. Any time you send an email, write a news release or post on Twitter for your job, it’s public information. In fact when you look for a job, the public relations positions are usually classified as public information officers. In government, anyone can request information and you will have to provide information if it is available. So you need to save a lot of things and be proactive in pushing out information that is useful to the public.

Good writing skills and strategic thinking are essential. Like other PR jobs, good writing skills will go a long way. You still need to be able to write a press release and other content. Likewise, you will be involved in big projects that require research, identifying stakeholders and target audiences, creating goals and objectives, selecting tactics and measuring your success.

Try to be as proactive as you can, but sometimes you have to be reactive. A lot of times things beyond your control will happen fast and the media may come to you before you know about it such as a sinkhole forming on a heavily traveled road during evening rush hour. It may take some time to get your information together, but you learn to give what information you have at that time. Remember that government is often a resource of information and a lot of times media will come to you first. It might seem like it is reactive, but you might already have a plan of what to say for different issues

When it comes to budget, think nonprofit. There is some money allotted to communications, but it is usually limited. Government works for the public and needs to be selective in where money goes. This goes back to why strategic planning is important. You can still be creative and create campaigns when needed, but it is usually on a tight budget.

Be patient. Sometimes priorities change or the budget is cut and your project is put on hold. Also, some pieces of information may need to be reviewed by many people before you can finalize it. Things will get done, but it may take longer than you expected.

You can really be proud of your work and make a difference. At our organization, we say “Public service is our business.” You will be involved in a lot of large projects. You’ll get to be engaged with your community and help bring projects together. I’ve worked behind the scenes during snow storms and realize how important it is to get the right information to the right people at the right time. I can walk down the street and see something I was a part of and it gives me a sense of pride. I’ve also met some of the hardest working people in government.

Government public relations is a great place to start your career. It’s similar to other fields and you’ll be able to use a lot of your skills. It’s challenging and rewarding. There are many options of where to work; you just have to find them.

Nicole Ramsey works as a Strategic Communications Manager for the City of Charlotte’s Corporate Communications and Marketing department in Charlotte, NC. She also is a member of the PRSA Charlotte’s New Professionals board. Nicole graduated with a M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a B.A. in Communications from the University of Louisville.