EVC Group

What lessons have you learned in 10 years of PR?

I keep a plaque in my office that says, “Communication is only achieved if someone listens.” The most well executed strategy will not deliver results unless it is matched with knowledge of the media and trends in news reporting. You have to read the papers and watch the shows constantly to stay abreast of what’s getting covered, and how. It’s as vital as staying current with your clients. This currency enables you to create the environment in which a pitch can become a story. And this is achieved when you can demonstrate to a reporter that a story is not just interesting but relevant — and has an expiration date.

In your view, what is a good client?

A good client is a major contributor to a successful PR program, especially when she can quickly marshal the internal resources needed to make a story happen. Reporters move very quickly. There isn’t a lot of time between a reporter’s decision to write a story and the deadline for delivering what the reporter needs. A good client doesn’t have to be a media expert — that’s our job. But a really good client helps us deliver the goods — the sources, background, and other material needed to support successful PR results, and occasionally bring forward offbeat, marketable stories that aren’t necessarily related to a major milestone or announcement, or aren’t otherwise immediately apparent.

Where do you see PR going in the next 10 years?

The great thing about our line of work is that, regardless of the technology being used, there is a classic relationship at its center —between the journalist and the communications professional. This was true in the age of faxes and snail mail and it is true in the age of Twitter. I think that predictions of the Death of Journalism are wrongheaded. But more content is being produced with the Internet as the ultimate destination, or at least a major part of the strategy. As communications professionals, we’ll need to bear in mind how these changes affect how reporters work. You see print reporters who are expected to keep a blog or produce video or a podcast and need content and pitches catered to that format. More and more, reporters will be essentially on deadline at all times.

Did you study PR or communications at school?

Not really — I studied Art History with a concentration on early 20th century Russian modernism and late 19th century Russian symbolism. What fascinates me about the period, besides the beauty in the work done by Leon Bakst and Mikhail Vrubel, was the cultural moment the art represents. At that moment in Russia’s history, everyone was asking, what’s the way forward for Russia? Is our place in Europe, or the East? This was reflected in the art, with styles that mixed French impressionism with that of Orthodox icons and modernist riffs on traditional folk styles.

That passion did bring me to public relations. Writing museum text explaining a work of art in less than 70 words, taking groups on tours as a museum docent, giving (very occasional) talks at conferences, all were opportunities to share my excitement with parties who were interested, but not yet invested. I like to think my mission stays the same in PR.

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