Posts

PR Rising Star Victoria McNish on nurturing a career in political communications

/in

In December 2021, Victoria McNish won the Rising Star of the Year award at the ICCO Global Awards—another crowning moment to add to an already impressive run in the industry. Having studied politics at Durham University, McNish’s career began in Parliament working in an MP’s office, followed by a two-and-a-half-year stint at public affairs agency Newington Communications. In 2019, she took up post as a consultant at DGA Interel UK where she worked her way up to Account Director. Outside of her time at DGA Interel, McNish serves as a mentor for I Have a Voice; a social enterprise working to improve political literacy among young people in the UK from disadvantaged backgrounds. She also sits on the industry’s youth committee – NextGen Public Affairs.

 

ICCO: Can you describe how you were first drawn to communications?

Victoria McNish, Account Director at DGA Interel, won the ICCO Global Award for Rising Star of the Year in 2021.

VM: I always wanted to pursue a career in the world of politics and having started my career working in Parliament for an MP, I came to realise how important it is that businesses and organisations contribute to the policy development process. As the on-the-ground experts in their field or sector, it is critical that businesses and organisations communicate their insights and make recommendations to decision makers. Political communications – or public affairs as it is better known – provided the perfect opportunity for me to do just that.

ICCO: What do you most enjoy about working in communications?

VM: For me, it has to be strategizing. From sitting down with a new client to get to grips with their bottom line or the regulatory barrier they face, to working with them to identify their desired political or policy outcome and translating that into a comms objective, and then mapping the path to get them from point A to B. Then the hard work starts!

ICCO: What are your thoughts on being nominated for and winning the 2021 ICCO Global Rising Star of the Year award?

VM: I was delighted just to be put forward by my very supportive colleagues, let alone be nominated or to have won. While it’s a personal achievement I’m very proud of, I am also pleased to bring a bit more recognition to ‘public affairs’ and why what we do is important as a lesser-known contingent in the comms world.

ICCO:  Which one of your most recent campaigns or projects are you especially proud of contributing to?

VM: I am most proud of the work my team did to support the UK’s beauty and wellbeing industry during the pandemic. The industry was one of the worse affected having been completely shut down with no access to cash flow. In the Government’s first lockdown lifting plan in 2020, they were bottom of the list with no reopening timeline and its thousands of practitioners – 85% which are women – were mocked by male MPs and the PM himself during PMQs. Our 4x award winning (5th pending!) #NotALaughingMatter campaign resulted in a momentous step-change in how the industry is perceived, and not only was it one of the first to reopen in April 2021 alongside non-essential retail, but the Government also set up a whole new ‘Personal Care’ team in Whitehall dedicated to supporting the sector.

ICCO: Are there any personal characteristics or skills that communications demands of you (or anyone) that you’ve developed in your role?

VM: Flexibility in communication approach and the ability to constantly adjust this is a key skill and one that I’m constantly learning – both externally and internally. Whether it’s how to best communicate a client’s position to political stakeholders while in keeping with their style and tone or changing the approach you take to each differing client relationship, or how you communicate with those on your own team internally in a way that best suits their needs and ways of working.

McNish’s DGA Interel team also won the Public Affairs award at the PRWeek UK awards in 2021 for the ‘#notalaughingmatter’ for the APPG on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing’ campaign.

ICCO: As agencies battle for top talent, what would you say to a young person considering a career in communications to convince them it was the right choice? And what do firms need to do to retain their best staff?

VM: I would always recommend comms as a sector where young people have the opportunity to hit the ground running and progress fast. You are often thrown in the deep end and have to learn as you go, but you are surrounded by colleagues who’ve done exactly the same thing and can provide you with the safety net you need. Many agencies offer staff the opportunity to seize ownership of projects early on and move up at regular intervals, which is a great incentive for bright, ambitious individuals. Yet people shouldn’t have to arrive first and leave last to prove themselves. Agencies should empower staff to take on new challenges and progress, while also offering them a fair work life balance, a family-feel atmosphere and wellbeing support. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, which is a great thing about working at DGA Interel.

ICCO: How do you think public affairs will change over the next five years? (The way it’s conducted, the priority issues, influence of social media, tech etc)

VM: The pandemic has already had an irreversible impact on public affairs. Where once you could be waiting weeks for a politician to fit you in for a Portcullis House coffee, now if you capture their interest, you’re set for a zoom two days later. While the pace of engagement is quicker (I’ve had calls with MPs as they hop on a train back to their constituency), I question whether the same depth of relationships will be built over the screen as in person, and whether the ability to influence will be diminished as a result.

On the other hand, social media has already changed the way we communicate and will continue to do over the next 5 years. DGA Interel recently polled MPs and found that 95% check social media at least once a day, 49% say their use has increased during the pandemic, and 45% say it is important for engaging with business, charities and stakeholders. We now have an integrated digital unit as more and more of our clients are seeking this kind of support to run really effective political campaigns.

 

 

This is part 2 of a 2-part interview series with 2020 and 2021’s ICCO Rising Stars of the Year. Click HERE for interview with 2020’s winner; markettiers’ Max Mitchell.

HAHM SHOUT DOODLE Makes History as first South Korean PRCA Member 

/in

HONG KONG, 25th January, 2022 – The Public Relations and Communications Association Asia-Pacific (PRCA APAC) has announced Hahm Shout Doodle as its first ever South Korean corporate member.

Hahm Shout Doodle is a full-service PR and marketing agency, offering strategy, PR and risk management, digital, creative and influencer solutions. They work with more than 300 clients across industrial, distribution, culture and entertainment.

The PRCA’s regional voice in South Korea will also be strengthened with Hahm Shout Doodle’s CEO, Siwon Hahm, joining its PRCA APAC Board.

As the world’s largest professional PR association, the PRCA has become the leading body for communications professionals across the Asia-Pacific, with members in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and now South Korea.

 

PRCA Director-General Francis Ingham MPRCA said:

“Raising professional standards all around the world depends on our ability to understand nuances across local regions. We want every PR professional in South Korea and across the wider APAC region to have access to world-class support and representation. And so, it’s a pleasure to welcome one of South Korea’s most dynamic PR agencies – Hahm Shout Doodle – to PRCA APAC, as well as the esteemed Siwon Hahm to the Board.”

 

Siwon Hahm MPRCA, CEO of Hahm Shout Doodle, said:

“As the newest member of the PRCA Asia Pacific, Hahm Shout Doodle is truly excited for the various global networking opportunities our inclusion in the PRCA will present. As a representative of Korea, we look forward to sharing our know-how and expertise with the esteemed member agencies of the PRCA and are eager to begin the highly fruitful partnerships.”

 

ABOUT PRCA

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) is the world’s largest professional PR body.

We represent more than 35,000 PR professionals in 82 countries worldwide. With offices in London, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, and Buenos Aires, we are a global advocate for excellence in public relations.

Our mission is to create a more professional, ethical, and prosperous PR industry. We champion – and enforce – professional standards around the world through our Professional Charter and Code of Conduct. The Code compels members to adhere to the highest standards of ethical practice.

We deliver exceptional training, authoritative industry data, and global networking, and development opportunities.

We also manage the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) – the umbrella body for 41 PR associations and 3,000 agencies across the world, and LG Comms – the UK’s national body for local government communicators. Additionally, we support the delivery of the Motor Industry Communicators Association (MICA).

 

ABOUT HAHM SHOUT DOODLE

Hahm Shout Doodle is the industry FIRST MOVER which constantly drives innovation, creating value through communication. Whereas most PR agencies settle for PR 2.0, Hahm Shout Doodle leads the industry with IBC (Integrated Business Communication) that produces real business results.

As a First Mover in the era of Communication 4.0, we aim to become a leader in the communication ecosystem through PR/marketing services, online and offline integrated advertising, and marketing automation platform business. Helping business succeed with integrated communication service, Hahm Shout Doodle is Korea’s leading PR & marketing agency moving the market with communication.

Hahm Shout Doodle boasts professional expertise in each field of business, including strategic planning, operation, design, video production, advertising, etc. to provide optimal solutions for the specific characteristics and circumstances of clients.

PR rising stars reflect on their careers and the industry: An interview with Max Mitchell (part 1 of a 2-part series)

/in

Gifted with a talent for editorial narratives and a perfect environment for professional growth, markettiers Team Head Max Mitchell, reflects on his career journey, including winning the 2020 Rising Star of the Year award at the 2020  ICCO Global awards.

Mitchell got his start at markettiers—a leading broadcast PR agency generating creative national, regional and international campaigns—six years ago. After completing a Media Studies course at Kingston College, Mitchell reached out to markettiers’ CEO, who set him up with an internship. When his stint as an intern ended, Mitchell was offered a full-time role in the company’s newsroom. Now, he works as a Team Head, a position he’s held for the last two years.

 

ICCO: Can you walk us through your roles/ career up to now including your time at markettiers?

MM: I started my career at 21 within markettiers’ newsroom. I was introduced to, and worked with, ex-journalists and broadcast experts who taught me what makes a good editorial story, how to pitch to broadcast and the importance of understanding the needs of different media.

My role then moved from media-facing to client-facing as I became a Senior Account Executive and began taking my experience of the media to clients, advising, and reviewing current PR plans through the lens of landing broadcast media.

After a few years I climbed the ranks, and eventually, when I was a Senior Account Manager, I lead a team of 6 people. My role was very much about leading from the front and to help nurture and grow the team as we continued to bring on more brands.

The team grew to eight to 10 individuals and my role then included ensuring we continue to hit commercial targets and milestones. At which point, I was promoted to my current role as a Team Head.

ICCO: What attracted you to a career in communications?

MM: Growing up I always loved watching TV and going to the cinema. If you look at that as a standalone statement everyone’s first reaction would be ‘ooh he’s a bit lazy,’ but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Unlike most people, I loved the adverts and always wondered why they all looked and sounded so different.

What this ultimately meant for me is I excelled in anything in school that included media and allowed me to get answers to those questions. Eventually, my interest shifted from wondering why brands were talking and sounding the way they did to how and why those particular words were chosen and positioned the way they were. I ended up meeting the head of markettiers, who gave me the opportunity to join their newsroom, where I fell in love with editorial narratives. I never looked back.

Max Mitchell, winner of the 2020 ICCO Rising Star of the Year award and Team Head at leading broadcast PR agency, markettiers.

ICCO: What aspect of your work do you enjoy the most?

MM: I’m going to cheat a bit on this answer because I honestly feel that without any one of these things in my day-to-day my job just wouldn’t be the same.

Firstly, the variety of clients I get to work with is extraordinary. I can be helping to launch a new vegan food product from a well-known high-street retailer on Monday, by Wednesday be championing small businesses and helping traditional bricks and mortar businesses digitally upskill and broaden their offering, and finish the week off making sure an environmental charity’s B-roll has had a touch point with international media in South America.

None of that, however, would be possible without my colleagues, whom I adore more than they know, and being a team lead puts me in a unique position where I can interview and help bring new, amazing, and diverse talent into the industry and into my team, to ensure we can continue our great work.

ICCO: How has your work life evolved over the past 2 years, not only in terms of your win but also the pandemic?

MM: Completely. And I don’t mean this just in the way that I now work from home most of the time in comparison to how I used to. The beginning of the pandemic for me was such a learning curve. I watched our senior team completely re-organise and re-focus a 100+ people workforce, not out of fear or worry but out of understanding that media habits were changing and therefore we must too (despite how comfortable we have become in the 27 years the company has been going), which is no easy feat, let alone to do it successfully.

This meant that my team and I had to, in essence, forget a lot of what we knew and spend even more of our time understanding media habits, needs and wants to ensure that we could continue to guide our clients through an ever-changing media landscape and continue to do great work for them.

ICCO: Has there been a campaign or project over the past year that you’re especially proud of contributing to?

MM: Absolutely. I run the team within markettiers that works with Freuds and the Cabinet Office on their Covid response within broadcast. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our role has been to use radio and TV to ensure the messaging around keeping safe, getting vaccinated and alike have cut through.

I’m extremely proud to have been a part of the current drive to make the UK the leading country in the vaccination programme and if even just one person listened and did something which ultimately saved theirs or a loved one’s life… that’s a job well done as far as I’m concerned. However, we know the reality is that many thousands have been reached and influenced by our work in a valuable way.

ICCO: Is there a personal characteristic that you feel has been greatly developed through your work in PR and communications?

MM: Through all its pros and cons, I have always been a pretty empathetic and understanding person, and this for me has continued to develop as we continue to work with a variety of diverse brands: the only way to truly communicate to diverse groups is to try and understand their hopes, dreams, fears, and cultural differences beyond just demographic.

ICCO: What are your thoughts on the importance of ethical PR & Communications globally?

MM: Being ethically sound should be strong in everything we do, and PR & Comms is no different. I personally believe there is a high standard of ethics within the industry but of course there is more that can be done, not least by actively engaging and supporting the individuals and organisations making those changes.

ICCO: ICCO’s World PR Reports over the last two years have revealed that retaining talent is the industry’s number 1 challenge. As a young person in the industry, do you have suggestions regarding ways PR leaders can nurture and retain the talent of younger employees?

MM: This is such an interesting question because I don’t think we can understate how important fresh, ambitious, and diverse groups of young talent are in this ever-changing industry and world. I also don’t feel this topic needs to be over complicated.

We work in an industry where businesses boast and win awards for reaching and changing the perceptions of everyone from the general public to the most discreet groups. Saying that, you would think we should have the highest rate of retention! Yet the truth is behind closed doors they lose young staff due to lack of understanding, listening and communication.

My advice for PR leaders is this: truly want to teach the next generation, share, and recognise the successes and compensate the pressures. I genuinely believe at markettiers my senior team care for me, want me to succeed and, although I’m not perfect, make sure through my career I’m on the straight and narrow. And for that I give them my loyalty and best.

Ultimately, be as great at communicating with your team as you are your clients. Be empathetic, give space to grow and celebrate growth that comes from the inevitable bumps in the road. In essence, make everyone feel we are all in this together.

 

 

This is part 1 of a 2-part interview series with 2020 and 2021’s ICCO Rising Stars of the Year. Visit News – ICCO PR next week for an interview with 2021’s winner; Interel’s Victoria McNish.

Four Global Industry Leaders Inducted into ICCO Hall of Fame

/in ,

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) inducted UK Government Communication Executive Director Alex Aiken, Nigerian PR trailblazer Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, and Global Women in PR co-founders Angela Oakes and Susan Hardwick into its exclusive Hall of Fame during today’s ICCO Global Awards ceremony.

Established in 2003, the ICCO Hall of Fame recognises those who have made exceptional progress in the internationalisation of the public relations industry, and who have combined cultural sensitivity with commercial acumen to create agencies that share global reach with local relevance.

The 2021 Class joins industry greats like Harold Burson, Richard Edelman, and Margery Kraus.

 

Alex Aiken, Executive Director for UK Government Communication, said:

“It’s an honour to be recognised alongside leaders of our industry like David Gallagher, Karen van Bergen and Barry Leggeter. And I’ve learnt from the work of many people that the ICCO have already recognised, from Harold Burson to the Edelman’s, and the late Lord Bell. I’m grateful to the ICCO and will use this recognition to redouble my efforts to promote effective, ethical and enterprising communication around the world.”

 

Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, President, African Public Relations Association (APRA), Group Managing Director, CMC Connect (Perception Managers), said:

“I am deeply humbled and honoured to have been elected into this famed hall of achievers in public relations. As I celebrate it, I am quickly reminded of how much more work we still have to do to ensure public relations is rightly valued. Many of our clients relate with us with great levels of ambiguity, which blunts our competitiveness. We as practitioners must collectively correct this anomaly through Affirmative Public Relations. I thank ICCO for recognizing Africa through me and as a continent, promise to continue our contributions to the advancement of global practice.”

 

GWPR Co-Founders Angela Oakes and Susan Hardwick said:

“We are both absolutely delighted to accept this award in recognition of the networking organisation we founded and developed – GWPR. Sue and I launched GWPR as a not-for-profit membership organisation in 2015. Our goal is to champion, connect and support women in senior roles in PR and Communications all over the world.

“Over the last six years we have successfully built a truly global membership organisation, with GWPR national networking groups and affiliates across Europe, Russia, India, Africa, the Middle East, Central America and Asia Pacific.  And in 2022 we are thrilled that the US will also be joining the GWPR global network.

“The gender issue of ‘women in the boardroom’ is high on the business agenda globally and although PR women dominate this industry worldwide, there remains a significant imbalance in the boardroom. We strongly believe that creating a better balance is important; not just for women, but for business as a whole. Not only do we shine a light on these issues, but we drive activity programmes to come up with solutions and help make change.

“Finally, we would wholeheartedly like to thank ICCO – and in particular Francis Ingham – for having faith in us and supporting us since the very beginning.”

 

 

 

Further information about the 2021 ICCO Hall of Fame Inductees:

 

Alex Aiken is the Executive Director for Government Communication covering international issues and national security. He is part of the leadership of the Government Communication Service and was appointed in December 2012. He had led the biggest government campaigns of the last decade on Covid, Brexit, and the GREAT Britain campaign. Between 2000 and 2012, he was Director of Communications and Strategy for Westminster City Council. Before joining Westminster he worked in Parliament and for Conservative Party. He has trained and advised politicians and officials in countries and states around the world in the practice of government and communications.

 

Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, or YBO, as he is popularly called, is one of the premier PR practitioners in Nigeria and Africa, with more than 30 years of experience. Having founded CMC Connect Limited in 1992, Yomi has consulted for many multinationals and governments in Nigeria and abroad in areas of government relations & legislative affairs, perception management, marketing, advertising, PR and crisis communications. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) where he was past Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter. He also sits on the boards of several blue-chip companies in Nigeria. As part of his continued efforts at mainstreaming Africa into global PR practice, YBO has served as a Board Member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA).

His love for Africa is evident in his selfless service to the African Public Relations Association (APRA) where he served as a two-term Secretary-General and is the current President. He was recently appointed as West Africa Chair for the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA). He has bagged several awards in his profession including the prestigious PR Golden Eagle Award as the Most Outstanding Public Relations Person of the Year 2010.

 

Angela Oakes is a PR professional with an impressive track record working with global multi-nationals on strategic brand development and integrated consumer campaigns. In the 1980s, Angela worked at several London-based PR agencies including Hill & Knowlton, Catalyst Communications and the Grayling Company, where she worked with the Grayling founder to help develop the business. This invaluable experience of seeing a successful agency being built from scratch led her to subsequently launch her own PR agency Oakes Bacot, later re-branded Treehouse PR.

Angela’s personal experience of the value of a networking organisation like WPR, at a time when she was juggling her own business with childcare responsibilities, spearheaded her decision to work with Sue Hardwick on launching Global Women in PR in 2015. She believes this is her legacy to the global PR industry and a clear demonstration of her passion to empower the next generation of PR women to become senior leaders.

Susan Hardwick was formerly a board director at one of the UK’s top PR consultancies (owned by Countrywide Porter Novelli), head of communications for a large retail chain, and ran her own business (Hardwick PR).

An experienced advisor on brand development and issues management, Sue handled a wide portfolio of UK and international clients. Clients ranged from FTSE 100 companies to top international sporting events. Whilst being primarily based in the UK her work was of a global nature masterminding communications programmes throughout Europe and the USA.

Being involved with Women in PR provided a very important support network when juggling running a business with being a mother. To have had the chance to then develop GWPR has been a significant part of Sue’s involvement in the PR industry. Networking remains an essential part of business life and to have helped to generate a worldwide group of organisations, supporting each other, has been a real high point and an important part of supporting women in an industry she loves.

Stats show almost half of PR professionals to resume international business travel

/in ,

Almost half (44%) of PR professionals around the world plan to resume international business travel in the next six months, according to new research published by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO).

168 CEOs, Directors, and Department Heads took part in the latest PRCA and ICCO quarterly Confidence Tracker, which assesses market confidence in public relations around the world.

The study – conducted by Question & Retain – evidences a strong appetite for the resumption of international travel, with just under a third (29%) of senior professionals planning to travel internationally for business within the next three months.

Market confidence holds firm

The study also reveals impressive levels of confidence amongst PR and communications leaders. More than eight out of ten (84%) respondents said they were ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ in the future of their organisation. This represents a 20% year-on-year increase; the same study carried out in October 2020 revealed 64% felt they were ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’. The figure was as low as 38% in April 2020 at the outset of the pandemic.

PRCA Director General and ICCO Chief Executive Francis Ingham MPRCA said:

“Confidence across every global region is high. Many of our members have fared exceptionally well – new businesses is being driven by a growing demand for a diverse range of retained and project-based communication services. It’s also very encouraging to see so many of our members expecting to travel again in the near future.”

Jessica Oppenheim & Leticia Villegas – Mexico’s ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup Finalists

/in ,

As the competition period for the inaugural PR World Cup finals come to a close today, October 18th, we wanted to take some time out to congratulate a few more of these talented finalists for making it to this stage. Jessica Oppenheim and her teammate, Leticia Villegas from Mexico, are one of eleven teams from around the globe to participate in the 5 day long competition. Over the last 5 days, all teams have worked to create and film a PR campaign video pitch for a brief set by Think Tank, the International SOS Foundation. As of today, an international team of judges will score each pitch. Winners will be announced on October 21st. In a meantime, join us in getting to know team Mexico!

Jessica Oppenheim, Senior Account Supervisor for P&G, Porter Novelli Mexico & ICCO Next – Gen PR World Cup finalist

Jessica Oppenheim

Senior Account Supervisor for P&G, Porter Novelli Mexico

 

Q: What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?

Jessica: The first campaign that I worked for in a PR Agency made me fall in love with PR, it was about bringing the first chapter of ILTM Americas (International Luxury Travel Market) to Mexico’s Riviera Maya. It was an amazing experience to host media from all over the world, having the same interests as me, while showcasing the beauties of my country.

Q: What does being creative mean to you?

Jessica: Being creative is to have the ability to see beyond a brief or requirement and, instead of doing it the traditional-lineal way, it is taking it to another level of inspiration, turning it into something unexpected, surprising, and intelligent.

Q: Favourite social media account to follow?

Jessica: @prgirlmanifesto, @herve_in_paris, @allaboutwanderlust_, @dudewithsign, @mrwonderful_, @pictoline, @ocean_obsessions_

Leticia Villegas, Porter Novelli Mexico’s Senior Vice President & ICCO Next-Gen Finalist

Leticia Villegas

Senior Vice President, Porter Novelli Mexico’s 

 

Q: What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?

Leticia: What I enjoy the most of my work in PR is to create connections and strategies for brands to be and show their best version and have a positive impact on their communities, with results being seen through the engaged response shown by people. A memorable instance where I was able to participate was Batman’s 80th anniversary celebration, where the Batsignal was shone on different buildings across the world, an iconic symbol which brings good memories across generations.

Q: What does being creative mean to you?

Leticia: Being creative is to give shape to ideas in order to take risks, create the unexpected and always retain the ability to improve and adapt as needed.

Q: Favourite social media account to follow?

Leticia: @natgeo, @magnumphotos, @humansofny, @seregalandudas, @rp_latam

 

Winners of the PR World Cup will be announced across all ICCO platforms on October 21st.

Sophie Webster & Elliot Payne, UK’s ICCO PR World Cup Finalists

/in ,

Boldspace’s Sophie Webster and Elliot Payne are the UK’s finalist duo in the 5 day long, ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup finals. As the competition period comes to a close today, October 18th, we are taking some time out to highlight these talented young PR professionals

Sophie E. Webster, Junior Creative at Boldspace and ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup Finalist

from around the world for making it to this stage.

Over the last 5 days, all teams have worked to create and film a video pitch of an original campaign for a brief set by think tank, the International SOS Foundation. As of today, an international team of judges will score each pitch. Winners will be announced on October 21st. But for now, we’re getting to know a little bit more about Sophie and Elliot in this joint round of Q&A.

 

Q: What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?

Sophie & Elliot: Our favourite campaign we’ve most recently worked on at Boldspace is for Fridays called Celebrate the Game. We really enjoyed this as it challenged the stigma surrounding women’s football in an engaging way, by taking hate from behind a screen, and turning it into respect on the pitch. It really said a lot about attitudes to women’s football, attitudes which we want to change.

Q: What does being creative mean to you?

Eliot Payne, Junior Creative at Boldspace and 1/2 of Team UK’s Next-Gen PR World Cup finalists

Sophie & Elliot: For us, being creative means not only seeing a problem from one angle but flipping it around and looking at it from every point possible. It’s about letting your mind wander but knowing when it’s time to start heading back.

Q: Favourite social media account to follow?

Sophie & Elliot: We are both massive fans of Aldi’s Twitter account. They are pros at reacting creatively and show how a brand’s voice can be fun and engaging – even if it’s just where you go for your weekly shop.

 

Official winners of the inaugural ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup finals will be announced on October 21st, 2021, across all ICCO digital platforms. Stay tuned!

Maria da Silva & Vasileios Vrakas – France’s ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup Finalists

/in ,

Maria da Silva and Vasileios Vrakas form France’s finalist duo in the 5 day long, ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup finals. As the competition period comes to a close today, October 18th, we wanted to take some time out to celebrate talented finalists from around the world for making it to this stage.

Over the last 5 days, all teams have worked to create and film a video pitch of an original campaign for a brief set by Think Tank, the International SOS Foundation. 

Maria da Silva, Consultante Influence with Agence Proches & ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup finalist

As of today, an international team of judges will score each pitch. Winners will be announced on October 21st. But for now, indulge in this joint round of Q&A, as we get to know a little bit about team France!

Q: What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?

Maria & Vasileios : “A hard pill to swallow” for the Swedish pharma network APOTEK HJÄRTAT. The campaign raises awareness on water pollution by pharmaceutical factories in manufacturing countries such as India.

To highlight the problem, the designers of the campaign created a new kind of medicine (pill) made from the active substances extracted from the water polluted by the pharmaceutical factories.

Omnicom PR Group France’s Vasileios Vrakas, Account Manager, Digital & PR as well as an ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup finalist

The pills were sent to politicians together with a medication package insert that states what was found in the water, what the effects are on people’s health, and what needed to be done for better regulation of the industry.

The campaign was highlighted in Sweden’s and Europe’s biggest news outlets and won first place at Eurobest 2020 Awards.

Q: What does being creative mean to you?

Maria & Vasileios: Creativity is getting people to see things with fresh new eyes. Just like an artist would do. It involves changing the way things are offered to the public’s eye, by altering their properties or dimensions, getting things out from their usual context or questioning social standards.

Q: Favourite social media account to follow?

Maria& Vasileios: Creapills on twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram… Innovative ideas, original campaigns and art: everything we need to boost our creativity.

 

The official winners of the 2021 PR World Cup finals will be announced on October 21st, across all ICCO platforms.

Julia Kurbatova & Valeriya Yudina – ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup Finalists from Russia

/in , ,

Julia Kurbatova and Valeriya Yudina form one of the eleven teams from around the globe currently participating in the 5 day long, ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup finals. As the competition period comes to a close today, October 18th, we wanted to take some time out to congratulate these talented finalists for making it to this stage. Over the last 5 days, all teams have worked to create and film a video pitch of an original campaign for a brief set by think tank, the International SOS Foundation. 

As of today, an international team of judges will score each pitch. Winners will be announced on October 21st. In a meantime, join us as we get to know just a little bit more about team Russia.

Julia Kurbatova, team Russia’s ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup Finalist

Julia Kurbatova,

Elefante Porter Novelli 

 

Q: What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?

Julia: I feel an unconditional love to my profession. I treat each project like my own child, so every project is special to me in their own way, because a piece of my soul is inside each of my campaigns.

Q: What does being creative mean to you?

Julia: For me, being creative means seeing the world from your own angle, filling everything with your own meanings, and being able to translate your vision and meanings to everyone.

Q: Favourite social media account to follow?

Julia: I really love popular now accounts in Telegram (Telegram is a popular messenger in Russia with it being about news from various spheres) like Русский маркетинг.

Valeriya Yudina, ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup Finalist

Valeriya Yudina, 

Elefante Porter Novelli

Q: What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?

Valeriya: I am proud of all my projects and campaign. We offer and execute a various tools and decisions for our clients. Of course, each campaign is unique. Nevertheless, there is something special about each of them.

Q: What does being creative mean to you?

Valeriya: Creative is unexpected insight for me

Q: Favourite social media account to follow?

Valeriya: I follow many social media accounts. The most interesting is Ruthless PR specialist in Telegram (Telegram is a popular messenger in Russia. The audience of Telegram is more than 600 million people around the world. After the global bug with WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram early last week, the audience has grown by 70 million people). This account is about PR sphere, interesting cases, and marketing news.

 

The results of the 2021 PR World Cup will be announced on October 21st, across all ICCO platforms.

Sweta Fernandes – ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup Finalist from UAE

/in ,

Sweta Fernandes is one half of Team UAE’s ICCO Next-Gen PR World Cup finalists. The finals of the global event kicked off on October 13th and comes to a close today, October 18th. Leading up to the official end of the tournament, when a winner will be selected, we have been highlighting the talented group of young professionals who’ve made it into the finals after winning local and regional rounds of the contest over the past month.

Sweta Fernandes, Account Executive at Golin MENA & 2021 ICCO Next – Gen PR World Cup Finalist

Below, join us as we get to know Sweta Fernandes in a brief round of Q&A.

Golin MENA’s Sweta Fernandes

Q: What’s your favourite PR campaign that you’ve been involved in or have seen?

Sweta: I think my favorite PR campaign is a fictional one. Mad Men is one of my all-time favorite shows and I watched it as a young advertising student and learnt more about advertising from watching the show than in my classes. In one of the episodes aptly titled, “Public Relations” Peggy Olson comes up with an idea to regain the Sugarberry Ham account. She hires two actresses to fight over ham in a grocery store. The plan goes awry when the fight turns real and one of the women pressed charges against the other for assault, and Peggy has to ask Don for bail and hush money. Don disapproves of the stunt (which was carried out behind his back), but Peggy points out that they did retain the account. Of course, public relations is so much bigger than just a stunt but it always stuck with me when I think “PR Campaign”

Q: What does being creative mean to you?

Sweta: Being creative to me means thinking like the quirky side characters who are cooler than the protagonists. Think Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld, think Phoebe from Friends and of course Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter

Q: Favourite social media account to follow?

Swera: Twitter

Over the last 5 days, Sweta and her teammate Hazem Beshr  have worked to create and film a video pitch of an original campaign for a brief set by think tank, the International SOS Foundation. As of today, an international team of judges will score each pitch. Winners will be announced on October 21st.

Results of the 2021, inaugural PR World Cup Finals will be announced on October 21st, 2021 on all ICCO platforms.

Events

Nothing Found

Sorry, no posts matched your criteria