What are the current challenges for the PR industry
?
Proving its value. Especially when it comes to digital. There are still marketers whod prefer a coverage book than some evaluation on website hits, retweets and things like that. We have a job to do as industry to up our game in evaluation and the big trick is going to be digital. Even though everyone knows they should be doing it, there is still some paranoia about the controllability of digital, but in a way thats what makes it fantastic.
What excites you about the PR industry?
Its different every day. I know that sounds clich but it is different every day. The media is changing and that excites me hugely. Were seeing lots of innovation on a daily basis and with come an opportunity to change the way we do things. The days of scattergun PR are gone, thank God. Its much cleverer now.
What trends are you seeing?
I think theres a lot more integration and Im a huge believer in that. A great idea should be able to work across anything digital, ATL or whatever. The days of the newspaper and traditional TV and radio still have a long way to go.
How important is content?
There is so much more content potential out there that I think we do have to be a bit more savvy about what we pump out. A journalism background is great because it means youre always thinking about whats in it for the media who are going to run your story.