The Unsung Heroes of the Industry: Part One

Having jumped the fence to what’s affectionately known in the industry as the ‘dark side’, after working as editor of Campaign Middle East in Dubai and B&T here in Australia, the transition was relatively easy. The best comms professionals are the ones that understand how media functions. We can identify the types of stories and angles they are looking for and how best to pitch and deliver it to them. This is more critical now than ever, with smaller editorial teams that are being tasked to do more with less. 

You become part of the team and as such become invested in its performance. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a client succeed be that with new business, awards or something else, thanks in part to the work you have contributed.

Consistency is key. A burst of activity for a few months may help brand awareness in the short term, but the most successful agencies and businesses I’ve worked with are those that recognise that being in it for the long haul will yield the best results. The instant gratification or vanity of having your name in lights is all well and good, but unless it's sustained, it's essentially worthless.

While I would be lying if I didn’t have days when I miss the cut and thrust of trade journalism, working as a specialist consultant is immensely rewarding. It has its good days and then of course there are the days when things don’t always go as planned, but I wouldn’t change it. And I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t shamelessly practise what I preach

Advertising, marketing, PR are about storytelling, so it makes sense that those that provide that as a service also share their story,  the creativity, the ideas, the impact, the success, the learnings etc, with the broader business community. Essentially, there is no point telling your clients to do it if you don't do it yourself. 

I've been working in media, communications and marketing for more than 15 years. This is the perfect job for me as I get to use my first-hand knowledge of the media, my creative side of the brain, and my commercial mindset. 

There is so much happening and the market is changing so rapidly, from Chat GPT to Threads. There is never a dull moment. 

Moving from editorial to in-house was quite the change, I went from being the editor to now being a resource internally. I'm still learning the best way to maximise my skill set within the business. But so far it's been very rewarding and I'm loving the variety of individuals, projects, clients and platforms that I am working across. 

My career in communications wasn’t exactly deliberate, but on reflection was probably the job I should have pursued from the start. I wanted to be a journalist and had insisted on doing work experience at the local paper. This naturally led me to apply for a journalism degree that - tragically, at the time - was cancelled a few days prior to it starting. As I was already set on a new life in London, I reluctantly agreed to study another course within the faculty; public relations. 

Over coming years it became clear that it wasn’t ‘being a journalist’ that was important to me, but it was my love for storytelling and building meaningful relationships with people was what lit me up. Having grown up in a working-class, port city in the UK, my ‘tradie’ dad ran a small business that influenced me more than I realised. From going to help him at work and seeing him interact with customers, to listening to him indulge in tall stories in the local cafe or pub, seeing all these different characters hold court, land a punchline and adapt their stories and delivery for different people was nothing short of an art. 

As it was explained to me, it’s important to be able to ‘walk with the lords and talk with the tramps’; or being able to treat everyone equally and with respect. 

The pace of change in our industry has always been rapid and I can’t imagine a world where that will ever change. I’m grateful we work in a progressive industry where we continuously adapt and evolve. 

In terms of what’s changed in these recent times and will continue to do so, I’d say; 

In an increasingly uncertain political and economic landscape, it’s becoming even more crucial for communications professionals to stay even closer to the issues shaping business and politics. 

One of the pre-eminent challenges faced across all aspects of business and society today is social responsibility - a significant shift from a decade ago when it was considered almost a fringe issue. 

What I hope is that with AI, our industry can work smarter not harder. It’s no secret that the industry is tough and teams are often spread thin - using innovation to free ourselves up for deeper, strategic thinking will always be welcome. 

We’re lucky that this constant need to evolve and adapt to the current climate means we’re often at the forefront of information that the world sees, then having to react and adapt to the zeitgeist. 

Having spent the majority of my 15+ years in the industry working for large networks, I’ve been able to cut my teeth on an immeasurable amount of client challenges. I’m grateful for this experience as it truly has set me up for success and led me to where I am today, leading the communications function at a disruptive full-service indie, Today the Brave.