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Founder of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, is embarking on his second major ground-breaking and radical plan since the WWW’s inception. His aim is to de-centralise the web and bring the power back to its users rather than those profiting from it – namely, Facebook, Google and Amazon. But, what will this mean to the wider world, including the industry of PR and digital marketing?

Berners-Lee has launched Inrupt, with its solution, Solid, an open-source platform built to decentralise the web. Solid allows you to access all of your data seamlessly, such as your calendar, music choices, videos, chat and research all in one place in a visual platform. It’s a digital assistant for all your daily needs, but crucially, all the information is under your control rather than owned by one of the big Palo Alto players. It’s your data, encrypted for your use.  In the current centralised web, data is kept in silos which are controlled by the companies that own them, but in a decentralised scenario, these silos don’t exist.

This is a developer’s dream as hackers have become used to unpicking these silos. Developers will have the freedom to build their own decentralised apps through the Inrupt site.

Thinking more widely, however, what will this mean for PR, marketing and digital professionals, who are continuously updating their know-how on the fast-paced, evolving world that the likes of Facebook and Google have developed? For instance, Whiteoaks is constantly reviewing and upgrading its digital service to clients, creating strategies that rely on targeting specific audiences. When it comes to audiences, this often falls out of where data is centralised and for all to use.

With the control of data firmly back in the hands of the Solid user with a personal data store, Inrupt could signify a power shift away from the online giants. This could mean that rather than relying on regulation such as GDPR, the default starting point for data rests with the user to opt in to how their information is used.

I’m trying not to sit on the fence as a PR professional, but I can see that there are benefits to starting again with a pure communications network that cuts out the middle man and focuses on what data we want to share and who we want to share it with rather than rules and parameters being dictated to us. Yet with huge commercial opportunities for the likes of Facebook to develop personalised and data driven initiatives, we almost need to work towards a stage where we have the best of both worlds – centralised or not.

Over to Jon Clarke, CEO at Cyance for this guest blog…

In the last few years, the behaviour of B2B buyers have changed, and so the marketing industry has adapted in response. The vast amount of information that B2B purchasers can find and the often-lengthy process, from research to consideration to buying, means it’s becoming more challenging to target and move those buyers through the sales funnel. And the ultimate challenge for most businesses now, is how to attract customers in increasingly targeted ways while growing revenue and market share.

The legacy mass marketing tactics of the past are way past their sell-by date. Marketing teams now need to be able to identify, categorise and then target customers at the right time and show them the right message. They need to take a more insights and account-based approach, as Suzanne Griffiths wrote about on this blog recently, and yes, change is needed in order to keep up with a transforming environment.

For the most part, marketers have been using programmatic marketing to target and attract new customers, but I think this needs to be taken even further, and be more personalised. Doing so will enable businesses to reach the 2-5% of customers or prospects that are actively looking to and are ready to buy.

Enter behaviour-based marketing, fuelled by buying intent data, which I believe is a better way of transforming the quality of leads produced by B2B marketing. The latest backdrop of GDPR and the required compliance adds an extra layer of complexity to the picture for in-house and agency marketers and their sales counterparts, but that complexity can be confidently overcome.

Executing behaviour-based marketing does however need a shift in mindset, something which will inevitably mean educating internal audiences. Moving away from traditional methods can be daunting and some of the C-suite may view it as risky too. The shift is to move from generating large amount of leads of questionable quality, to generating high calibre, relevant leads. It’s the age-old argument of quality versus quantity. In the case of B2B lead generation, volume doesn’t guarantee results.

Instead, success comes from the confluence of three factors: context, timing and relevance.

When it comes to context, we all know how useful the right digital keywords can be in identifying audience segments and what they’re talking about. Context is important because it identifies accurate behaviour signals and separate the warm leads from the cold ones. In practice, building context into the keyword approach means layering insights onto words, including which sites customers are using to do their research, to whether a specific industry problem is being discussed. Each layer that is added helps build a single picture of who that customer is and how your brand can meet their needs.

The next element is timing. Gathering insights about your customers’ needs to happen in real-time, or as close as possible. This is critical as you need to interact with them the moment they show you they’re ready to make that decision to buy. Without real-time insights, you run the risk of engaging with them too early or too late in the buying journey. Understanding timing also helps you tailor the message. With real-time insights you can see where they are in the process and be agile enough to send them the right message as quickly as you can to capitalise on the momentum.

Lastly, there’s relevance. This step is critical in ensuring you’re sending your prospects and customers the right content that addresses their needs and resonates with them — and of course reflects your products and solutions as the answer they’re looking for. And the type of content and actual messaging depends on where they are in the buying journey.

In the B2B sector, personalisation is so much more than knowing a customer’s name. It’s about understanding their pain points, what they’re looking for and how your company’s products or services can solve those challenges for them.

Helping brands and agencies to find new customers at the right part of the buying journey and sell more to existing customers is our purpose.  Using a combination of data and computer science, we help clients around the world to transform sales and marketing results.

Jon Clarke is CEO of Cyance, a multi-award winning B2B customer behaviour technology company.

Earlier this year we set out to understand whether senior Sales and Marketing decision-makers working for B2B tech brands are truly operating within an Account-Based Sales (ABS) or Account-Based Marketing (ABM) framework. And if so, how it works best for them, what goals they have and the challenges they face. In our view, either structure can be summarised as a business-to-business (B2B) strategy that aligns both marketing, and/or sales resources and strategies, to categorise, build relationships and target companies or accounts into prioritised groups rather than on an individual leads basis.

The driver behind this research

So, why did we want to understand this area? ABM and ABS have become established buzzwords in the industry and within in the B2B technology space. We increasingly see the benefits of integrated, inter-dependent marketing and sales partnerships, co-ordinated with the same objectives from the top down. When that is in place, marketing communications professionals and their agencies can deliver true value for their brands. And, on a tactical level, we also wanted to know how companies’ marketing output influenced lead generation and which forms of marketing communications made the biggest difference. The result is what we believe to be the first study in the UK, examining both ABM and ABS, rather than just one or the other.

Critical to our intention was to understand the views from both Marketing and Sales leaders. To us, they are not functions to be viewed in isolation.

Highlights

This view is backed up by our research, with 87% of Sales and Marketing professionals stating that their department is very closely or closely aligned with their colleagues. This alignment directly challenges the myth that often rears its head: that Sales and Marketing teams are at odds, with different priorities, objectives and methods.

Our data shows that use of a CRM system is currently at 59% uptake for both prospects and clients and 88% for one or the other audience. This ability to capture, record and action information about both prospective and current client data, ideally in the cloud and complemented by a Marketing Automation Platform, goes much of the way to explaining why these two departments and their leaders are working in an ever more integrated way.

Yet, the CRM platform is only part of the story. The success of high-performing B2B tech brands operating in an account-based model to execute their sales strategy has, over the last few years, prompted some of those high-performing businesses to convert their marketing operations to run in the same way. In fact, 81% of the 202 professionals we surveyed said that they work to either an ABM or ABS operating model.

Our study shows that at a communications delivery level, social media and email marketing are viewed as the top two most effective ways to facilitate interactions with clients and prospects by both groups of professionals. Media relations, case studies and testimonials held stronger value for Marketers, demonstrating that more work is required by PR and communications experts in persuading Sales colleagues to understand their benefits in the overall marketing mix.

What really stands out from our research is that 89% of the 202 business professionals agreed that their company’s marketing efforts contribute to sales and lead generation. The value added was measured most widely by inbound sales enquiries to the website, the number of enquiries from social media channels and, interestingly, leads captured at events, either the company’s own or at industry conferences.

Our research continues

In a new blog focusing on the second part of our research project, ‘A Perfect Match: ABM and ABS’, I look in-depth at the goals and challenges of those 202 Marketing and Sales leaders to implementing an account-based way of working.

Related: A Perfect Match: ABM and ABS – goals, benefits and challenges

Suzanne Griffiths, Managing Director, Whiteoaks International

Tell Us Your B2B Tech Story

Download our free report, ‘A Perfect Match: ABM and ABS’ today, by filling in our contact form below. In it you’ll find out:

• How senior Sales and Marketing decision-makers are currently embedding ABM and ABS into their business;
• Which marketing communications both leaders say supports the business most effectively; and
• The best ways for marketing tactics to demonstrate their direct impact on sales.

Oops! We could not locate your form.

In this blog, our team often comments on the world of tech, and the latest business trends and, while not a complete divergence, I wanted to use this week’s post to be a bit more reflective.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the PRCA National Conference. If you haven’t come across it yet, the PRCA is the PR industry body that carries out a wide number of functions, from lobbying and training to charity work.

The theme for this year’s conference was an extremely interesting one: ‘Embracing Change’.

‘Change’ in this instance was broadly defined as societal shifts (for example Brexit and the 2016 US election), technological shifts (impacting how we live, work and buy) and business shifts (‘Goliath’ brands failing) and what this means for the PR industry.

The good news – for us at least – is that it means opportunity! These factors have combined to create ‘the age of earned’ – which puts PR firmly ‘in the sunlight’ and at the heart of the marketing mix, according to speakers and panellists at the show.

The ‘age of earned’ essentially boils down to the importance of traditional earned media in shaping public opinion, given the very obvious lack of trust in established pillars of society. Something further exacerbated by fake news.

The reasoning makes sense. The ability for PR firms to earn reputation for their clients, doing so across multiple channels, and to create experiences with brands, is unrivalled. If we accept that the purpose of PR is ‘to protect and enhance brand reputation’ – then this creates huge opportunity at a time when consumer confidence can be lost on the basis of one bad tweet. One excellent example cited was the fateful day that Snapchat had more than a billion dollars wiped off its value after one unhelpful tweet from social media mega-star Kylie Jenner who said she no longer used the platform.

Enlightened CEOs must understand the value of trust and the downfall that follows when it evaporates.

Yet, set against this, it was claimed that the PR industry is suffering from a lack of confidence. As an industry, conference speakers said, we have lost pride in the primary influence of PR in the marketing mix and instead sought to justify our place in it.

A 30-year advertising veteran who closed the conference said that those on the outside looking in (such as advertising professionals) accept that we as PR professionals are on the same hallowed ground that advertisers occupied in the 90s.

It was fascinating to listen to so many established industry leaders and hear their thoughts on the present and future of our industry.

In many ways they echo the belief at Whiteoaks that PR has, is and will continue to be vital to brands. The wider societal shifts outlined at the top of this blog absolutely strengthen our resolve. We are proud to represent many disruptive B2B tech companies that, now more than ever, require measured, bespoke communications to facilitate their growth.

While the PR and communications industry is definitely not just about traditional media relations any more, the need for cohesion across many different channels is obvious – and PR is at the very heart of it.

1. What’s your career background, in brief?

Until now, I’ve always worked in-house for large B2B technology companies.  I started my career in PR and social media, but from an early stage I knew digital and social media was where I wanted to be, so I carved out my career in that direction. After nearly seven years of working client-side I’m really enjoying agency life.

 

2. What’s the most challenging job you’ve ever had?

Outside of my working week, I also work in property development. The hardest weekend of work I have ever done was when the Beast from the East met — ironically — Storm Emma, causing the worst weather in the UK for 10 years. I was working on a property with no central heating, or windows! To say it was freezing … is an understatement!

 

3. What apps, technology items and gadgets can’t you live without?

I most certainly couldn’t live without Instagram or, my guilty pleasure, the Daily Mail. I secretly love a bit of celebrity gossip. Although, we all do… right?

 

4. What’s the best advice you’ve been given?

Live for the moment! Never think ‘if’, ‘what’, ‘but’, just go for it.

 

5. Name one thing about your job that gives you a sense of satisfaction or makes you leave the office smiling…

Two things: successfully trying something new and being part of our internal Social Club. The digital landscape is so fast paced, so when you nail something new, that’s exciting and rewarding. All of the social media experts at Whiteoaks International belong to ‘The Social Club’ and part of what we do includes sharing new tactics and performance – it’s great for keeping creative ideas fresh.

 

6. Do you personalise your workspace?

I currently don’t. But if I did, it would be covered with glitter and flamingo inflatables.

 

7. What’s the first thing you do in the office in the morning?

First thing in the morning at home, I switch Radio 1 on, and as soon as I arrive at the office, it’s coffee!

 

8. What are you reading, watching or listening to at the moment?

A great TV programme that’s just started again is No Offence on Channel 4. It’s a fab witty drama that will fill your Thursday evenings. I would give it a solid 10 out of 10 rating.

On the 150th anniversary of its creation, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) brought a smile to many a worker’s face across the British Isles. We were told that with the latest advances in technology, especially #AI, a four-day work week is within our grasp.

Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC insisted that the change is possible. “In the nineteenth century, unions campaigned for an eight-hour day. In the twentieth century, we won the right to a two-day weekend and paid holidays. So, for the twenty-first century, let’s lift our ambition again. I believe that in this century we can win a four-day working week, with decent pay for everyone,” she said.

In response, Tahmina Begum @tahminaxbegum, reporter at  the Huffington Post took to the streets and asked people what they would do if they had a four-day week and ultimately an extra day to themselves. Those she spoke with suggested they would spend more time with their families, catch up on sleep or take up a new hobby. There are currently trials taking place at organisations based in New Zealand and Italy to see if a four-day working week will work. The jury is still out, with little evidence to back shorter working hours, especially after a two-year trial in Sweden when some companies introduced a six-hour working day has been inconclusive.  Although significant productivity benefits were initially reported, experts found that the cost outweighed the benefits overall.

With the UK having the lowest productivity of any country in Europe but one of the longest working weeks, maybe the tide is about to turn? Especially as many of us frequently check our emails and work when we’re meant to be on holiday.

Although a shorter week may still be a way off in the UK, if you are a client-side marketing or PR professional working in technology with not enough time in your work to get everything done, it would be worth considering hiring a specialist agency.

While we can’t commit to reducing your working week to four days (sorry!), we can guarantee tangible and impactful results that are underpinned by robust performance commitments and formal service level agreements within a strategic yet creative campaign. We all work hard to ensure that our clients can rely on us to be an extension of their in-house team, taking the time to really understand their businesses, challenges and the industry in which they operate.

To see what we do in practice, you can read some of our client case studies on our website.

Every day we’re confronted with waves of content. Whether it’s push notifications on your personal device teasing you towards new content, advertising campaigns, browsing or discovering the web at your own leisure. Content is a 24/7 industry, 365 days a year. We know that due to the rise of mobile and superfast 4G – with 5G just over the horizon – we’re consuming more content than ever before. But just how much? IPA data shows that in the UK, adults spend, on average, eight hours a day consuming media. That’s almost half of most people’s waking hours. Unsurprisingly, watching TV/online video takes the top spot, taking up four hours 30 minutes of time every day. Social media accounts for almost three hours a day and the internet, just over two hours. And, as you may not be surprised to know, social media consumption increases to nearly four hours each day for 15-34-year-olds.

Social media landscape

Social media is no longer the new kid on the block, but the king of the playground with people spending more time than ever connecting, interacting, discovering and browsing. At an all-time high, 83% of the UK population use social media. So how can a brand in the B2B sector use social to its advantage? Tapping into the power of social media means different things to different organisations, and quite rightly so, depending on a company’s vision and business strategy. From snappy, informative customer service feeds, to ultimate brand and influencer feeds. But what unites them is the opportunity to reach a desired audience, grow the personality and voice of a brand and convert business. It gives an organisation the power to interact, engage and learn from its customers and followers. It also provides the opportunity to build trust – something which should never be taken lightly.

For any B2B firm, running a brand-owned social media channel across one or multiple social accounts, can be challenging. The need to keep them consistently performing at optimum and aligned to social and business objectives never stops. The trick is continuous testing, evaluating, learning and – the most important part – acting. By far one of my personal favourite aspects of social media as a communications method, is the analytics capability and the insights I can gather for our clients. It gives me, and other professionals like me, the authority to make a difference, demonstrate business impact and prove the value of social.

Content is key

There is perhaps a simple social media basic that is sometimes overlooked. Content. You can’t have one without the other. Content is the fuel that drives a channel and the channel is needed to share the message and amplify reach. Whether the content is a press release, blog, long-form video, or whitepaper. Social media thrives on content especially when applied with a native platform approach in mind.

It’s not as simple as just posting good content. Every post shared must be accompanied with an aligned social tile, such as a graphic, photo, chart, GIF or short video. It’s a ‘no brainer’; social posts shared with images have a greater impact. This is true for every social channel: tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than those without and Facebook posts with images receive over double the amount of engagement than those that don’t.

It’s important to remember that social tiles should, in most cases, be designed for each specific platform. The varying size dimensions should be respected, algorithms considered, and the imagery used should resonate best with the audience to encourage engagement.

Related: Good content is good… but why have good when you can have it all?

Digital first? Or digital together?

Standalone digital campaigns sometimes have a place. If done well, they can reach millions of people at the fraction of the cost of traditional marketing activities. We’re starting to see more companies lead with digital-only campaigns, particularly in the B2C sector. I believe that B2B brands with a strong digital presence could follow suit in the not-too-distant future. This autumn,  Marks & Spencer ditched its broadcast budget in favour of a digital only campaign – Marks & Spencer Must Have. By combining its social media activity with paid search, SEO and other digital tactics the campaign will certainly reach its desired audience.

Yet my view is that, for the most part, when well-thought through digital campaigns are partnered and layered with other marketing activities, more input will mean more results, and the campaign really comes to life. The holy grail of marketing is an integrated campaign. Easy to say, but sometimes harder to achieve. In the UK, research from Kantar finds integrated campaigns are 31% more effective at building brands. And messages are more effective when repeated. So, let’s consider, that eight-hour window again…  When all external promotional avenues align one with a piece of content from a campaign, that’s manipulated, customised and designed accordingly, it’s no longer a small piece of content in an eight-hour ocean. It becomes a powerful set of messages. A memorable message with cut-through.

Related: A unified force – why integrated marketing campaigns matter

Ross Walker, Head of Social & Digital

Deliver Integrated Campaigns

If you were to judge the health of a sector on headlines alone, 2018 has not been a great year for retailers.

House of Fraser, Homebase and Debenhams are among the big brands to fall on bad times.

The Centre for Retail Research reports that 23 UK retailers have failed during the first half of the year, with more than 1,800 stores and nearly 21,000 workers affected.

High rents, lower consumer spending and a weak currency have all been blamed for the downfall of brands which have stood proudly on the nation’s high streets and retail parks for many years.

 But as we all know, it’s the rise of online retailers and e-commerce which has perhaps had the biggest impact.

 The success of Amazon is well documented, its growth seemingly unstoppable.

 Alongside its stunning financial success – this week it became only the second company to be valued by Wall Street at $1tn – Amazon has maintained a good reputation among British shoppers, and recently won the accolade of the UK’s most reputable retailer. According to research from The Reputation Institute, Amazon was voted top retailer for products and services, innovation, leadership and performance.

 It is the continual innovation of Amazon and its use of technology which has made it the envy of the retail world.

 Artificial Intelligence (AI) has played a key role at Amazon for many years – it was one of the first companies to use the technology to drive its product recommendations. AI is at the heart of more recent product innovation at Amazon – the popular Echo device is now a feature in millions of UK homes and features AI bot Alexa.

But it’s not just the big online retailers which are using the power of AI to drive innovation.

 Many of our clients at Whiteoaks are helping retailers use the technology to drive efficiencies and enhance customer experience.

 One such client is global reviews and customer insights company Feefo, which offers retailers an AI-powered online reviews platform, to gain unrivalled customer insight and make smarter business decisions.

The Feefo Smart Themes plug-in helps the customers of its clients instantly find the most relevant and useful information they’re looking for from all the reviews, in real-time.

AI also drives the smart reporting tool, Performance Profiling, which provides unrivalled insights into product and service performance throughout the customer journey, including detailed understanding of strengths and weaknesses along with valuable business intelligence.

 While the subject of AI may seem alien to many smaller, independent retailers, innovative companies such as Feefo are demonstrating how their solutions can help retailers of any size stay ahead of the competition and improve their business prospects.

 AI has a remarkable ability to spot patterns and shifts in data – retailers which fail to invest in such technology risk missing changes in consumer behaviour, and ultimately, risk losing their customers for good.

The UK has long been and is still a hotbed of innovation. The sheer volume and diversity of disruptive businesses being started, invested in or sold here is testament to this.

London is often the epicentre, but I’ve had the fortune of meeting – and discussing growth strategies with – firms up and down the UK, from Cambridge to Cornwall, Edinburgh to Derry. It makes tech PR a hugely dynamic and exciting place to work in 2018.

Communications consultancy is one of those strategic support services that must be considered as to whether it’s relevant for businesses of all sizes, but it’s a particularly important question for businesses in scale-up mode for many reasons. Not least because it is a major investment for firms that might be far more inclined to put money towards R&D, staffing or premises first.

The first question any fast-growth tech company should ask themselves is “what do I want PR to achieve?”. This may sound a fundamental question, but too often it is ignored by businesses that embark on a PR campaign because they feel they should, or they have been told to by people outside of the company to do so. Worse, it often results in sending out a press release every once and a while to journalists who, with the best will in the world, have never heard of said company, receive (honestly) hundreds of similar news releases, and are therefore are far less likely to report on the announcement.

This creates a vicious cycle.

With no coverage generated, leading to no inbound phone calls, PR can be viewed as a waste of spend, and effectively kill any debate around ramping up budget for some time. For any marketing professional joining these firms, it can be a frustrating experience.

We believe there is a better way, as our credentials below explain. The starting point for all our campaigns is to define business objectives – and this is where it gets interesting for fast-growth businesses, as we believe PR should be fundamental to achieving that growth.

We have worked with clients looking for very specific outcomes; building towards their Series A funding, creating a pathway towards an IPO, looking to double sales or increasing the number of channel partners on their books – and sometimes, all of these goals at once. Each of these objectives would require a very different set of tactical recommendations, using a number of different channels – not just PR. Importantly, by being far more targeted, the ability to measure outputs attributable to PR increases exponentially.

What’s more, the robust, reader-centred content needed to generate results in traditional PR, including media relations, should drive the content chosen across the marketing mix, including web content, social media and sales materials. This adds value to the business and increases overall return on investment in PR and marketing communications.

But don’t just take my word for it. Simon Draper, a serial entrepreneur who has grown and sold tech businesses for over a decade, co-founder of our client Hastee Pay, which is revolutionising the way individuals are paid and access short-term finance. He told me: “PR is a significant investment for Hastee Pay and has a tangible impact on our business goals, which is why Whiteoaks’ approach appealed to us. It isn’t just PR for the sake of it.”

For Hastee Pay, PR needs to be extremely targeted at the HR sector, leading to a specific set of tactical recommendations that deliver on this aim. Cyber security leader, Glasswall Solutions, meanwhile, has become known for its ability to provide unique protection against advanced and zero-day targeted cyber threats, and dominates the national and broadcast media whenever there is a cyber attack.

For businesses at an aggressive growth stage of their maturity, the perceived lack of transparency around what they are getting for their PR investment is also a huge stumbling block. These types of companies aren’t interested in buying a certain number of hours on a retainer; it just isn’t the language they speak.

This is why our approach of set fees for set deliverables, linked to clear performance commitments underpinned by a formal service level agreement, continues to resonate so well with the UK’s fastest growing tech firms.

Working on the business development side of our business, organisations we speak to tend to have had one of two experiences regarding PR:

• They have never invested before – and therefore like the certainty that we can offer in terms of transparency and commitment to results. Oh, and if we fail to deliver what we said we would, they get their money back;
• Or they have invested in PR before and been burned by the retainer-based approach, for all the reasons outlined above.

I would encourage any fast-growth firm considering PR investment to first ask themselves how it can aid their growth plans, not accepting any set of recommendations until the agency can directly prove a link between what they are doing and the company’s goals. It sounds simple, but fluffy PR justified through filling out a timesheet simply doesn’t cut it any more.

To hear more about the fast-growth tech firms Whiteoaks represents and discuss how we could help your organisation, click here to contact us.

Bekki Bushnell, Head of Business Development

Deliver Integrated Campaigns

Who are you? And what’s your job at Whiteoaks?

 Hi, I’m Samantha and I’m the Digital Account Executive for Team Taurus.

What does your daily to-do list look like?

 Generally, my day can vary quite a lot. But there are few tasks that are consistent, like scheduling clients’ social posts and engaging with their social communities, making schedules for the following week and generally keeping the social media channels up to date. But each day is different and can be unpredictable, which I like. This can be a bit challenging and my to-do list always changes — but I do love crossing things off when they’re done.

What made you want to get into PR and communications?

 After studying English Literature at University, I felt I had a lot of options open to me yet no defined path. Therefore, I decided that an internship in the US was best for me.  I worked on a media company’s website and social media feeds and this led to my interest in PR and communications. After completing the internship I decided that I wanted to pursue this career path in the future.

Who is your favourite brand and why?

 Picking a favourite brand is hard as this changes all the time with me. If I HAD to choose my current favourite brand it would be Gucci, an expensive obsession, but with its new designer Alessandro Michele and his rebrand, I don’t think anyone can help but obsess over this brand. I must admit though that I’m not overly loyal; it’s either my style or it isn’t. As a result, my favourite brands fluctuate regularly.

What’s your top tip for someone who wants to get into the PR industry?

 PR is an extremely fast-paced industry and staying current both with the news and the industry itself will definitely benefit anyone trying to get into PR. When breaking into the industry, I think gaining as much experience outside of education as possible is essential. I think my job in itself is an example of there being many different ways into the industry as it is not the most traditional role within PR but very current to the digital age of today.

How do you unwind after a day in the office?

 My normal evenings will involve going to the gym or yoga which tires me out and prepares me for an evening winding down, watching one of my favourite series, which at the moment is Gossip Girl or Vampire Diaries. However, if Suits is on that night then it obviously takes priority.

What’s your favourite anthem suggestion for Friday’s Whiteoaks Power Hour?

 This would have to be an old-school Beyoncé song; nothing like Queen B to put you in a good Friday mood.

If you could be any character in any film, what would you be?

 Maybe not quite a movie but surely this is allowed as Sex in the City was made into two movies (the third isn’t going ahead, much to my disappointment)…. It would be Carrie Bradshaw. She’s smart, gets Mr Big and who wouldn’t want her wardrobe? Most importantly though, she lives in New York City in a penthouse and isn’t that the dream?! For me anyway…

What’s your ideal getaway location?

This would be dependent on the season. In the winter my ideal getaway will always be skiing in Meribel, a French Ski Resort, as there’s no better escape than the Alps. In the summer, New York City is my ultimate getaway purely for the shopping, good weather and endless rooftop bars with views to die for.

What’s your go-to party trick?

 I should probably make up some extravagant trick, but I’m scared somebody may ask me to do this so I’m going to be brutally honest instead. I am not generally the most extroverted, so would shy away from having a party trick at all…

 And finally, cheesy chips?

Definitely a Yes! A throwback to my Uni days.