INTRODUCING… ELAINE HESSION!

Elaine Hession, owner and founder of Lovelane PR. Fashion stylist for the Irish Wedding Diary and makeup Artist & Blogger for Closer2Fabulous. 

1)       Why did you choose a career in Advertising/Marketing/PR/Media?

Genuinely, I always found myself attracted to marketing campaigns, PR stunts and was sucked in by new and innovated things on the market especially in the beauty and fashion area. I guess I was adamant to work in this area.  I studied Languages & Marketing in college so I really felt that my life was set up to head in this direction from an early age. 

2)       How did you get into your chosen career?

After college I started out working with Publicis D the fourth biggest advertising company in the world which was my dream job! There, I inherited a wealth of invaluable experience as well as building a huge network of contacts.  In March 2013, I decided to set up LoveLane PR and target smaller companies that needed help to create marketing & PR awareness.  I immediately, threw myself into research and starting pitching to small companies as well as networking with various contacts I met along the way. As a result of my networking I met a very important person who I am blessed to have met – Deborah Leonard. Together we bounced some ideas together, I helped her with some marketing ideas and she educated me in the beauty industry. To date, I have now become a makeup artist, a blogger on the Closer2Fabulous blog and a stylist on the Irish Wedding Diary Magazine as well as running my own PR business.  

3)       What has been the most creative advertising/marketing/ PR campaign you have seen/been involved with to date?

To be honest, there has been so many campaigns down through the years that I have had the privilege to work on. 

At the moment I am working on an exciting new campaign for Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics, brand new makeup line which has just landed on Irish shores.  It’s exciting working on new brands and Youngblood is one.  This amazing product is paraben free, talc free, totally free from chemicals of any kind, cruelty free and environmentally friendly.  So watch this space.

4)       Tell LovePR? About your average day?

Hum….probably NOT very average at all!

An early start on Facebook, twitter and all social media’s to see what’s happening in the world. Then on to my emails and make a plan for the day. 

Touch base with all my clients on on-going campaigns.. Write press releases and send to press for publishing. Liaise with press on scheduled articles.

Daily interaction with bloggers on twitter. Attending launches of new products a few times a week and writing blogs on new products. 

Pitching to new clients for new business. 

Every quarter there are 2-3 shoots for the Irish Wedding Diary magazine I organise clothes and Jewellery for all the shoots.  

The weekends attempt to keep free but often times I am busy doing makeup for weddings. 

I do love getting out and about at the weekends, catching up with friends, chilling and doing some exercise.  

5)       What has been the high point of your career to date?

I thinking setting up my own business was the highlight of my career to date.  I really feel that I have found what I have always loved to do and now that I am my own boss I can put my own creative stamp on things. 

6)       Any advice for new graduates in your field?

 Internships are a great way of getting your foot in the door and really help to build your contacts. It might be hard initially but in the long run you will thank yourself for doing it! 

Experience is key… the more you have, the more your employer will want you!

INTRODUCING… KATIE ALLEN!

Katie Allen works in the PR and Digital Media Dept of Aurora Fashions. You may recognise some of their brands –  Warehouse, Oasis, Karen Millen, Bastyan and Coast.

1)       Why did you choose a career in Advertising/Marketing/PR/Media?

I chose a career in PR because I wanted a career in a high paced environment where I wouldn’t be chained to a desk. I think that’s one of the things I love the most about my job… no day is ever the same! I am constantly out and about in town. I love it! I also love events and a lot of PR focuses around events.

INTRODUCING…

Sarah Faulkner is the Marketing Manager for Miinto.ie, which is a brand new online concept that was launched into the Irish marketplace in 2012. Miinto.ie offers fashion boutiques in Ireland the opportunity to sell their products online with great ease and at a minimum cost. The business is essentially an Irish online fashion retail company and a selling platform for Irish boutiques.

1)     Why did you choose a career in Advertising/Marketing/PR/Media?

I love the fast-paced lifestyle, which comes hand-in-hand with marketing and PR. Everyday is different especially when you combine working within the online fashion industry.

2)     How did you get into your chosen career?

I finally found my love for marketing and PR after a number of years working in the fashion retail environment and studying finance and fashion in college. Beginning with an Undergraduate Degree in Finance from there, I branched out into the fashion retail environment where I gained vast industry knowledge from completing a PgD in Fashion Buying and Management in DIT, interning in the Brown Thomas Buying Office, interning in Elevate PR and working in fashion retail from a young age both in Ireland and the US. This all lead me towards the Marketing Manager role I have today in Miinto.ie. Since starting in the company, I have also attained a Diploma in Digital Marketing, which has enabled me to broaden my online knowledge. I truly believe that the best mix is experience and education.

3)     What has been the most creative advertising/marketing/ PR campaign you have seen/been involved with to date?

There have been many from a brand awareness aspect with TV campaigns, social media competitions, celebrity events etc. but I have some interesting campaigns coming up this year, which I am not revealing yet – so keep watch!

4)     Tell LovePR? About your average day?

The great thing about Marketing and PR is – there is no average day. I am either in the office creating online content, strategising and optimising our online traffic channels, creative writing, liaising with our fashion boutiques and international team, organising TV slots, generating press releases, creating and implementing marketing campaigns and purchasing incentives, producing and monitoring interesting social media content and competitions and event management when hosting events. A mixed bag that can spill over into the evenings when there are networking events on. You have to be able to adapt and love the PR/marketing lifestyle as it can vary so often and change quite quickly.

5)     What has been the high point of your career to date?

Although each new experience is a high point, at the moment it would definitely be getting the opportunity to work with the start-up company I am working with today. You will never gain as much experience as working with a start-up business as everything has to be built from the ground up. You get your hands dirty and work together to build a department from the foundations and that kind of experience cannot be learned.

6)     Any advice for new graduates in your field?

Take every opportunity that arises. If you don’t love it, move on. Find out what you really want to do and what your passion is. We generally work five days a week, eight hours per day, if you don’t love your job that is a lot of time spent unhappy.  Get out and meet people, make contacts and get involved with as many events/projects as you can, you would really be surprised where an opportunity can arise. Ask questions and listen carefully to the answer. Educate yourself in the industry – knowledge is power.

Shop online at www.miinto.ie 

INTRODUCING…

Dr John  Gallagher is the Course Director of the MA in Public Relations and the MA in Public Affairs and Political Communication at the Dublin Institute of Technology.

1)     Why did you choose a career in PR?

I did not choose PR. Rather it chose me. (See below).

2)     How did you get into your chosen career?

Like many of my vintage, I came to it from journalism. I had spent three years as a reporter for a small Dublin weekly paper when I was recruited into Aer Rianta. I was appointed Press Officer of the company about two years later.

3)     What has been the most creative advertising/marketing/ PR campaign you have seen/been asked to write about/been involved with to date?

Happily, there have been a number. Offhand, I can think of the opening of the new Duty Free Show at Sheremetyevo  II Airport in Moscow, the Aer Rianta Arts Festivals  and the Air Spectacular Air Shows. All  would certainly be campaigns where creativity figured highly.

4)     Tell LovePR? About your average day?

I commute from home in Balbriggan, North County Dublin and head for DIT Aungier Street.  Before heading back, I will have given lectures on Public Relations Theory and Practice and met with individual students about their dissertations or their career plans. Having been conferred with my doctorate at the start of this year, I don’t engage in the study work I used to do in previous years. Rather, I relax with my wife Jackie and try to keep out of trouble.

5)     What has been the high point of your career to date?

Travelling back to my birthplace, New York, as Advisor to the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs during a visit when he addressed the UN General Assembly.

6)     Any advice for new graduates in your field?

Plenty, but to get all of it, you would have to join my class at DIT. In the meantime, “Keep smiling and everyone will believe it was supposed to happen like that!”

INTRODUCING…

IAN  O’KEEFFE, PR Account Executive and editor of ‘Threadhouse.net’ – a style, lifestyle, music, tech and design website / blogosphere. I am an ex-mortgage advisor turned PR exec

1)      Why did you choose a career in Advertising/Marketing/PR/Media/Business?

I wouldn’t say ‘I’ chose a career in PR, PR kind of ‘chose’ me! I stuck with it because it is everything I could have asked for in a career, no day is the same, tech can be quite a large part of it, being able to design using Adobe Photoshop is seen as a bonus and getting creative is key! All the things which I loved doing in my daily life pre-PR! Opting to stick with a career that allows me to do everything I love was a no brainer…

2)      How did you get into your chosen career?

Admittedly I fell into it! I lost my job as a mortgage advisor, which I was ultimately unhappy in as it was. I decided to re-train in Graphic Design and received my Diploma. I applied for Graphic Design internships / jobs with no luck. It wasn’t until a friend put me forward for an internship in PR with a friend of theirs. I had my doubts whether it was for me or not but after my first week I was hooked.

3)      What has been the most creative advertising/marketing/ PR campaign you have seen/been involved with to date?

It’s still very early in the game, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Carphone Warehouse Christmas Cracker Record Attempt, which saw 460 people come down to Hanover Quay on a (very, very cold and wet) December afternoon to simultaneously pull Christmas crackers all in aid of Simon Community! The record was not broken, close but not broken, but we did succeed in raising €10,000 for the charity which was a great feeling.

4)      Tell LovePR? About your average day?

The only average day I would have would be at the weekend when I’m kicking back, catching up on work on Threadhouse.net, ‘trying’ to get to the gym and maybe having the odd drink to wind down after the working week! The rest of the time (mon-fri) can be a plethora of different tasks / duties, however my top priorities would be ensuring our clients Social Media is effective (Blogging, Facebook, Twitter etc), monitoring this on a daily basis, liaising with press, organizing contra deals, designing campaign artwork, and the odd event management. When I get home in the evenings I try to grab a minute to blog on Threadhouse.net and teach myself how to code to keep the site looking good.  My job tends to spill over into evenings and weekends so eating and working out are luxuries!

5)      What has been the high point of your career to date?

Definitely way to early to call…

6)      Any advice for new graduates entering the field?

I’m still in the advice-receiving portion of my career, myself. But for those who are dependant upon for online activities such as social media, remember scheduling is your friend! Facebook, Twitter apps and Blogging platforms offer really useful scheduling features! USE THEM! They will save you a lot of time and keep you looking ahead of the game when it comes to your social media content.

INTRODUCING…

TOM BRUNKARD, account director of The Keogh Partnership, and chief rocker in Mods and Rockers digital agency.  He has been working in communications in various forms for over a decade for brands as diverse as Toshiba, Lastminute.com and organisations such as the EU Commission Dublin mission. His role covers some gold ol’ fashioned PR with a focus in handling technology clients while also managing digital marketing, web design and social media for all types of clients.

Not only is Tom a talented PR pro but he is also the lead guitarist in Delorean – Europe’s greatest 80s tribute band.

He has recently returned to blogging at his site www.brunkard.com

1)    Why did you choose a career in Advertising/Marketing/PR/Media?

I’m a comms idealist – i.e. I believe that 90% of everything that goes wrong between humans is caused by a communications failure.  Really!

I got interested about communications and how the internet works in the broadcasting of ideas from running a record label and helping out with electoral campaigns.  The media and how people engage with it in all its forms is fascinating to me.

2)    How did you get into your chosen career?

After a degree in philosophy I did my diploma and literally started working.  I built websites, wrote communications plans and a whole heap of communications work for various good causes.  I kept a blog, built a network and I pitched for work where it came available.  Pretty soon I was pro.

3)    Tell LovePR? About your average day?

I don’t really have an average day. Every day is radically different and can involve anything from liaising with journalists and meeting clients to writing a piece on kitchen designs and developing a Facebook app.  To be honest anything can happen!

4)    What has been the high point of your career to date?

There have been some successful pitches and some big wins in terms of getting results but there’s no way I could call a high point yet this early in the game.

5)    Any advice for new graduates in your field?

PR is not like any other profession.  You don’t just get your papers and walk in the door of an agency into your career.  You need to be very flexible and be the ultimate “can do” type of person.  Here’s a few points for starters:

1. Write.  Your copy writing skills are incredibly important.  A good vocabulary, an understanding of style and good use; of’ punctuation: all make you very good at your job!  Write a blog, keep a diary, write for the college newspaper.  You will be writing about anything and everything as a PR professional so hone your craft.
2. Get smart with the Internet – it’s not good enough to use Facebook like a sycophantic narcissist.  Learn about how internet marketing works, write a blog, follow blogs and maybe even try build your own website replete with a Facebook Page.  It’s a cliché but one that hasn’t turned into the norm with aspiring PRs.  Digital is now not tomorrow.
3. Get out there.  Every opportunity to network should be clasped with both hands.  Keep an eye out for events and don’t be afraid to go  straight up to a stranger and find out what they’re about and make sure they know what you can do.
4. Read the news – all the news.  Really!  And pay attention to who is writing about what!
5. Work on your handshake.  Really.  A rubbish handshake can stifle your introduction to a new contact.
6. Never play leap frog with a unicorn

INTRODUCING…

 EDEL COX is the owner and creator of TheBeautyDial.com a beauty, fashion and showbiz website. She set up the website as she loves writing. When she first started off in her PR career, she worked with many top Beauty and Fashion brands so The Beauty Dial seemed like the logical next step and gave her the perfect opportunity to write about the things and love and know.  Apart from running the website, she is also currently the PR and Marketing Manager of an Entertainment Complex in Cork so spends a lot of her time travelling up and down the country between Dublin and Cork.

1)    Why did you choose a career in Advertising/Marketing/PR/Media?

I have always had a in interest in the PR and Media world. I love the variety of the work and  the fast pace of the industry. No day is ever the same.

2)    How did you get into your chosen career?

In 2010 following on from a Business & management degree I went on to study for my Masters in PR in DIT. IT was a great course and really gave me the knowledge and connections I needed to get into the PR industry. As a result of the course I got to work with celebrity stylist  Lisa Fitzpatrick which was fantastic and gave me some invaluable experience in Fashion PR. This was my first step into the Fashion and Beauty PR industry.

3)    What has been the most creative advertising/marketing/ PR  campaign you have seen/been involved with to date?

One of my favourite campaigns I worked on was the Littlewoods Ireland ladies days with horse racing Ireland. We  organised celebrity judges including Amanda Brunker, Sinead Desmond, Sybil Mulcahy, Mairead Farrell, Bairbre Power and Maura Derrane for 6 race meets around Ireland. It was a great campaign as the celebrity aspect got great coverage in the media but apart from that it was a really fun and creative campaign that gave women around the country the opportunity to take part and really dress up and have fun with their style. The winner of the Best Dressed lady at each of the race meets won a fabulous prize from Littlewoods Ireland.

4)    Tell LovePR? About your average day?

I get up at about 8am and walk to work to be there for 9.30am. Its great to get my walk done and over with in the morning. The first thing I do is go through all my emails and make a plan for the day, I prioritise what needs to be done. Each day I usually have at least one meeting either with the of the brand managers, the managing director, event management companies, advertising personnel etc. I spend the rest of the day in the office then doing a range of things from, organising artwork, sending out press releases, organising bookings, managing marketing budgets, processing invoices etc.

Then when I get home I  normally have dinner straight away as Im always starving ha-ha. I will chill out and relax for an hour then before starting work on The Beauty Dial.com  I normally try to do at least one article a night to make sure the site stays on top and current. This work normally starts off going through all the emails sent in by readers which consists of Q&A’s, requests for beauty reviews, notifying competition winners, advertising requests etc.

After this I try to spend an hr watching TV  just to relax before bed!

Then I try to take the weekend off and have some fun.

5)    What has been the high point of your career to date?

The high point of my career so far has got to be setting up The Beauty Dial.com  as its my own and something I created from scratch.  I was so nervous setting it up and I was so surprised at how fast it has grown and continues to grow so hopefully it will continue to go onwards and upwards as I am really proud of it and all of The Beauty Dial.com writers…They are fantastic, I couldn’t ask for better.

6)    Any advice for new graduates in your field?

Push the boundaries and go for what you really really want. You never know what you can achieve until you try!

INTRODUCING…

Ruairi Keogh, Owner of The Keogh Partnership and a partner in the soon to be launched “Mods & Rockers”.  PR professional for 20 years +, collector of interesting people, devoted Dad and Spurs fanatic.

1)  Why did you choose a career in Advertising/Marketing/PR/Media?

I was an archaeologist but it’s a bit wet in Ireland to spend your life in pits and bog cut aways with a trowel and brush so it was advertising or PR and PR won out as I always wanted to run my own show and the costs of entry were low.

2)   How did you get into your chosen career?

Got sent home from the Ceide Fields in disgrace and got an internship in Slattery PR after doing a year in DIT, getting a post grad in PR.

3)   What has been the most creative advertising/marketing/ PR campaign you have seen/been involved with to date?

Lots of good stuff, was part of the think tank that came up with “Carlsberg Don’t Do” which has been a mainstay of the brand’s communication for a decade.  Also won a number of awards for clients including Dundrum Town Centre, Carlsberg, Boyle Sports and others.  Most fun was working the late Sebastian Horsley (artist, dandy and general reprobate) and managing to put him on the national airwaves without ending up in court or in prison!

4)    Tell LovePR? About your average day?

Quick run in the gym at around 7.45, yes really, it’s a new thing!  At desk at 9.15 having already checked the papers online via my trusty HTC One X.  Review of the coming day and day’s work, a quick chat with the most talented AE in the country (that’s Niamh Fitzsimons, anyone know her).  30 minutes on FB then seeing how my client’s online activities are progressing, then another 30 minutes with reactive tweets. FB updates etc.  2- 3 hours writing press releases, or notes/sell in’s to media. 2 hours in communication with clients on phone and e-mail.  Then whatever needs to be done including billing meetings with clients, media etc.  Leave the office at around 6.30 or 7.00 to get home.

5)    What has been the high point of your career to date?

Setting up The Keogh Partnership and working with brilliant people like Tom Brunkard, Niamh Fitzsimons, Paula Delaney and our other Bull’s-eye Partners.  Also greatly looking forward to getting Mods & Rocker’s out of the blocks and creating something very special in the social media and online space.

6)    Any advice for new graduates in your field?

Read More Irish Publications!  It’s lovely to read Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, your international mag of choice but you’ll rarely if ever try to sell them a story, know your Irish media and know who to sell a story to.  Also get “tuned in” online, PR people are/will be the most qualified to talk on behalf of a brand or company in the online space so if you’re not a net native at least become a naturalized net immigrant!