Hugh Scholey
Senior Vice-President
High Road
Communications
What is the biggest challenge the industry faces in 2011?
Social media, of course. The challenge isn’t convincing clients to participate. It’s about things like the companies’ legal counsel catching up with the intricacies of engaging online. From conducting contests to developing relationships with online influencers, the parameters around social media are still being set every day. This is why having a team of talented, experienced people who truly live online and understand its intricacies is critical.
Other than your wireless device of choice, what is the one tool of the trade you could not live without?
Facebook.
What recent job tasks weren’t part of any PR job description when you started in the business?
Digital audit and strategy; SEO analytics; and blogger night with a client.
Your favourite work-related book?
Two work-related titles: Six Thinking Hats by Dr. Edward de Bono, and Out of Our Minds by Sir Ken Robinson.
What’s on the top of the “most-played” ranking in your iTunes library?
“Ocean Waves” from the album Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night. The artist? Natural White Noise for Babies. Played 723 times. Some kids aren’t sleepers.
Kenneth Evans
Senior Vice- President
APE X Public
Relations
What is the biggest challenge the industry faces in 2011?
Talent. Our business is our people and the pace of technological, economic and indeed environmental change in the last three to five years has forced communicators to reinvent themselves creatively and strategically in many ways. We can no longer afford to be “transactional” specialists who simply focus on the tactical implementation of a plan for the purpose of scoring a “hit.” We have to bring a whole new level of 360-degree thinking to the
table that also includes a much bigger arsenal of technical skills and awareness (with social media and mobile communications being but two of them). Finding and cultivating these competencies and skills is and will continue to be a key competitive differentiator.
Other than your wireless device of choice, what is the one tool of the trade you could not live without?
My old-school notebook. I take copious notes in my professional and personal life that inform so much of what I produce that losing it would be like misplacing my wallet.
Other than trade publications and websites, what do you read for job-related inspiration?
As a corporate communications and media training practitioner, I gravitate to The Economist for its thorough review of international relations and global business issues. I also can’t go through a month without reading Wired… it’s one of the best reads around.
What recent job tasks weren’t part of any PR job description when you started in the business?
Two things I’ve done in the last week I never anticipated doing more than 12 years ago include reviewing and editing podcast scripts and conducting a virtual communications training session via video link. It’s only a matter of time before I’m collaborating with colleagues in Shanghai via a tablet.
What’s on the top of the “most-played” ranking in your iTunes library?
The National’s “Think You Can Wait.”
Daniel Torchia
APR
Managing Director
Torchia
Communications
What is the biggest challenge your agency faces in 2011?
The tendency to follow the latest tendency, especially at the risk of losing focus.
What is the biggest challenge the industry faces in 2011?
Erosion of the strategic nature of our profession in favour of the flavour-of-the-month, tactical approach to PR, which is often akin to the banging of a noisy gong.
Other than your wireless device of choice, what is the one tool of the trade you could not live without?
Get ready for this: pen and pad. Old school retains its value! Trust me.
Your favourite work-related book?
Excellence in Public Relations Theory and Communication Management by James Grunig. Took me seven years to read.
Your favourite non-work-related book?
New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
Julie Rusciolelli
President
Maverick PR
What is the biggest challenge your agency faces in 2011?
Managing growth and finding the right mix of PR professionals. There are a lot of wannabe PR people out there but only a select few actually have the expertise and sensibilities for this business.
What is the biggest challenge the industry faces in 2011?
Keeping up with a highly fragmented media space and trying to reach consumers with the attention span of an average 2-year-old (me included). Clients want their stories told in provocative and compelling ways and most consumers aren’t listening.
Other than trade publications and websites, what do you read for job-related inspiration?
Vanity Fair, my bible of inspiration. The first 20 pages are the best brand ads in the world. I get creative ideas just holding the Hollywood issue!
How many Facebook friends do you have?
None. I don’t have Facebook. I do lunch.
How many followers do you have on Twitter?
None. I do not have a Twitter account. I use the telephone.
What recent job tasks weren’t part of any PR job description when you started in the business?
I removed some difficult body hair using my client’s product. I rubbed several grains of wood flooring to understand surface texture for a client event.
What’s on the top of the “most-played” ranking in your iTunes library?
Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way.”
Ann Layton
Founder and
President
Siren
Communications
What is the biggest challenge that your agency faces in 2011?
The Canadian dollar has never been higher, and Canadians view travel as a basic right. Our challenge for 2011 is to target new international regions that we think would be popular with Canadian travellers. Right now we are looking at Brazil, China and India. I just returned from a month-long trip to Argentina because I think the potential for Canadian tourism to that country is so strong.
Other than your wireless device of choice, what is the one tool of the trade you could not live without?
We work in travel PR, and currently have clients in 15 different countries. As a result, I would have to say my Benetton Carry On suitcases. I buy a new one every few years in Europe. It is literally the perfect size.
How many Facebook friends do you have? How many corporate Facebook pages have you “liked?”
I have 275 friends on Facebook, and I am acquainted with all of them. I prefer to curate my personal account down to friends or associates. I don’t use my Facebook account for corporate pages.
How many followers do you have on Twitter? How many people do you follow on Twitter?
I just started Twitter in March, and I love it! I have 120 followers and follow 50. At the office, however, social media is very important, and our team members each have two monitors, one for e-mail and web and one dedicated strictly to Google Alerts, Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc.
Who is your most important mentor in the industry and why?
Robert DeMone, the president, chairman and CEO of Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts. He was a circumspect, patient and supportive boss for over a decade. He told me that “it is okay to make a mistake as long as you learn from it”—wise words that I repeat to my team to this day. As he was from the Maritimes, I also learned to say “Yeoman’s service!”
What’s on the top of the “most-played” ranking in your iTunes library?
“Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison who is from Barbados, the Caribbean home of Siren.
Deirdre Camp bell
President
Tar tan PR
What is the biggest challenge your agency faces in 2011?
Convincing clients that they must invest in and engage with online communication, including updating their website to be so much more than an online brochure. They have to be involved and actively communicate online. We can coach, manage and mentor them but it has to be in partnership if it is going to be credible.
Other than trade publications and websites, what do you read for job-related inspiration?
Monocle magazine and blogs like Jay Baer’s and Seth Godin’s.
How many Facebook friends do you have?
684
How many corporate Facebook pages have you “liked?”
No more than a dozen.
How many followers do you have on Twitter?
107
How many people do you follow on Twitter?
138. I am very selective with this one!
When was the last time you “checked in” somewhere on Foursquare?
I haven’t yet. It is on my to-do list.
Who is your most important mentor in the industry and why?
Nancie Hall, former PR Director with Fairmont Hotels. Nancie was my first boss in PR and she taught me that nothing beats a creative pitch that makes people laugh or think twice. She taught me that this business is all about relationships and nothing beats a face-to-face meeting with a client to come up with bigger and better ideas. My travel schedule is nuts but it is always worth it!
Your favourite work-related book?
Firms of Endearment by Rajendra S. Sisodia, David B. Wolfe and Jagdish N. Sheth.
Your favourite non-work-related book?
Papillion by Henri Charrière.
Lisa Kimmel
General Manager
Edelman Toronto
What is the biggest challenge the industry faces in 2011?
As the world of PR, advertising, media and digital continue to converge, we need to showcase PR’s value proposition. PR professionals understand the importance of stakeholder engagement. As we move towards a stakeholder society, one in which organizations act in the best interest of their stakeholders, we are best suited to engage stakeholders in continuous conversations through a variety of communications channels.
How many followers do you have on Twitter? How many people do you follow on Twitter?
Following 121, with 157 followers, and hoping to grow this as I am more actively tweeting of late.
When was the last time you “checked in” somewhere on Foursquare?
On Saturday. I keep track of my eating adventures around the city using Foursquare.
What’s on the top of the “most-played” ranking in your iTunes library?
It varies between Katy Perry or U2, depending upon which of my kids, a boy and a girl, is with me.
Tara McCarthy
Vice-President
Strategic
Objectives
What is the biggest challenge the industry faces in 2011?
Marketing is evolving. Everyone knows it and everyone wants a piece of the growing nontraditional marketing area. With the growth of social media PR has become more influential. Since its inception the focus of PR has been the fine art of persuasion–getting influencers on board with your message and securing credible third party endorsements. Once upon a time, those influencers and endorsers were journalists. Today they also include bloggers, Facebook and Twitter users etc. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the criteria for what makes news: what’s influential and what’s memorable and
buzz-worthy. They all want factual, timely, concise, compelling stuff to work with that has an editorial, non-commercial feel. You get the best PR when it’s done by PR pros.
Other than trade publications and websites what do you read for job-related inspiration?
I’m an avid reader of non-fiction books and magazines—culture, trends, business, psychology, science, history. Lifestyle-oriented blogs on things like fashion, food, design. My taste in reading aligns with my business. I want facts and information that I can draw from to find the kernels of great programs!
Your favourite work-related book. Your favourite non-work book?
Can’t name just one. I always have several on the go. Right now it’s Willful Blindness; Bozo Sapiens and Connected. There may be tidbits there that are relevant for work.
Whats on top of the “most played” ranking in your iTunes library?
I’ve been listening to Mason Jennings a lot lately.
Heather Kirk
Partner
ImmedIa PR
What is the biggest challenge your agency faces in 2011?
This year is a big one for Immedia with a formal new Toronto presence which we are positive will open doors to exciting new clients and opportunities. This bigger footprint amplifies our biggest challenge, which is managing the volume of media inquiries and requests from clients that seems to be swelling along with general business confidence in Canada. With technology, we moved away from layers of administrative support. With the amplified demands, we may have to rethink this approach and add more administrative might into the mix.
How many Facebook friends do you have?
How many corporate Facebook pages have you “liked?”
I have 1,232 on Facebook and twice that many LinkedIn connections. I’ve liked about 45 corporate pages through my personal Facebook page as well as our company’s pages.
When was the last time you “checked in” somewhere on Foursquare?
I used Foursquare on my BlackBerry quite a lot during a recent business trip to New York and came very close to encountering a few of my contacts face to face which was interesting.
What recent job tasks weren’t part of any PR job description when you started in the business?
In addition to the social media plans and hands-on updates for our clients, I have crafted a TV pilot pitch. The PR job description has broadened. Meanwhile, client knowledge has had to deepen in each of the niche sectors we serve to the point where we’ve become go-to sources in many instances. In fact, we sent my business partner Laura Serena to New York for several months to earn her Diamond Graduate certification from the Gemological Institute of America, given our work in this industry. And she is contemplating sommelier training to help with representation of clients. Client and journalist expectations are being raised all the time and training helps us fully appreciate their issues, interests and trends.
Your favourite work-related book? Your favourite non-work-related book?
My new favourite work-related book is Developing the Mind of a Leader by author, consultant and friend Bill Boyajian who was president of the prestigious Gemological Institute of America. Non-work related, I give Calgarian Pierre Lamielle a shout-out for Kitchen Scraps: A Humorous Illustrated Cookbook as he is helping put that city on the country’s culinary map.
What’s on the top of the “most-played” ranking in your iTunes library?
Actually, I am hooked on BBC Radio 1 via satellite. My 12-year-old son’s garage band medleys get decent play by me. And “Bright Lights, Bigger City” by Cee Lo Green really feels right this spring!
Daniel Tisch
President
Argyle
Communications
What is the biggest challenge the industry faces in 2011?
For the PR industry, it’s managing client reputations in a complex world in which the news cycle has never been shorter, yet the legacy of news has never been longer. In the mobile era, your stakeholders walk around with instant global publishing power in their pockets. This means PR professionals must be
more sophisticated in understanding the many small operational risks that can become huge reputational challenges. The role of PR has shifted from creating content to influencing content created by others.
Other than trade publications and websites, what do you read for job-related inspiration?
My favourite magazine is The Economist. I’m also reading about social enterprise these days as inspiration for my philanthropic work with Social Venture Partners Toronto.
What recent job tasks weren’t part of any PR job description when you started in the business?
Writing a blog post and “live-tweeting” from client events (from @DanTisch) like the Juno Awards; using YouTube to store and play “what not to do” videos during media training; and reminding people that trusted relationships are rarely built through e-mail. Our tools may be digital, but relationship-building remains an analogue process.
What’s on the top of the “most-played” ranking in your iTunes library?
The acoustic version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” It’s a song about romance, adventure, the search for meaning, and striving for something better—much the way I’ve approached building a business.
David Gordon
Managing partner
Cohn & Wolfe
What is the biggest challenge the industry faces in 2011?
As social media continues to dominate the news exchange, the great debate rages on as to who should bear the responsibility—should it fall on PR, interactive or advertising? In 2011, the challenge for communicators will be to strike a balance and work cohesively on social media, capitalizing on the skills and knowledge of managing conversations gathered from traditional public relations, together with the insights of the other disciplines to help clients
reach their full potential in the online space.
Other than your wireless device of choice, what is the one tool of the trade you could not live without?
A good handshake. Ultimately PR is a business based on engaging and motivating people— whether they are clients, staff, media or a new introduction—and nothing replaces face-time.
Other than trade publications and websites, what do you read for job-related inspiration?
For PR professionals, job-related inspiration is everywhere and it’s important to maintain an open and curious mind every day. For me, this includes being engaged in a variety of community organizations and business groups, regularly reading news publications from around the world as well as local dailies, combined with various online commentators and pundits. Both fiction and non-fiction also inspire. A couple of my favourite management publications include Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie, and my Rotman School of Management quarterly. However, the most important source is simply watching the world walk by every day—how people interact and engage with each other is an ever-changing source of inspiration, be it at the coffee shop, museum or movie theatre.
What recent job tasks weren’t part of any PR job when you started in the business?
There is very little done in PR today that was not done when I first started out. What has changed are the channels, platforms and pace of communication. Making client recommendations on how best to engage social media is certainly the obvious example, and has been a huge game-changer for the industry as a whole. The traditional news cycle has been shattered by the “as it happens” approach of the online world. It’s no longer a news cycle, it’s a news stream. The internet has also made it easier to change the way we recruit top talent. To reach every pocket of the country, I’ve adopted
the use of Skype as a preliminary interview tool. We’ve had great success ensuring our team is reflective of the national geography by expanding our search to consider talent outside of the immediate area.
If you were to write a book on business advice, what would you title it?
My book would be entitled Pack Mentality. At Cohn & Wolfe we often refer to ourselves as the Wolfe Pack, having recently shifted to a “one team” model from the traditional practice group management structure. This approach allows us to ensure a highly integrated approach to client service and people development. Drawing from the unique skill sets and deep expertise of team members with varied backgrounds has resulted in some of our most creative and memorable campaigns to date. There’s power in diversity, especially when working together toward common goals.
