Thursday, June 4, 2020
Britt Carter, President, TPC Growth
Want to know what the most successful agency leaders in America are doing right now to manage through the pandemic? At TPC Growth, we did, too. So, with CommPro’s Fay Shapiro’s extraordinary combination of savvy, charm, skill and brilliance, we assembled some of the most prominent and successful (even legendary) leaders in Public Relations for a candid, lively and insightful roundtable discussion entitled Reframing Account Management for Organic Growth: Unlearning and the Advent of New Thinking.
Our panel was a who’s who of our industry:
Renée Edelman, Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, Edelman
Richard S. Levick, Esq., Chairman & CEO, LEVICK
Jennifer Cohan, President, Edelman New York
Grace Leong, CEO & Partner, Hunter
Scott Sobel, SVP, Litigation and Crisis Communications, kglobal
Sandra Fathi, President, Affect
Kass Sells, Global Chief Operating Officer and President of International, WE Communications
Linda Descano, CFA,® Executive Vice President, Red Havas
Evan Kraus, President & Managing Director of Operations, APCO Worldwide
Amy Falk, President, Falk PR
Maggie O’Neill, Senior Partner & Chief Client Officer, Peppercomm
The exchanges and ideas were too rich and numerous to capture here, but below are some of the snippets of wisdom this incredible group shared – and you can apply to your business right now.
The first pervasive theme that emerged from our group was that of empathy, humanity and caring. The pandemic has forced all of us to focus our efforts on the purely human parts of our business: Are our own people okay, and what can we do to help? How are our clients faring on a personal level? What changes can we make right now to reassure our own teams, and truly partner with our clients to support them however they may need?
As an example, Jen Cohan, New York President for Edelman, shared that even small gestures go a long way. She recently took a half-day off to do some personal things. She sent an all-office email letting the entire staff know she was doing what she needed for self-care, and that they should do the same. That simple, human gesture helps reassure her folks that their health and safety (and sanity) is Edelman’s highest priority.
The group also discussed how best to be present, available and supportive of clients during the pandemic. Original remits and SOWs have to have, in the words of Richard Levick, “gymnastic flexibility.” As echoed by the panel, this includes reaching out to people within your client organization (especially those who haven’t heard from you in a while, or ever in the case of new hires) to talk through ways to support. Many are contacting members of the client’s C-suites weekly and for the first time, and as 5W’s Ron Torossian stated, are “growing closer to clients than ever before,” with the intention of being there for them in ways may not have been in the past.
Perhaps most importantly, the group discussed what the future of our business might look like. Grace Leong succinctly describes consumers learning what they truly do and do not need, “What they care about now is safety, security and self-reliance.” The industries that serve those needs will prosper. Leong also questioned whether there is a need to go back to a brick-and-mortar presence.
Additionally, Peter Himler suggested paying attention to industries that will “simply go away, or be changed forever,” and adapt our business models accordingly. Kass Sells cautions us not to expect a resumption of business-as-usual. Things are simply moving too fast, and are too unpredictable, “We’re telling our teams and our clients not to prepare ‘new normal’ but rather for the ‘next normal.’”
Finally, sage advice for the role agencies must play from the legendary Larry Weber: “We are entering the era of validation (of our discipline), truth-telling and trust.” In addition, Weber recognizes that we have a responsibility to help our clients understand and communicate their “soul.”
“Millennials want to know the soul of the companies and brands they choose,” Weber said. “This isn’t about corporate social responsibility. It’s more than that. It’s about the true essence of the organization.”
The optimism from this group was tempered but clear: We will make it, we will have to change and adapt in dramatic ways, and we have the obligation to help our clients find their way through this, too.
The struggles facing agencies are mighty and real. Our group shared ways to persevere through these darkest of times. And, with humor and intelligence, came together to reassure and encourage each other. It was a rare occurrence to have a collections of industry titans share with each other in such a thoughtful and intimate way.
We hope you will join us for future Executive Roundtables in the future. Unique times require unconventional actions. Bringing thought-leaders together to share their authentic wisdom benefits communicators everywhere.
J. Mark Riggs is the CEO and founder and Britt Carter is the president of TPC Growth