Following within the footsteps of an business legend is a problem. The women of W&W Public Relations Agency haven’t solely lived as much as the legacy of late publicist Patti Webster, some would say they made Webster happy with persevering with the excellence she began.
The agency, which was began in 1991, has had shoppers similar to Steve Harvey, Patti LaBelle, Janet Jackson, Chris Paul, and Dwight Howard.
BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke to the 2 principals of W&W Public Relations, Karen Lee and Aliya Crawford, about how the panorama in public relations has modified, how the agency has continued the sample of excellence began by Webster, and what the way forward for public relations seems to be like.
Patti Webster is taken into account one of many pioneers in media, however notably in PR for ladies of coloration. How has it been to navigate and preserve the 30-year-old agency since her transition?
Lee: Sure, Patti was a pioneer and a visionary, and each Aliya and I really feel honored to be on the helm of W&W. In our occupation, there are all the time challenges, however we proceed to obtain an unimaginable quantity of help from shoppers, each previous and current. Patti’s motto was “a superb identify is reasonably to be chosen than riches” and we’ve got labored diligently to make sure that we proceed in that vein. Our group—together with senior members Jacinda Chen, Brittany Godwin, Tony Ferguson, Syreta Oglesby and Christopher Brown—have been important in serving to us preserve that commonplace.
The media panorama continues to vary day by day, however particularly throughout COVID-19. How does W&W PR proceed to regulate and pivot?
Lee: It has been a time of change and evolution, and we work collectively to ensure we share info and talk about alternatives transferring ahead. Our collective all have relationships and expertise in numerous areas, which permits us to succeed in out to new enterprise alternatives and create campaigns that stimulate media protection and outcomes. We now have additionally discovered that some shoppers want help with digital interviews. We wish to guarantee they’re ready to reply questions on COVID-19, information headlines together with vaccinations, politics, crime and climate.
W&W PR has a robust roster of a few of our favourite entertainers. How do you reinforce the necessity for PR companies when followers and expertise have direct entry to at least one one other?
Lee: Though entertainers and public figures now have direct entry to their followers, there’s nonetheless (and all the time might be) a necessity for skilled PR. Social media has supplied people and types a tremendous alternative to market themselves, however that’s only one avenue. Manufacturers nonetheless want complete, long-term PR methods to raise their profiles and inform their tales. An efficient technique goes to incorporate each conventional media (print, tv, radio) and new media (digital, social, podcasts) with a view to attain completely different audiences. The way you combine conventional media and new media into your plans goes to rely on what your goals are.
What does the way forward for PR appear like? What new traits do you acknowledge?
Crawford: The variety of smaller companies is rising and I feel we’ll see extra giant manufacturers and family names working with small corporations, in addition to bigger PR corporations partnering with boutique companies. I feel this can be a great point!
Digital media is right here to remain and extra print and broadcast shops will transition to all digital. Additionally, new social media platforms might be developed and the present ones will evolve. Alternatives to monetize content material within the digital world will proceed to develop. So, it’s important to remain abreast of the newest applied sciences and platforms and have a presence in these varied areas.
One in all my hopes for the longer term is that range, inclusion, and fairness might be prioritized on this business. That corporations giant and small be intentional and constant in selling this stuff inside their organizations and that people—entertainers, athletes, designers, and so on.—present higher alternatives to minority-led companies.
W&W is synonymous with excellence and longevity. What does the longer term appear like for the agency in spite of the modifications taking place on the planet?
Crawford: The world and the industries we work in are ever-changing, and everybody has seen and skilled so many modifications within the wake of the pandemic. I feel certainly one of W&W’s strengths is our capacity to adapt to our surroundings and to the completely different wants of our numerous clientele. We’ll proceed to be versatile and forward-thinking. We gained’t restrict the place we will go as an company and as a model. Along with providing PR and branding methods, over the past a number of years, W&W has established a expertise consulting division, overseeing the expertise reserving for Stephen A‘s World on ESPN+ and the syndicated radio program and podcast, Cash Making Conversations with Rushion McDonald. We plan to proceed to develop on this space, in addition to set up a movie and tv manufacturing division. Moreover, we’re very targeted on persevering with to supply alternatives for ladies, Black folks, folks of coloration, and different underrepresented teams throughout the PR business.
What recommendation would you share with somebody trying to enter the general public relations subject?
Crawford: If somebody needs a profession in public relations, they need to decide the world that pursuits them. Leisure, company, know-how, philanthropy, and politics are simply among the areas the place PR is important. Going to high school and taking the required programs to succeed is vital. Working an internship at an organization or group that handles PR of their desired space may help them develop and make sure that the corporate’s space of experience is what they need. In case you are lucky sufficient to have a mentor in your chosen subject, that may be a nice benefit to you.
Publicists often work very intently with shoppers, typically touring with them, so it is very important make it possible for the connection is enterprise, not private, which will be difficult. There are occasions when a publicist might dine with a shopper or attend a social occasion, nevertheless it’s essential to keep in mind that it’s nonetheless enterprise.
