Diana Conconi and Janine Allen
Part 2: The not-as-PRofessional one
If you saw our blog earlier this week, the “PRofessional one”, you’ll have read our thoughtful reflections and PRedictions on the decade past and decade ahead in PR.
But, if you’ve ever met us, you’ll know that our brand is equal parts smart and sassy. We work hard and play hard…and that means that sometimes things can get pretty silly. So, in the interest of transparency, because how else will you really get to know us, we decided to also post the “outtakes” version of our Hindsight blog research.
In a recent Slack chat – two words that wouldn’t make any sense together in the early 2010s – our team weighed in on the decade. The conversation went something* like this…
Diana: So, looks like our end-of-year blog will be some version of “Hindsight is 2020. Looking for your reflections on the decade past. Work-related of course, but… recognizing many of you may have been super busy with your Wii game consoles back then, personal reflections matter too! And…GO!
A: I remember measuring print newspapers (in Colombia) and having to look at the media kits to find the value of earned media.
Promising start! And then…
S: I remember finishing up my first year of high school in 2009.
J: You’re the worst, S.
M: I had my prom in 2009 at the King Eddy. Ashes to ashes, dust unto dust, King and Victoria unto King and Victoria…
Fun fact: (celebrity name redacted) was at a party upstairs and wandered accidentally into our prom and then puked a tiny lil bit.
C: Millennials launching their startups and changing the client relationship: They know how to do PR; they want a partner to challenge their strategies, not a supplier.
Phew, back on track with some solid content…
C: Also. The freaking Kadarshians, uugh
I mean, she has a point. It wouldn’t be a true look back at the 2010s without the Kardashians. Reminder for the 2020s – some things are better forgotten (e.g. vomiting celebrities and anything Kardashian**). We tried again with a different question:
Diana: Still looking for the muse on this end-of-year blog so thought I’d put another question out in the Slackosphere…What would your 2020 self, tell your 2010 self?
M: (re: sloshed celeb) “Never meet your heroes” I guess.
A: “One day you won’t have to measure newspapers with rulers.”
K: “Start a travel blog/IG/YouTube channel NOW. Be a powerful influencer getting paid to travel? Yes please.”
S: I’d like to think I’d anticipate the jump from Justin.tv to Twitch.tv in 2011 [salty editor’s note: 2011 was S’s third year of high school] and the continued rise of YouTube and become some sort of video game influencer, but in reality I’d try to be Anthony Fantano before Anthony Fantano.
M: In reality, I would probably be the managing editor of my Nana’s blog.
Nana’s blog is a favourite around here. You can check it out here.
G: “Life is too short to drink cheap wine.”
Of course, as PR practitioners well-versed in crisis management, we do think about the potential risks.
J: “Don’t have that extra glass of wine. You think you’ll be fine the next day… you won’t. You’re old now.”
Sound advice for anyone in the agency business. And finally…
G: “Live off peanut butter sandwiches for a bit and buy condos.”
So that wraps our overly authentic review of what we learned in this decade: Take (educated) risks, find a way to do what you love and buy real estate.
Sounds about right.
We also had some smart thoughts in our chat about emerging workplace issues, new tools and technology, influencers and social media changing the way brands need to think about engaging with their audiences. You can read about those in Part One.
The 2010s were our agency’s first decade and it was chaotic and exciting and fun. We added the best people, built a sometimes-silly culture and learned to treasure it and the people who contribute the smart, the sarcastic and the spectacularly strategic to make every day amazing.
For those of you reading this who know us, this will make perfect sense.
For those who don’t, hoping we can change that in the 2020s.
See you next year!
* Content slightly edited, for everyone’s sake
**Please note that there are two Cs in our office, one of whom would die for the Kardashians. She wanted this known.