PUBLIC RELATIONS WITH ASHLEY PILGRIM
This past week, MCMP talked to Ashley Pilgrim, Senior Account Supervisor at MSLGroup, a public relations and strategic communication firm. Ashley shared her experiences working as a public relations specialist and her work with editorial strategy and strategic planning. In addition to MSLGroup, Ashley has worked at FleishmanHillard, Phase 3 Marketing and Communications, and Arketi Group. Throughout her professional career, she has worked with clients such as AT&T, Arby’s, Disney on Ice, Salvation Army, and Home Depot.
Ashley defines PR as protecting, growing, and defending clients while building and expressing brand values. PR is imperative to maintaining a company’s positive reputation by means of authentic and meaningful conversations that drive cultural conversations and change.
PR work can deal with a multitude of branches within a company. These can include communication services, corporate reputation, digital and social media, brand building, issues and crises, learned/owned content, and leadership visibility, to name a few. The goal of PR is to make every client more influential in their field and thus make a greater impact on consumers and their habits. PR is vital to small and large companies alike. To measure the impact that PR has, analyses of consumer data are performed by a company’s data team.
Ashley shared an anecdote from working on a campaign with Home Depot that surprised and honored veterans for Veteran’s Day. This campaign caught the attention of Jimmy Fallon, who surprised one veteran with a $50,000 home improvement grant. Ashley showed the real-life impact that PR can have and its nature as a rewarding industry with rewarding work.
A funny experience that Ashley shared with us was a campaign she worked on for a 12-foot tall skeleton that Home Depot was marketing this past Halloween. Media outlets caught word of this larger-than-life skeleton, spread the word, in no time the skeleton was sold out in stores. The skeleton was so popular that celebrities such as the Kardashians and Drew Barrymore were intrigued. This viral skeleton is currently in the process of becoming an award-winning campaign due to the impressive buzz it garnered on social media.
If you’re looking to gain PR experience, taking part in student-run firms or clubs is a great way to get a feel for the work that PR entails and to see firsthand the importance of PR.
Later in the month, MCMP will hear from Shayni Schecter, Associate Brand Strategist at Doner. Shayni will share what it’s like to work at a Marketing & Advertising Agency and her experiences navigating post-grad life. Join us and hear from Shayni!
—— February 16, 2021 by Rachel Coffield