The PRovoke podcast lifts the lid on key PR industry stories and trends. P/k/a as the Holmes Report's Echo Chamber.
Long-form journalism that analyzes the issues, challenges and opportunities facing the business and practice of PR.
PRovoke's coverage of the Covid-19 crisis, focusing on corporate communication, public affairs & PR industry fallout.
Dedicated to exploring the new frontiers of PR as it dives deeper into social media, content and analytics.
Our coverage of key technology PR trends and challenges from around the world of digital communications.
From brand marketing to conscious consumerism, coverage of key marketing and PR trends worldwide.
Coverage of global corporate reputation and communications news and trends, from the leading online corporate PR news website PRovoke. Subscribe today!
PRovoke's coverage, analysis and news around the rapidly-shifting area of employee engagement and internal communications.
Sports PR news, diversity & inclusion trends, views and analysis from PRovoke. Subscribe today for the very latest in the world of sports communications.
PRovoke Media's definitive global benchmark of global PR agency size and growth.
Enter PRovoke's 2021 Global 250 Agency Ranking and/or our 2020 Agencies of the Year competitions now.
PRovoke's annual selections for PR Agencies of the Year, across all of the world's major markets.
PRovoke profiles marketing and communications innovators from across North America, EMEA and Asia-Pac.
In-depth annual research into the PR industry's efforts to raise creative standards.
The world's biggest PR awards programme, dedicated to benchmarking the best PR work from across the globe.
The biggest PR conference of the year, a high-level forum designed to address the critical issues that matter most.
A global network of conferences that explore the innovation and disruption that is redefining public relations.
Unrivalled insight into the world's best PR agencies, across specialist and geographic categories.
Our Roundtables bring together in-house comms leaders with PR firms to examine the future of communications.
The PR industry’s most comprehensive listing of firms from every region and specialty
Find the latest global PR and communications jobs from PRovoke. From internships to account executives or directors. See all our PR jobs here.
PRovoke's editorial series published in collaboration with partners.
The Innovator 25: Heather Mitchell
In what area of marketing/PR do you see the most innovation?
Content & creativity.
How would you describe the communications/PR industry’s level of innovation?
About the same as other marketing disciplines.
Where do you see the greatest opportunity for marketing & PR to become more innovative?
Planning & analytics.
Who most influences how innovative a brand’s marketing/PR is?
The consumer. At the end of the day, if we aren't listening to the people who we want to love us, care about us and share our content, then we aren't doing our jobs.
What brands and/or agencies are most innovative when it comes to marketing/PR?
In terms of agencies, of course I am biased, but my agency partners Edelman, Weber Shandwick and Beauty Seen have been incredibly innovative for my projects over the course of my 8+ year Unilever journey. I am most proud of my brand teams for coming up with the idea of All Things Hair, our digital platform that we launched in the past year to answer the 1B+ searches for hair solutions; while I can't take any credit for the idea I am so proud of the team for thinking in such an innovative way to truly meet a consumer need. In terms of brands, I respect many of the obvious candidates in my industry: Burberry and Topshop, but also newcomers that have made a big impact in a short amount of time like Charlotte Tilbury.
Describe a moment in your career that you would consider ‘innovative.’
When I oversaw the Axe brand, we were at a turning point in the brand's life stage which also coincided with some evolutions in the marketing space. The impact of celebrity was increasing significantly and we were seeing so many more opportunities to tell branded stories through associations with pop culture and celebrities, all the while consumer engagement in social media was expanding rapidly. My agency team and I came up with an idea to create a lifestyle event called the Axe Lounge, essentially a club that brought in top DJs and celebrities every single weekend throughout the summer, as well as during marquee pop culture tent poles like the Sundance Film Festival and Superbowl. It enabled the brand to drive editorial coverage and consumer conversation regularly in a credible, engaging way, which sustained momentum throughout the year for more than three years, not just when we had new product news. It was a new way of thinking for the brand and really the organization, and also was a bit of an investment since it was long term, but it paid off in spades. It allowed us to be relevant and interesting in an always on fashion, while giving us a platform to engage editors, bloggers and consumers in an experience, ultimately building brand equity and consumer love.
Who is your mentor and why?
I find inspiration from so many people, whether the head of my group, an agency partner, entry level brand manager or those whom I’ve been fortunate enough to work with throughout my career. But two people stand out in particular: my professor at Ohio University Jerry Sloan and my first boss in Chicago, Lisa Doherty. Jerry was the VP of PR at Ford for 30 years and used that experience to show us how PR worked, not just tell us. He was such an inspiration to so many students and through the lens of a real work experience, taught us practical information with a humorous spin. Lisa was an industry veteran on the client and agency side when she hired me; she taught me so many valuable lessons through her many quotable mantras, including ‘clients don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care’ – which I believe holds true today, not just in an agency/client partnership perspective, but also when thinking about earning the attention and consideration of consumers in this cluttered, competitive marketing space. The best mentors stay with you throughout your career and I hope that I’ve paid it forward and also done that for people with whom I’ve worked over the past 18+ years.
How do you get inspired?
Travel. I believe that in order to be truly effective in PR and marketing roles, you need to have an interest in and curiosity for different people, cultures, beliefs and ways of life. There are so many ways to open your eyes, mind and heart personally — and from a marketing perspective, truly understand the diversity and needs of consumers — if you open yourself up to the possibility of travel. I’m proud of having been to 47 countries to date; since it is such a strong passion and source of inspiration, I have instilled that within my kids as well, who have been to 13 and 22 countries respectively, at the tender ages of one and three. My hope is that they are also curious and encouraged to take on this adventurous spirit to always be learning, growing and inspired.
Advice for people seeking to bring new ideas, ways of doing things to their organizations?
I was once was instructed in a brainstorm to come up with an idea that 'would get us fired.' While I am not advocating for us to be quite that extreme, I do think that if you take the handcuffs off and don't consider barriers, ideas can be limitless.
In your opinion, what’s the most innovative place in the world?
To me it is a cross between London, New York, Paris and Tokyo. I've never been so inspired personally and professionally as I am when in one of these four cities. I'm lucky to have lived in two of them, while frequently visiting the others, and find them equally fascinating.
What’s your favorite time of day and why?
A bit cliché, but I love both dusk and dawn. A sunrise and sunset both equate to new beginnings and offer a spectacular view filled with inspiration, ideas and encouragement. Every city I go to I make sure to see both while I’m there, no matter how sleep deprived I am. They are free and universal sources of inspiration, and unique every single day... not to mention a pretty darn good Instagram post.
We feel that the views of the reader are as important as the views of the writer. Please contact us at [email protected]
Signup For Our Newsletter Media Kits/Editorial Calendar Jobs Postings Sitemap© Holmes Report LLC 2021