Interview with Maria Stefanova, the first Bulgarian in PR Week’s 29 under 29 annual competition
by Yasen Tsenkov
The first time Apeiron team came across PR Week’s list of the best young PR specialists in the UK, it was examined with high interest. As we looked in the names we were quite impressed that there was one Bulgarian in the list - 27-year old Maria Stefanova. From this moment it was quite clear that we would do our best to find Maria and ask her the questions that this article provoked. We are quite happy that Maria accepted to answer our questions. We present you the interview with the young Bulgarian, part of Burson-Marsteller London team.
Hello, Maria! We thank you that you accepted to give an interview for CIPR Blog! Congratulations for the award and the acknowledgement that you have received by the PR people in UK, jury of the annual PR Week competition 29 under 29! Would you tell us more about you and your professional experience before you joined your current company? How your life changed after you became a part of Burson-Marsteller team?
The acknowledgement of PR Week is very special for me, particularly as I became the first Bulgarian in this competition. My interest in communication, in public relations on one hand, and in internal communications on other, originates since I was studying my bachelor degree. I graduated from Ithaca College, which is about 5 hours away from New York. There I studied Organizational communication but was also able to focus on PR. After graduating I had no clear vision how I would continue my professional development. All I knew is that I wanted to work in the field of communication, in a dynamic and challenging field. My desire drove me to the trainee programme of Burson-Marsteller. I went to an interview and a month later I got a positive reply. I had the luck to work with PR legends like Harold Burson, Pat Ford, Carol Ballock and many others. I spent 3 unforgettable years in Burson-Marsteller’s office in New York but I wanted to return closer to Bulgaria. I’m a person who loves challenges and moving to Europe was not only a desire but also a chance to face new cultural and communication challenges in a new country. And that is how I got to London office of Burson-Marsteller.
How one specialist finds place in PR Week’s chart? What is the path?
From the time I was in the New York office I remember a lecture from one of the directors - Ed Menninger. He gave me the first priceless advice that every PR professional has to know “To be successful in the PR industry you have to learn how to juggle with your responsibilities’. Ed was absolutely right. Our industry is so dynamic and has so many unexpected turns that if you are not prepared to juggle successfully with many challenges at the same time you are doomed. Of course there are other basic skills that a PR professional should have. The ability to communicate with different people - in written form or personally; the ability to assess the situation and make the right conclusion…The results of our work don’t end with newspaper articles and TV reports. This is just one element of what we do. The PR specialist has to be the right hand of the leadership, advising them about their communication strategy - external or internal. In my opinion, a successful PR professional nowadays means that you consider yourself as a consultant that support clients not just by presenting stories but also by giving precious advices how their companies can successfully face the business challenges .
How important is PR education for a successful start in the PR industry?
I think that a degree in Public Relations has its advantages but is not decisive for a successful start of a PR career. When I was in the trainee program of Burson-Marsteller New York, there were many people with degrees in Economics, Sociology, and Business. If you have interest in the industry, love dynamism and you are curious, you can succeed in the business.
Have you worked for any Bulgarian PR company? What are the main differences between the methods of work in Bulgaria and United Kingdom?
Unfortunately I haven’t worked for a Bulgarian PR company but I guess there are cultural and professional differences between English and Bulgarian people. This should not be an obstacle for a PR consultant. I consider it like another challenge - how to change the communication strategy or tactic to match the cultural demands of one country, city or company.
You are a specialist in event management, crisis communications and stakeholder engagement. What special skills the PR specialist has to possess in order to fulfill its duties to clients?
I think I already gave you an answer but I want to add two important skills - being diplomatic and sensitive in particular situations. In our business we communicate and work with people every day. One PR consultant should be able to communicate with anyone. This should not be mistaken with the desire to be liked by everyone. No. It is often necessary to defend my opinion before my clients. I’m sure that many times I was not their favorite. The skill that helps me a lot in my work is that I know how to approach people when a difficult situation comes in.
In the recent years there are a lot of noise around the social networks and their influence on the work of PR specialists. How the daily routine of PRs changed since social networking became so important and could we say that social media makes the work of specialists easier?
I think that here the answer is yes, and no. Social networks make the work easier because they provide many different channels for promoting our clients. Many of these channels present an attractive way for communications - I’m talking about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. The flow of information at the same time has increased many times and our strategies have to be very precise and well planned. I think that nowadays it is not that important to reach as many people as you can with your message and story but to reach the group of people that are the most important for your client. All groups are different and their features are different, so the strategy has to be different. That is one of the challenges in the profession today - we have to be more strategic, concentrated and well-grounded in our professional advices.
Do you think the crisis has any positive impact on the PR industry? Is there any conclusion that can be made as a result of the crisis?
The crisis definitely has positive impact on the industry in some aspects. Why? Because many companies realized that one crisis offers opportunities for those who are ready to take advantage of them and are brave enough to search for professional help. The lesson the industry can learn from the crisis is that ‘everybody has to evaluate and embrace the opportunities that show up’.
The PR industry is under the lash for quite some time now because of the public opinion that specialists ’spin reality’. What exactly is the truth and what are the ethical boundaries that every PR professional has to put in his work?
The worst thing a PR professional can do or advice his client to do is to manipulate or “spin reality’. This approach was fatal for many companies in the past. If one company today is not sincere with its customers and employees, it is very close to failure. I think that every PR specialist realizes the danger, especially when just one wrong step can expose the company to the whole world via blogs, forum comments, social networking, etc.
It is said that about the client you should say ‘only good or nothing’? What about journalists?
:) The same. Journalists and PR professionals live in symbiosis but are afraid to admit it. Both sides have to know the borders that they should not cross, though. PR can provide information but the final decision how it will be interpreted is in the hands of the journalist. This is the reality.
I have heard that in United Kingdom the umbrella is considered as a part of the daily clothing. How would you develop your communication campaign for a client whose main business is production of raincoats and umbrellas? How would you fight with the ‘unattractiveness’ of the products?
For me the first step should be finding the qualities that distinguish it from other products on the market. It can be anything. In case of the umbrella it can be colour, strength, shape, quality of cloth, price, etc. The second step is to making it ‘attractive’ by using your imagination - you can make a research for the strongest umbrella brand or if the black umbrellas are sold more easily than the white ones. You can make a competition among customers for the most original umbrella design that would be sold in shops later. There are many approaches but strategy is the most important part and has to be based on what your client’s objectives and wishes are. Other important thing is to define your target group and the general perception for the umbrella that the client wants to be established - ‘the strongest’, ‘the most variegated’, ‘the oddest’? The planning stage is of great importance and includes elements of research and conversations with the client.
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