How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning within your organisation?
At The Romans we let our work do the talking.
If that work isn’t always better, stronger, more effective, and more modern than what’s out there, then we’re not saying much.
That’s motivation enough for constant innovation and learning. Unlike the mega networks that seem to change their spots for stripes month by month, indies have one pure focus – pushing the boundaries of what PR is and can achieve. We have to punch up, jump higher, and move faster, or we fail our clients
and our sector.
That’s where an environment of innovation and learning stems from.
What metrics do you consider most important to evaluate the success of a PR campaign?
There’s no one answer to this question. Each campaign has its own objectives that ultimately dictate what constitutes success. But I will say that what we do is still very much an art in an environment that’s increasingly obsessed with science. Therefore, qualitative metrics remain crucial to our ability to continue doing the work we’re doing.
Today, speaking as someone that’s heavily invested in behavioural science and its growing role in our industry, I strongly believe that tracking long-term, sustained behavioural change is one of the most exciting metrics for PR. Awareness and education can be easily tracked, but in a world where what people do and what they say they do are two different things, tracking positive behavioural changes is a great way to demonstrate our social, cultural, and economic impact as a sector.
What are the top three changes that you have witnessed within the PR industry over the past year?
Honestly, we’ve not seen enough changes. Agencies continue to communicate ESG practices and their importance, but we haven’t yet seen a consistent level of quality work in this space.
However, from a creative perspective, we have seen PR agencies gain global recognition among their marketing peers. This is a positive change.
When PR-led creativity is recognised, it promotes the discipline across the board, encourages more diverse talent to seek PR roles, and forces CMOs to give ample space and time to earned approaches where they weren’t previously welcome.
What major milestones has your PR organisation crossed over the past 12 months?
Many. The Romans’ growth trajectory has been pointing upward for as long as we’ve been in existence.
We launched our fourth global hub in Amsterdam and announced a new strategic direction and leadership here in the UAE. We won Agency of the Year from multiple award bodies for the sixth straight year and won major competitive pitches across the globe.
In the UAE, our new strategic direction has taken shape sooner than we could have asked. We won our first multi-market, multi-year contracts against major established agencies, built a new-look team of exceptional talent, delivered thought leadership in the region, and are about to unveil our new The Romans HQ in the heart of Dubai.
By Joe Lipscombe, Partner at The Romans.
