Spotlight: Clara Nelson, Head of PR and Communications
Clara is Head of PR and Communications. Clara works across both The Blair Partnership and Pottermore and implements PR and Communications plans from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World all across the franchise.
We caught up with Clara to find out more about her work and the role of impactful PR campaigns and communications.
What made you want to get into public relations?
Public relations is something that I always wanted to get into. I knew that my personality type would suit a busy working environment and I really enjoy the communications part of the role. There is something about working towards a common goal in a business and communicating that effectively within a company, to partners or to the press that is immensely satisfying.
What are the advantages of having an in-house public relations team?
The advantage of having an in-house publicist, I hope, is for staff to be able to ask me any PR-related questions to my face, here in the office! I won’t always have the answers, of course, but in the way that we have all sorts of experts in different fields in our office, I hope my presence is useful in my particular area of expertise.
What elements are there in all of the best PR campaigns that you have worked on?
The best kind of PR campaigns are about collaboration, effectiveness and efficiency. It’s important to have all partners working together from the off for a common goal, and deciding what that goal is from the beginning. And it’s about having fun along the way, too.
You’ve worked in PR internationally, having spent time working abroad in India. In your opinion, does the nature of PR change drastically from country to country, and what makes a truly global campaign?
PR does change in terms of what media you are speaking to from country to country, but the goals and essence of PR campaigns remain similar globally, I think. With the rise of social media campaigns they are becoming more and more global.
What are your favourite social platforms to spread messages through?
I think Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are definitely the best platforms to spread messages from. They provide platforms for us to word our messages in advance and communicate directly with fans, which is at the heart of what we want to do.
You were the winner of the Bookseller Rising Star Award for communications 2016. What was it like to win that award, and what advice as the recipient would you give to someone just starting out in their career?
It was a fantastic achievement and a true career highlight so far. Work experience is key, as is getting your foot in the door. Don’t think too much about what department you want to be in to begin with. Apply for everything and once you’ve got your foot in the door you can then work out which department is right for you.
