Meet the team Lucy Robinson, Account Director
Lucy talks AI’s role in PR, peas and ski ballet in out latest Meet the Team:
What's your proudest PR moment?
When I set up a photography exhibition for an organ donation charity we secured some incredible coverage. The exhibition was featured on Look North, Capital Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Post and more, but what was really lovely was meeting the people who had lived through these experiences and their families and being able to shout about the importance of organ donation.
Another favourite is the campaign for Yes Peas! and successfully securing a new emoji as part of the work. It was a long road with some very weird documents that needed to be pulled together for our proposal!
Overall though, I love seeing the daily results the Lucky North team achieves with hard work, positive relationships and second-to-none PR skills.
What would be your dream brand to work with?
I love food so anything that tickles the taste buds - restaurant launches and festivals to foodie campaigns! Betty’s & Taylors of Harrogate would be a dream come true, I’d have so much fun with the campaigns.
My second choice would be a wine brand. Because who can say no to wine? Certainly not me!
What do you think the future of PR looks like?
I’ve been in the industry for six years now and it’s changed so much in that time, so it’s hard to think what another few years will do! With the introduction of AI I think we’ll see a lot of change, but hopefully for the better. AI could be harnessed to empower PR professionals and cut the time it takes to draft copy, work up pitches and so on. But ultimately, the clue is in the name - PR is about relationships, and that human connection can’t be replaced by AI. So maybe we’ll see a bit more time for those human connections? Who knows.
I’d predict statistical and data analysis skills becoming even more important for the sector too. For so long the focus has been on the written word rather than numerical capabilities. This is a really interesting shift but one which is so important for us to pay attention to as we recruit new team members.
There’s also a much bigger focus now on brands being as real as possible - Oatly’s recent ‘F*ck Oatly’ campaign being a great example of this. The contemporary audience is savvy: they want informal, two-way relationships with the brands they love and they expect a level of honesty and openness from the businesses they buy from. This has a huge impact on brand tone of voice and marketing strategies.
What's the most insane thing you've ever had to do for work?
I had to pull two all-nighters for an experiential event at King’s Cross once - never have I been so tired. The caffeine requirements were sky high. I hit my FitBit step count by 4am!
I also got to go to Gleneagles to host guests for Tanqueray Gin, which saw us have a private dinner in the wine cellar. Such a surreal experience and I loved every second.
There are lots of weird and wonderful days when you work in PR. I’ve taught Eddie the Eagle how to do ski ballet (which is a sport as incredible as it sounds), set up a hair salon in a day, and packaged up 20kg of pea seeds into tiny envelopes to send out to school kids during the height of the pandemic. My local post office gave me some seriously bizarre looks!
What's your favourite thing about your job?
No two days are the same! It’s a cliche but absolutely true.
What sets PR apart is that the work you do can change consumer behaviour for the long term - so it’s great when you’re making an impact for a brand or cause you really believe in.
What's your favourite word or emoji?
Do you really have to ask?
