BlastMedia’s Lindsey Groepper’s message for 2021: ‘We got this’
The president of the PR outfit looks forward to bringing everyone back to the office and shares what is working for her team to start the new year.
What’s your biggest takeaway from last year? For Lindsey Groepper, president at BlastMedia, the knowledge that we can all do incredibly difficult things is one of the lessons worth taking from a year that presented an unending series of challenges.
Groepper shares how she is moving into the new year with her team for our latest installment in our “Day in the Life” series.
Here’s what she has to say about PR work in the “new normal”:
1. What’s the first thing you do every day when you wake up?
Groepper: Greet my two-year-old with a morning hug, who is usually the first to rise in our house.
2. Who is the most important person you talk to every day?
Groepper: My husband, Corey. It’s a “who’s on first” discussion about shuffling kids to and from practice and daycare/school pickups.
3. When do you plan to go back into the office? Do you want to go back?
Groepper: Our back-to-work date is a moving target, but yes, I can’t wait until we are all back together again in person.
4. What’s a new tool you have discovered that you just can’t live without?
Groepper: Slack phone calls. It’s not a new feature, but it was new to me when we went remote. It’s nice to not use Zoom or personal mobiles, and you can patch in people mid-call.
5. What was your favorite PR story from the past year?
Groepper: I’m choosing this one because it was recent and really pulled at the heartstrings. Grandparents in the U.K. hadn’t hugged their grandchildren since March and couldn’t stand the idea of not seeing them on Christmas this year, so they bought inflatable Polar Bear costumes to make for a safe embrace. The look on the grandma’s face says it all, and it was a very emotional reunion.
6. What has been the biggest “lesson learned” from 2020?
Groepper: That we can all do very, very hard things if we respect each other’s feelings and unique perspective on what happened in 2020. This year has pushed us all to our individual emotional limits. We each experienced and reacted to the circumstances differently, but all feelings were valid and required the same respect.
7. What’s your No.1 message to clients, co-workers or employees for 2021?
Groepper: We got this.
8. What makes you hopeful about the future of PR?
Groepper: Brand has never been more important than it is at this moment in time. In a world where your digital presence is your only presence, PR plays a vital role in influencing perception and creating a strong brand presence.
