With years of expertise within the company world and an MBA in entrepreneurship from the College of Louisville, USA to her title, Grace Zhou took the leap to determine her personal PR consultancy, Raffles PR and by no means appeared again. At the moment, Raffles PR has grown to serve purchasers likes of GreaterHeat, Tokenize Xchange, Eurex Change, Deutsche Börse AG, STOXX, Clearstream, SINOPEC, Simpson Marine, Success Sources, Lee Kum Kee, amongst many others. With a confirmed monitor report in main main tasks, Zhou is aware of how one can create impactful narratives. Successfully bilingual in each English and Chinese language, Zhou caters to purchasers’ PR wants with dedication and private finesse. Past being “revered as having a nostril for a killing story”, Zhou’s intensive community of worldwide and native media contacts permits her to ship compelling tales that resonate with audiences worldwide. Zhou speaks to LUXUO to debate her achieved profession because the area’s prime PR skilled, how she overcame the difficult nature of the PR trade and cluing us in to how she meets her consumer’s calls for.
You had been born in China. What introduced you to Singapore and to the thrilling but difficult world of PR?
I used to be born and raised in Beijing, the place winters are sometimes overcast, and I craved a sunnier local weather. The second I visited Singapore to see my sister and brother-in-law once I was on a vacation right here, I fell in love with town’s tropical climate. The heat and the chance to make buddies from numerous components of the world made me really feel at residence, which is why I made a decision to grow to be a naturalised Singapore citizen. It was in Singapore that I used to be launched to the dynamic world of PR, all due to my shut buddy and enterprise associate, Danny Chaplin. He was my guiding gentle, instructing me the ropes of the PR trade, and it’s by means of his mentorship that I’ve the privilege of working my very own PR enterprise right now.
Raffles PR has skilled an incredible development over the previous years. How would you clarify such development given the difficult nature of the PR market, particularly in Singapore?
The expansion of Raffles PR in recent times could be attributed to a number of components. In 2020, I got here throughout an article in The Straits Occasions that make clear the vulnerability of PR jobs, particularly through the preliminary phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas this data was initially disheartening, it served as a stark reminder of the difficult panorama throughout the PR trade. Nonetheless, when the chance arose to symbolize firms in rising and dynamic sectors reminiscent of cryptocurrency, NFTs, Web3, and AI, I felt a surge of pleasure and gratitude. The profitable promotion of purchasers in these cutting-edge fields demanded a singular mix of braveness, creativity, and the knowledge accrued by means of years of expertise. Our crew demonstrated the foresight to enterprise into this uncharted territory and the bravery to wholeheartedly embrace it. Singapore, positioned on the forefront of the digitalization revolution, offered the best backdrop for such a enterprise. As I mirror on this journey, it’s undeniably marked by challenges, however the rewards have been profoundly satisfying.
What expertise have you ever acquired which assist you to talk a consumer’s message?
One of many key expertise I’ve acquired that helps me successfully talk a consumer’s message is the flexibility to actively pay attention. Being an excellent listener permits me to grasp the consumer’s objectives, values, and particular message they wish to convey. It additionally permits me to grasp the wants and preferences of the media retailers we work with, making certain that the message aligns with their pursuits and viewers. Moreover, one other essential ability in a PR company is adaptability. The media panorama is consistently evolving, and the flexibility to adapt to new applied sciences, platforms, and tendencies is significant for profitable message communication. Being adaptable ensures that we will tailor our methods to go well with the altering wants of our purchasers and the media
What do you suppose makes a PR marketing campaign profitable?
A profitable PR marketing campaign is characterised by a number of key components. Firstly, a well-defined and clear message is important. This message needs to be tailor-made to resonate with the target market and align with the consumer’s objectives. Secondly, efficient media relations play a vital position. Constructing and nurturing robust relationships with journalists, influencers, and media retailers be sure that the message is successfully communicated to the appropriate channels. Lastly, measurement and flexibility are important for fulfillment. Steady monitoring and evaluation of marketing campaign efficiency enable for changes to be made in real-time, making certain that the marketing campaign stays on monitor and achieves its aims
How do you select angles for a narrative pitch?
Deciding on efficient angles for a narrative pitch is essential in PR. Firstly, thorough analysis is important. Understanding the consumer’s aims, the target market, and the present media panorama helps establish angles that may resonate. Second, creativity and uniqueness are key. Figuring out a contemporary and charming angle that stands out in a crowded information area is vital to seize media consideration. Lastly, relevance is significant. The chosen angle needs to be aligned with present occasions, tendencies, or points, making certain it’s not solely compelling but additionally well timed and relatable to the viewers and the media.
How do you react when a consumer disagrees together with your PR technique?
When a consumer disagrees with our PR technique, I strategy the scenario by initiating a constructive dialogue. I imagine it’s important to delve deeper into the consumer’s perspective, asking questions to realize a complete understanding of their viewpoint and the rationale behind their most popular technique. This open communication permits us to discover their issues, aims, and expectations extra totally. In the end, the purpose is to align our efforts, as we each share the widespread aim of attaining profitable PR outcomes. All through my expertise, this collaborative strategy has confirmed efficient in bridging gaps and arriving at a mutually agreeable technique that serves the consumer’s wants whereas staying consistent with our experience. In the long run, we’ve all the time managed to achieve an settlement as a result of we share the identical aim.
What has been your largest PR problem, and the way did you deal with it?
In my PR profession, challenges have been a relentless presence, however I’ve come to see them as alternatives for development. One of the vital challenges I’ve confronted is sustaining composure and focus within the face of occasional disappointments and obstacles. When confronted with such conditions, I make use of a multi-faceted strategy. Firstly, I flip to my skilled colleagues for recommendation and insights, drawing from their knowledge and views. Moreover, I discover it useful to step again briefly from the problem, permitting myself some emotional distance to realize a contemporary outlook. After I return to deal with the problem with a renewed mindset, it typically seems much less daunting than earlier than. Via endurance, perseverance and the help of my skilled community, I’ve constantly discovered that challenges finally resolve, and I’ve emerged from them with worthwhile expertise and enhanced resilience.
What has been your proudest achievement whereas main Raffles PR?
My proudest achievement has been my dedication to repeatedly educating myself and staying adaptable in an ever-changing panorama. I’m grateful for the chance to have been among the many early PR professionals in Singapore to work with purchasers within the yachting and marina trade. As I’ve continued my journey, I’ve additionally had the privilege of working with purchasers in progressive fields like crypto, blockchain, Web3, and AI, and so on. These experiences have highlighted the significance of staying present with trade tendencies and embracing new alternatives as they come up.
Have you ever needed to work with a crew to deal with a PR disaster?
Fortunately, now we have not encountered any PR crises with our purchasers that required instant disaster administration intervention. We place a robust emphasis on proactive and preventative PR methods to mitigate potential crises earlier than they escalate. We repeatedly monitor and consider PR campaigns to make sure they align with our purchasers’ aims and preserve a constructive public picture. Whereas we haven’t confronted a significant disaster, we stay vigilant and able to reply swiftly ought to the necessity ever come up.
Social media versus conventional media, how key are these two sides of the modern media scene?
Social media and conventional media each play key roles within the modern media scene. Social media presents immediacy, interactivity, and wide-reaching world connectivity, whereas conventional media, reminiscent of newspapers, tv, and radio, continues to offer credibility, in-depth reporting, and established viewers belief. The synergy between these two sides is important, with every providing distinctive benefits and serving completely different communication wants. Organizations and people ought to strategically use each to successfully attain and have interaction their goal audiences.
You appear to be working with a wholesome variety of Tech and Finance purchasers, why is that?
Through the years, I’ve been fortunate to work with many purchasers within the tech and finance fields. My robust curiosity in numbers, which has been with me since college days, appears to have drawn me in the direction of these sectors, despite the fact that I majored in literature in college. Serving purchasers in tech and finance sections presents distinctive challenges, and I discover fixing these advanced challenges intellectually stimulating and fulfilling.
What are the particular wants of yachting-related purchasers by way of PR?
Raffles PR has labored on such yachting purchasers as Simpson Marine and I’ve additionally had expertise engaged on different yachting-related enterprise by means of my shut affiliation partnering with Danny Chaplin whose PR firm dealt with Boat Asia for a few years working along with ONE°15 Marina Membership. Yachting-related purchasers have particular PR wants as a result of they’re within the luxurious and unique yacht trade. They need their privateness revered and any delicate data saved confidential. Sustaining their good fame is a prime precedence, they usually desire media protection in upscale, luxurious retailers. Internet hosting occasions, creating interesting content material, and collaborating with influencers are important to showcase their yachts and experiences. In addition they must be able to handle crises, perceive worldwide markets, and comply with the foundations. Being eco-friendly and sustainable is changing into extra necessary these days. Personalised PR plans, a robust on-line presence, and dealing with luxurious manufacturers are additionally important for fulfillment within the yachting enterprise.
Wherein path do you see the PR scene evolving in the direction of? Any new main challenges forward?
The PR scene is heading in a digital path with a robust deal with on-line instruments and social media. It’s additionally changing into extra data-driven, with a must measure the affect of PR efforts. A number of the new challenges embody addressing pretend information and misinformation, staying up to date with fast-paced digital tendencies, and making certain belief in an atmosphere with loads of conflicting data. So, PR’s future is about utilizing expertise and information, nevertheless it additionally means coping with belief and accuracy challenges.
In the event you had been to say one mentor who has influenced you in your life and profession, who would that be?
I’ve been lucky to have had mentor figures at numerous levels of my life and profession, however one one who has had essentially the most profound affect on me is my father. His life journey has been marked by resilience and flexibility. Rising up in a well-off household, he confronted sudden monetary adversity because of political adjustments at the moment in China. All through all of it, he maintained his unwavering optimism, by no means giving in to complaints, and all the time holding his head excessive. Even after retirement, he continued to be a lifelong learner. His potential to embrace change with a constructive perspective and a thirst for data has deeply impressed me. I wholeheartedly admire his resilience, and he stays my biggest position mannequin.
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