Chicago gets a bad rap at the moment but the third-most-populous city in the U.S. is a proud industrial, manufacturing and sporting city with a rich culture and deep belief in its strength and backbone.
That’s why it was such a great location to convene the most important PR conference of the year – PRDecoded: Navigating Uncertainty.
Delegates were treated to the insights and mentoring advice of Stacey Tank, who while a communicator at heart has always prioritized a wider range of skills than PR in her career development, spanning from GE through Heineken and Home Depot.
Now, as CEO of Bespoke Beauty Brands, Tank is forging new ground and leading the charge into social commerce for skincare and cosmetic marques including KimChiChic Beauty and Jason Wu Beauty. The former is a launch partner on TikTok Shop for the beauty sector.
It’s not often you get to spend 50 minutes with the two most powerful executives in the PR agency business, but that’s exactly what PRDecoded delegates were treated to as Richard Edelman and Ominicom PR Group’s Chris Foster faced off in a lively discussion about the State of the PR Nation.
The two CEOs are both relentlessly positive, and still constantly grinding away at client work despite their many leadership responsibilities.
They talked openly and transparently about what modern clients want from their agencies, doing more with less and ‘rightsizing,’ the relative benefits of holding company vs. independent ownership, the impact of AI on the PR industry, communicating amid misinformation, senior counsel to help clients see around corners & competing with consultancies, how to compete with ad and media agencies for client dollars, the importance of overseas network offices, the new face of ESG and purpose, why PR has never been in more demand, and much more.
To end the day, it was inspiring to hear from Chicago Bears CEO, Kevin Warren, who is leading the beloved and storied franchise as it prepares for a move out of Chicago city center and into the suburbs. Warren is an inspiring character and leads from the front.
It was fascinating to hear how he runs a unique type of business with many different parts to the whole but where the result of the last game dictates the whole mood around the place and the city in which it exists.
There were many other highlights to catch up on, ranging from seriously useful practical advice on implementing AI, understanding the complicated world of influencers, the art of innovation and creativity through the lens of advertising guru Andrew Robertson, running an effective CEO/comms department operation and so much more.
Then there was the inimitable Jon Harris, chief communications and networking officer at Conagra Brands, who relayed an inspiring proverb from Dutch politician Johan Thorbecke (in native tongue of course) that seemed to sum up the conference theme of Navigating Uncertainty perfectly: “Trust arrives on foot and leaves on horseback.”
