FCB Hires Martina Suess Cromer From WPP Corporate to Invest in Global Comms

  Rassegna Stampa, Social
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Turnbull told Adweek that he believes FCB’s reputation and product has gotten stronger every year, and he felt now was the right time to separate the two comms disciplines, which both need strong leadership.

“We always say creative is the business and the business is creative. When we met Martina, her passion for not only external comms, but internal was something that really resonated to both of us,” said Turnbull. FCB has more than 8,000 people in 100 offices who need to “speak FCB,” said Turnbull.

Advice for the younger comms generation

Communications and public relations is a wide-ranging field. On the agency side, there are many disciplines that those coming up the ranks need to know, and Suess Cromer has practiced all of them in her time at agencies and holding companies.

She said that those looking for a career in comms need to learn fast, but that climbing the ranks can take time, which can be exhausting, since the job can sometimes be around the clock. Her first suggestion is to spend a few years inside a PR agency, build a network and contact list, and have clients who will advocate for you.

“Communications, as a profession, is a lot more than just PR, so you need to understand the direction you want to go in and what you like doing … you have to pick your poison and then go where you’re going to enjoy your time and the people and continue learning,” said Suess Cromer, adding that those coming up need to be a sponge and learn from great leaders.

Suess Cromer noted that FCB has a mantra: “It’s never finished,” which resonates because the work of a comms person is never finished, because they’re always on, following the news cycles and pitching the right story at the right time.

Of course, being on all the time means that burnout is a possibility, but Suess Cromer suggests that prioritization is key—learning how to say ‘no’ or ‘not yet.’

“If you can’t get to something immediately, just say that and you’ll find a way to do it later… It’s really understanding where your impact can be maximized. You have to understand what opportunities there are and how to make them into something,” which can require creative thinking, said Suess Cromer.

Turnbull added that being intentional is key to comms people, because intention leads to a disciplined approach to the job, which leads to better focus.

“We’ve tried to be really intentional about what we want this role to be, and how we can be successful doing that,” said Turnbull.

Credle took it one point further, saying that strategy and intent lead to impact, which is ultimately what the comms role should entail.

“If you feel like what you’re doing matters and you can feel it having an impact, that’s energy. When you feel like you’re working hard, but it matters, it means something. It actually doesn’t create burnout, it creates excitement and fuel,” said Credle.

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