October 8 – Heather Mitchell, Senior Director and Head of Global PR, Influencers and Entertainment Marketing, Hair Care Portfolio at Unilever

Scripps PRSSA was more than pleased to welcome Heather Mitchell, Senior Director and Head of Global PR, Influencers and Entertainment Marketing, Hair Care Portfolio at Unilever back to Athens. This OHIO alum travelled from London to spend the week in Athens, OH as a Sloan visiting professional.

Heather is a passionate, enthusiastic, results-driven global PR and social media executive with 20 years experience on the client and agency side. Proven leader who has worked across many FMCG sectors, including beauty, personal care, fashion, spirits, food, beverage and sports in the US and globally, with emphasis on Europe and Asia, encompassing mass, premium and prestige brands.

She is a trusted adviser and creative problem solver with extensive experience in strategic planning; big-picture thinking and idea generation; delivering flawless execution; working cross functionally and in an integrated fashion; leading high performing teams; building strong editor, blogger, journalist and influencer relationships; protecting and promoting brand reputation; and creating successful, industry game-changing platforms.

She has a proven track record of generating earned media results with high quality and quantity, laddering back to strong ROI while driving consumer advocacy and preference, brand love and ultimately more sales.

To top it off, Heather has a highly collaborative and entrepreneurial with a can-do attitude and strong work ethic.

Here are some takeaways:

“The more real world experience you can get, the better off you’ll be.” One of the reasons why Heather Mitchell believes it’s important to be involved in on-campus organizations and land internships
Before you begin a marketing campaign, it’s crucial to set objectives ahead of time and establish the message you’re brand is trying to get across.
Influencer marketing is immediate and because of this, brands have the opportunity to tell their story immediately to the consumer.
Share what happens behind the scenes over social media or other marketing platforms. This type of content wants to be seen by consumers and shared with editors and influencers.
PR and influencers over social media go hand and hand. For Heather Mitchell, it’s an art and a science. You must build a relationship, build trust, and show that your product is credible and your brand is authentic.
After you measure the success of your campaign, recognize where the opportunities are. Ask what worked, what didn’t work, and why.
Heather’s final advice: “Do as much as you can do to make yourself interesting and standout to a potential employer.” Start a blog, plan your own networking trip, take on a new position, etc.