PR Pros: Mark Beal Of Rutgers University-New Brunswick On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro
An Interview With Kristen Shea
Never Stop Learning: For college graduates starting a career in public relations, the learning is just beginning. Each and every day they can learn from colleagues and clients. Before they go to sleep each night, there should be at least one new thing that they learned that day. Once an individual stops learning in an industry like public relations, they start going backwards as the remainder of the industry moves forward. Fully leverage the opportunity to attend conferences and guest lectures consistently. It is opportunities like these that will result in learning new lessons that are immediately applicable to the public relations industry.
Have you seen the show Flack? Ever think of pursuing a real-life career in PR? What does it take to succeed in PR? What are the different forms of Public Relations? Do you have to have a college degree in PR? How can you create a highly lucrative career in PR? In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro” we are talking to successful publicists and Public Relations pros, who can share stories and insights from their experiences.
As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Mark Beal.
Mark Beal is an assistant professor of professional practice in communication in the School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, where he teaches public relations courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Mark spent 3 decades in public relations where he and his teams developed and executed public relations campaigns for category-leading companies and brands around some of the most high-profile sports and entertainment properties and platforms including the Olympic Games, Super Bowl, World Series, NCAA March Madness, U.S. Open and the Rolling Stones. Beal is a leading expert on Generation Z having been inspired by his Gen Z students. He has authored 6 books (including “Gen Z Graduates To Adulthood,” “Engaging Gen Z,” and “Decoding Gen Z”) which has led to keynote speech invitations from leading corporations, conferences, sports leagues, and industry trade associations including the Public Relations Society of America, Association of National Advertisers, and the American Marketing Association.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
In the summer of 1988, I was between my junior and senior years at Rutgers University. I was a journalism major with a focus on covering the news. I was a sports broadcaster for the student radio station, WRSU-FM. Previously, I had covered sports events for the Asbury Park Press. I had two internships that summer. I started each day departing New Brunswick, New Jersey at approximately 7:30 a.m. on a train bound for New York. I interned for Mike Cohen Communications, a public relations agency with a focus on sports. When I completed my internship each day at the agency, I would race over to 30 Rockefeller Plaza and intern for a popular sports radio show on WNBC-Radio until midnight. After my first day interning at the public relations agency, I was inspired to pursue a career in public relations and marketing. I no longer wanted to cover the news as a journalist. Instead, I wanted to share the compelling stories of my clients and persuade editorial gatekeepers to cover those stories and share them with their viewers, listeners, and readers.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
I started full-time in my career in public relations in 1989. I now teach public relations as an assistant professor of practice in the School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Over more than 30 years in public relations, I have so many interesting stories. From working on-site at the Olympic Games and Super Bowl and securing cover stories for my clients in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal to competing against the largest agencies in public relations for new business and winning opportunities with some of the world’s most recognized companies and brands, it is challenging to share just one story. One interesting story took place in the summer of 2005. One of our clients signed a partnership with the Rolling Stones to sponsor “A Bigger Bang” tour. We launched the sponsorship by having the Rolling Stones surprise New Yorkers by stepping out on a rooftop at lunchtime in midtown Manhattan and playing a four-song set. It does not get much more interesting that.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I am not sure if it is a funny mistake, but it was a great learning experience. Early in my career, I was a junior executive in a new business presentation. Our agency pitch team traveled to the city to present to the executive team representing the potential client. The CEO started the presentation by asking if we had tested and tried the company’s product. We hadn’t. He told us we could leave. That mistake was never repeated. In the hundreds of new business presentations I have participated in, I immersed myself in the brand and their products for weeks leading up to the presentation. If it was a fast-food brand, I would spend endless hours each weekend sitting at their locations, eating their food, and conducting research with employees and customers. If it was an automotive brand, I would visit their dealerships, test drive their cars and spend time on the sales floor interviewing sales reps and potential customers. By making that mistake early in my career, it led to taking an immersive approach to researching and understanding a brand before pitching their business. It also led to many new business victories.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am currently spending the majority of my time on the College Avenue campus at Rutgers University-New Brunswick teaching public relations in the School of Communication and Information. After nearly 30 years of collaborating with clients, I am very excited to collaborate with today’s amazing Gen Z college students at Rutgers who represent the next generation of communications, public relations, and marketing professionals. They inspire me each day and they keep me informed of what’s trending in pop culture, social media, and content marketing. They are so inspiring that I have authored 3 books focused on Generation Z including “Decoding Gen Z” in 2018 and “Engaging Gen Z” in 2020. My next book, “Gen Z Graduates To Adulthood,” is scheduled to be published in the spring of 2022. I am currently in the midst of an exciting project with 20 of my Rutgers students. We designed a new course in which we are developing and executing an integrated marketing communications campaign called #BeCOMM to celebrate the communication major. I am inspired by the way the students have developed the campaign, which will culminate with a music festival on the Rutgers University-New Brunswick College Avenue campus that we are calling COMMchella.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
As I look at my more than 30 years in public relations, three traits that come to mind are to lead by example, act as a mentor not a manager, and to immerse yourself in your client’s business. In the first half of my public relations career, a primary focus was the ability to proactively pitch editorial decision makers and convince them to feature my clients. Rather than simply directing junior executives to attempt that challenge, it was all about leading by example. It’s similar to a role in sales. As a leader you can direct your team to generate sales, or you can lead by example and show them how to successfully accomplish it. That is a powerful proof point when a leader steps up and accomplishes exactly what that leader is asking the team to do. Connected to that “lead by example” approach is to lead as a mentor not a manager. A mentor is collaborative and always looking to empower members of the team. A manager is more of task master. For any soon-to-be college graduate who is fortunate to be mentored and not managed in their first full-time job, they will evolve and transform at a pace they never imagined. Ultimately, in public relations and any client-service industry, it comes down to living your client’s business from purchasing their products to closely monitoring their competition. The objective is to know your clients’ business better than they know it. If I had a credit card client, I would apply for and utilize their credit cards every time I made a purchase. That type of immersive experience with a client’s product or service is incredibly valuable.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. For the benefit of our readers, can you help articulate what the different forms of PR are?
Public relations has been a profession in the United States since the early 1900s when The Publicity Bureau opened its doors in Boston as the nation’s first public relations agency. In fact, I teach a graduate course at Rutgers that bridges the early years of public relations from 1900–1920 to today’s quickly evolving public relations industry. For nearly 100 years, the primary focus of public relations was editorial media. From newspapers and magazines in the early 1900s to radio in the 1920s to television in the 1940s and beyond, public relations professionals concentrated on persuading editorial gatekeepers to feature and include their clients in earned media stories. Public relations has transformed significantly in the past 15–20 years with the introduction of social media as well as a more integrated approach to communication. Today, public relations professionals continue to engage editorial media, but the platforms have expanded to blogs, podcasts, and YouTubers. Additionally, public relations now has a focus on cultivating relationships with social media influencers which did not exist 20 year ago. While many social media influencers require compensation, they are the modern-day version of editorial influencers in the early 1900s. Paid media isn’t restricted to social media influencers. Today, public relations professionals are collaborating with their clients on paid opportunities across sponsored content with popular website and broadcast integrations with network and cable television outlets. Public relations also consists of content creation and production. As companies and brands expand their network of owned media channels from Instagram and TikTok to YouTube channels and podcasts, they turn to public relations professionals to develop compelling and engaging storytelling that the company and brand completely control. There is no better time than now for a college graduate to join the public relations industry. Public relations is transforming at such a rapid rate that it is more innovative than ever.
Where should a young person considering a career in PR start their education? Should they get a degree in communications? A degree in journalism? Can you explain what you mean?
At its core, public relations is still about engaging storytelling. Whether across earned, paid, shared, or owned media, successful public relations is built on a foundation of a compelling story. I was a college student who earned my degree in journalism. Writing for weekly and daily newspapers as well as broadcasting on radio stations provided me with the opportunity to understand how editorial decisions are made and what makes for a story that will engage consumers. The landscape has changed dramatically over the past 2 decades. Editorial is no longer limited to newspapers, television, and radio stations. Editorial gatekeepers now extend to podcasts, blogs, social media influencers, and beyond. Students interested in a career in public relations should look for a comprehensive curriculum like we have in the Rutgers School of Communication and Information. From learning about market research and content creation, to campaign planning and execution, that type of curriculum provides a solid foundation for a career in public relations. When a student complements that type of course curriculum with internships at public relations agencies and internally at companies and brands, they have set themselves up for a successful start to a career in public relations.
You are known as a master networker. Can you share some tips on great networking?
Networking requires what I call the 3Ps — Proactive, Persistent, and Professional. First, whether networking as a student or as an executive with decades of experience, you must posses a proactive mindset and approach. If networking is important to you, you should wake up each day by taking a proactive approach. You can even set a measurable goal such as establishing and adding one new meaningful professional contact to your network each day or each week. If you do not have that proactive mindset, you will never be an effective networker because you are simply taking a reactive approach. Once you have established a meaningful connection, nurture that connection. You want to identify mutually beneficial ways to engage that new professional contact based on their business, interests, and passions. Finally, networking needs to be done professionally. It something that needs to be done at an appropriate cadence — not too frequently and not once a year. It also needs to be done professionally via channels that are acceptable to the individual you are networking with. They may not appreciate a direct message or a text, but they may value a comment on their LinkedIn post or a response to a tweet that they shared. Be mindful of the 3Ps when networking and it will lead to making more meaningful quality professional connections.
Lead generation is one of the most important aspects of any business. Can you share some of the strategies you use to generate good, qualified leads?
Do not make cold calls to generate leads. Instead, leverage your professional network, roll up your sleeves, and determine how your connections in your network can connect you with an individual at a company or organization where you are attempting to establish a lead. You also have to invest quality time in research to understand who the key decision makers are at the company where you are attempting to generate the qualified lead. The most effective way to generate qualified leads no matter the industry is to leverage personal relationships on your behalf. This is why, throughout your career, you should always be a giver, someone who assists and helps others in their network without ever expecting anything in return. If you consistently help others throughout your career, the day that you need someone to introduce you to a contact or a company where you are attempting generate a qualified lead, they will be eager to assist your efforts.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro” and why.
Never Stop Learning: For college graduates starting a career in public relations, the learning is just beginning. Each and every day they can learn from colleagues and clients. Before they go to sleep each night, there should be at least one new thing that they learned that day. Once an individual stops learning in an industry like public relations, they start going backwards as the remainder of the industry moves forward. Fully leverage the opportunity to attend conferences and guest lectures consistently. It is opportunities like these that will result in learning new lessons that are immediately applicable to the public relations industry.
Immerse Yourself in Your Business: Whether an individual works at an agency across a few clients or internally at a company, they need to immerse themselves in their business and the business of the competition. If an executive works at a public relations agency, they should strive to understand their client’s business better than the client knows their business. However, don’t stop there. An executive should take time outside of work hours to understand the business of their public relations agency and not just their clients. Very few young executives do that. It is critical in public relations to have a holistic understanding of your clients and your agency. If an executive works internally in public relations at a company, they should go beyond their department and understand the enterprise mission and purpose of the company.
Establish Meaningful Relationships: Public relations is a relationship business. That include relationships with media, clients, and colleagues. This goes well beyond not burning a bridge. Public relations executives should have a long-term approach to relationship building. Each and every individual they meet and collaborate with should be someone they should regard as a meaningful member of their network for the next 20 to 30 years. On the media side, I was fortunate early in my career to establish meaningful relationships with journalists and broadcasters with whom I collaborated for decades in a mutually beneficial manner.
Be Creative: Public relations has become a more integral part of integrated marketing communications as public relations has transformed and evolved over the past 20 years. The most compelling and engaging public relations campaigns today are breaking through a cluttered landscape because they are creative. All of us have the ability to develop breakthrough creative concepts and campaigns, but not everybody exercises the creative side of their brain. Like advertising, public relations is a creative industry. Creativity leads to news ideas which leads to innovative thinking which leads to earning business with new clients and eventually, developing and launching creative campaigns for those clients. Find your outlet to get your creative juices flowing. For me, it is taking a bike ride, run, or hike. By the time I return home, I have dozens of creative thought-starters.
Transform and Innovate: If I were starting my career today in public relations, I would immerse myself in the Metaverse. The Metaverse is the future of marketing and public relations. We are already seeing category leading companies and brands taking a transformative and innovative approach to public relations and marketing via campaigns with a focus on the Metaverse and NFTs. Consistently and continuously challenge the status quo and explore the next generation of content channels and platforms. By getting ahead of the next generation of media channels such as the Metaverse, public relations executives can position themselves as experts to their agency, colleagues, and clients.
Because of the role you play, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I have immersed myself in Generation Z for the past five years. Along the way, I have been inspired by their entrepreneurial mindset and their purpose-driven approach. I believe that Generation Z will make communities and the world better places over the next 20 years. I believe that Gen Z will transform business, media, and marketing significantly over the next decade. With that, I believe that companies, big and small, should empower what I call a ZEO movement. Similar to the Gen Z incubator program that Target launched in 2018, I believe that companies ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to non-profit charities should issue an open invitation to connect and collaborate with Generation Z. They should empower these ZEOs whether as interns, full-time employees, or members of a think tank to inform and inspire the next generation of transformation and innovation.
This was really meaningful! Thank you so much for your time.
