Chatting PR and Marcomms with Chioma: "The Journey is long. Travel light"
Chioma Nmor is a multi-disciplinary PR, Storytelling and Marcomms specialist with 5+ years experience working across brands, agencies and media platforms.
She's passionate about tapping into pop culture, human truths and emerging media to help brands look cool, do cool and interesting things.
We spent 11 mins 10 secs with Chioma to learn about her journey, background, and she drops some tips for hopefuls.
To first-time readers a warm welcome. Each newsletter ensures you learn a thing or two from the journey of others in marketing, advertising & PR.
Let’s first talk about how you got into PR and Brand Comms.
Interesting story! Some years back, I attended Godwin Tom’s conversation-led event for Women in Music Business & Entertainment.
And the guest speaker for that session was Bukky George-Taylor, the MD/CEO of Robert Taylor Media and a celebrated veteran in the industry.
Listening through the session, I was blown away by the insights and gems she shared and, in that moment, I was inspired to work with her. I knew I wanted to be around such energy. After the session, I introduced myself and outrightly told her I wanted to come work for her.
We texted for days, got an interview and aced it. The rest they say is history.
Always shoot your shot, it works like magic.
What’s your backstory? How did you discover that it was what you wanted to do?
It wasn’t much of a discovery. I’d say it was a build up till the moment of eventual realisation. Growing up, I had a thing for the arts and expression. So, it’s safe to say I always knew. I like to casually say I’m a product of the media and it is true because I consumed tons of content from TV, Radio, magazines and other good stuff. I was deeply fascinated by it all.
Fast forward to my high school days, I had friends who were into music and entertainment. They organised parties and class discussions around the industry and we’d analyse endlessly. I was very on trend and vast with the industry, it was almost like I worked in it. I was an active participant in the industry, I just didn’t know yet. Whilst all these were ongoing, my artistic interests became evident in how I spoke and wrote.
Studying and majoring in Philosophy in University ignited more for me and it all progressed from there. The thought theories, critiquing, juxtapositions, and open-ended class sessions made PR & communications more appealing and very on brand for me. After school, I sought after what seemed to be my fate in the multiverse career paths.
As my Chi will have it here we are.
Tell me about where you're currently at.
I’m currently at Robert Taylor Media. A 15-year-old strategic PR & Communications agency with expertise in executing successful thought-led communications and PR campaigns for clients across various industry verticals including the Corporate, Non-Profit, Lifestyle, and Hospitality sectors.
The journey and experience have been both terrific and thrilling, executing some of the finest culture and community led brand activation for global brands such as Jameson Irish Whiskey, Martell, Storytelling for Dubai Tourism, Matthew Ohio, Godwin Tom, Festival comms for West Africa’s biggest multi-day concert- Flytime Music Festival, brand repositioning for D’banj, Genesis Group, Nai-Jamaica, Paelon Memorial Hospital, GTB Fashion Weekend, Montaigne Place, and other notable brands.
In my capacity as a copywriter, I’ve written an array of copy and promotional corporate level materials for brands and organisations. I also had a brief stint as an entertainment & culture contributor for a few publications including Moda Culture’s debut Magazine.
Now, you have been at this for over 5 years; what are some of the struggles you faced and how did you overcome them?
At first, it was balancing my introversion with a job that demanded me to be very public in a sense. The profession thrives on relationships and sustaining said relationships. I had to come to terms with opening myself up for interactions and associations, even though half the time I just wanted to be by myself.
I went on to pick up a few tricks, and somehow life balanced itself out. The industry is fast-paced and I had to double up to its speed and sometimes that meant stretching myself to match up with the demands. One thing that never wavered was the belief in myself. Even in dens of doubts, I was so sure that I could do more. And that kept me in my strides.
Structure was (and still) a big issue as well. PR & MarComms sits at the intersection of most industries and evidently with the Nigerian work ecosystem there is structure gap. Managing expectations especially from the creative sector where structures were lacking made the work twice as hard.
Another struggle faced was making people understand the place of PR & MarComms. Most people don’t get it. Till today, some brands and organisations struggle to see a need for it and why they should spend on it. We still have to constantly educate people on the importance of great PR & MarComms and its value in the grand scheme of things.
Great storytelling & PR is a differentiator with and for a lot of ventures and human engagements in general whether you know it or not. For instance, countries like the USA utilise PR as a tool in amplifying and positioning for good. Much of how we perceive the Wests rests heavily on her intentionality in amplifying the positives and telling their own stories. Do we have that in Africa? Barely! It’s a shame that we only hear and focus on the sad stuff.
The world is plagued with the good and bad, that’s the balance you need. What you make of it is all that matters. Take your own narrative in your hands and this applies to life in a general sense.
What is the best thing about what you do?
Definitely being part of something or a project bigger than myself or my organisation. Shaping the narrative, influencing conversations and culture for the future. I think it’s incredible that we do so many great things behind the scenes and our efforts go on to take a life of their own for brands globally.
You’ve probably interacted with me via my work a couple of times without even knowing it. It feels like some Marvel superhero mystery flex, I’m reaching but you get the point.
Nonetheless, the feeling is priceless.
What's the worst?
The multi-dimensional nature of the job is a gift and a curse.
It is more or less two sides of a coin situation. The ability for the job to present you with opportunities to stretch yourself, whilst at the same time opening you up to very distressing expectations can be exhausting.
Also, everyday is a different day for a PR/Comms person—no two jobs (or even two days) are ever the same. So regardless of your mood, you've to shift your mind/body into executing your deliverables with or without your approval.
Tell me about a project you've worked on that you're especially proud of.
Hmmm…this is a hard one. I’ve worked on several projects that I’m proud of. But one of the most interesting and entertaining has to be the Jameson Confluence Project in collaboration with Mainland Block Party.
The vision was simply brilliant. Everything that led up to the project’s actual release was exciting. So crazy story, in one of our many pre-release stages I was under a drip whilst communicating with some media folks.
But when the project dropped, the reception was pretty great and it made the win even much sweeter.
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?
Well, I don’t have a funny mistake scenario but I do have an embarrassing phase.
At first, speaking to celebrities and notable personalities on the phone was terrifying for me. I literally froze on most of the calls. Just imagine! In hindsight it was just me being a normal person who was star struck or in my case ear struck.
But as my Chi will have it, I was sentenced to that singular activity of reaching out to them and one day I woke up to grilling myself and I found a way to deal with the anxiety that came with it.
So, It was a learning curve for me because I had to curtail myself and get the job done. Nobody cares if you’re shy or love struck. You’re a professional. Just do your job and keep it moving.
What are your “6 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why.
I’ve worked with some incredible entrepreneurs and leaders and some not-so-great people. They’ve all taught me equally valuable lessons. These lessons were helpful but a few things I wish I had known before I started are:
1. Relationships are everything.
Build relationships. Emphasis on build. Your Network is your net worth. Dull not. The key to networking is to think about how you can help others instead of making it all about you. So, go out and interact with industry colleagues, listen to their stories, tell yours, connect with like mind-minded people and get yourself a tribe.
When you pitch the right story to the right person you are networking.
2. Know your worth and act accordingly.
As I’d like to say; Man Know thyself. E get why. True liberation comes from knowing who you are and what you are capable of. Understand yourself and your why and every other thing will fall in place.
3. Tell your story, or someone else will.
This is a major key. You have to tell your story. In this day and age where personal branding is being touted from all corners, it fairly speaks to its importance. You never know who you’re inspiring on their journey even as you’re on yours. Your narrative is in your own hands.
4. Smart work trumps hard work. Any day.
A lot of folks are beginning to see the light on this front. You have to know how to do the work in a smart and effective way that doesn’t require you to burn out or expend so much of yourself. Delegation, Prioritisation and the likes are lifesavers, try them.
5. The journey is long, travel light.
The ecosystem is not for the fainthearted. It takes a special kind of grit to not give into a world of perpetual ment. Your mental health is important. So take many possible rests and breaks. You don’t need to earn it. It’s so easy to get lost in the sauce, but the journey is long so travel light.
6. You are your biggest cheerleader.
Take a chance on yourself at every waking moment of your life. It is that simple. If you do not believe in yourself, no one else will. It starts from you. Take a cue from Ye’s trilogy documentary and be on your way. You give yourself so much power when you are all the validation that you’ll ever need. Stand well.
Solid advice. What's the biggest misconception about PR and Marcomms that you wish more people knew?
There are a few wild misconceptions about PR that I’d love to put to rest:
1. PR's a quick hack.
Folks hire PR/Comms professionals and they want instant results, an overnight change in public perception and even sales. News flash! More than half the time, PR is a long-term process of creating awareness, influencing conversations and perception. Nothing rarely happens overnight.
2. PR’s highly glamorous.
You know that saying which goes, all that glitters is not gold. Yup! PR is a living, breathing example of it.
Maybe we do a good job of making it look glamorous but it is far from that facade. I worry when entrants are charged with the idea of flexes, that is to hang out with celebrities, go to concerts, have exclusive access to some of the biggest events and what not and they are not wrong to think that.
The reality is that, if you look long enough, you start to see the amount of tangible work beneath the surface of things. Tons of strategy, storytelling, psychology and a sprinkle of vibes that goes into getting the job done.
3. PR’s just Spin
There’s this misperception that all PR practitioners do is take bad stories and polish them until they appear to be good stories, or at least neutral stories. Nothing could be further from the truth. When bad news strikes, PR practitioners advise companies on how to confront the fallout honestly and openly.
People call PR practitioners spin doctors but a more appropriate nickname would be the ethics police.
Any tips for hopefuls to carve out their path in this industry?
So you’ve finished school, and you've decided to work in PR and Marcomms. Here are a few tips for you:
1. Do the work.
Your portfolio is very important. Pick a load of recognizable brands and do the work. What’s something new to say about the brand or the product? Can you reposition it in an unexpected way, or serve it up to a different audience?
Doing the work gets you ahead. So, apply yourself and be about the work like your life depends on it because it does to an extent.
Also, show people your work. Say hi to people at events. Send people you like emails and DMs. Introduce yourself. And get them to look through your portfolio and help you make it better. You go away, make changes, and come back. When they’re happy and if they have availability, they may offer you an internship. Internships still remain one of the most viable ways to kick-start your career.
Note: don’t be upset if they’re very critical. That’s the point! If they loved everything, you wouldn’t progress and improve.
2. You can possibly learn anything. For free.
In the words of Elon Musk “you can learn anything for free” and that’s on the prestigious YouTube University and the College of Google. And even from an interview like this.
We live in a largely fast paced and competitive world; you can only stay ahead of the curve by keeping an open mind and learning continuously. Nothing will ever be enough, so keep at it. We are all learning, unlearning and relearning stuff, so join the train.
3. Fail fast and fail forward.
I know it reads like what those 'aspire to perspire merchants' would say. But this is true and I learnt the hard way. The faster you get out of your own way and do what needs to be done even at the risk of failing, you become empowered with knowing what works and what doesn’t. So, fail more. Get the mistakes out of the way and keep it moving.
Name two products you can’t do without and tell me why.
The first product is definitely my phone. You know… it connects me with the world and I basically can do anything on it from work to life in general just with a tap. So yeah, it’s a treasure.
Also, my earphones. I don’t joke with those. I love music so much; it doubles as entertainment and a coping mechanism for me. With my earphones plugged in, I can zone in and out of any space. It helps me shut out all the chaos and noise of the world.
Pick a random pic from your camera roll and tell me about it.
This was taken in 2021 at Sagbokoji Island at Apapa, Lagos state. I’m passionate about philanthropy and always happy to do it. So, I worked as a communications volunteer at The Bare Necessities Foundation’s Bare Feet Drive 2.0. The event was solely aimed at distributing durable shoes to children between the ages of 3-13yrs.
That day was a total mind shift for me. The experience with the kids, their excitement and energy were infectious. I left the Island with a sense of gratitude that I could be a part of such a charitable cause, contributing to a positive impact.
Make up your own question, answer it and tell me whatever you want to get off your chest.
Q: What would you want to feel 5-10 years from now?
A: I want to feel happy and content about the things that matter… my purpose journey, career, family, relationships, all thriving in abundance. I strongly believe there’s a purpose for everyone here on earth and if I can dutifully live and walk on purpose every day of my life then I’m good. More than good, so help me God. After heaven, impact is the goal.
Unrelated but I’d also love to add that what Noticing Africa is doing is commendable. Y’all are doing important work and deserve all the flowers and more.
Thanks for commending our work, Chioma. Before I remove the shackles, tell me where people can find you online.
All here: LinkedIn, Instagram & Twitter.
Now, that's a wrap. Thanks for your time, Chioma. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion and hope that the readers did as well.
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