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Meet our members!  We will periodically feature veteran and new PRSA San Francisco members, and tell the story of their public relations career.  If you would like to suggest a PRSA San Francisco member for a profile, please send an email to info@prsasf.org.

Joy Deinla
Macy’s
Director of Media Relations (Northwest Region)

You have been in the retail industry for over 20 years.  Share a few ways it has changed over the years and where you see it going.

Over the past 20 years, I have seen technology revolutionize all facets of business. Access to information is where the change has definitely created the biggest impact. Written and visual Information is easily shared with the masses with the touch of a SHARE button.  This has created new ways to tell stories about what your company has to offer, and to create new experiences and conveniences that make transactions easier. 

Tell us about one of your most memorable experiences during your career.

My most memorable experiences in my marketing and PR career have always taken place during the holiday season – during Macy’s Believe Campaign.  It was a team effort between Make-A-Wish and Macy’s that not only worked to make wishes come true for children with life threatening illnesses, but also made true magic.  We did this by partnering marketing with PR to create a memorable event.

We brought the Macy’s Santa – straight from the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York – on tour, including a stop at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.  There were kids he couldn’t see in person because they were quarantined, and they could only see him and touch his glove by pressing their hands against their room window. Some kids who were being released adamantly convinced their parents to stay until Santa arrived in the afternoon.  There was one baby boy in intensive care, who we were told was also in palliative care, which Santa visited and greeted his parents. They were able to get their only picture with Santa holding their baby son.  We talked to the kids about Make-A-Wish and the Believe Campaign and how every letter to Santa would mean a $1 donation, and we also received bunches of letters. Santa was able to recap his visit with the local press and create awareness for how easy it is to give back.

What’s your best advice to the new generation of professionals in your industry?

Always be open to new ideas and challenge the status quo.  Never stop thinking outside the box, but at the same time always expect, and be willing, to make compromises.  The best executions often are a product of the compilation of a group’s ideas that leverage the strengths of each individual involved in order to create magic and drive results.  

Why did you join PRSA and what is one of your favorite benefits that the organization provides?

The information shared by the PRSA has spawned ideas and much discussion to help drive our regional PR strategies.  It is great to learn from the many experienced professionals.