Member Profile: Ana Alanis
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.
Ana Alanis
Account Director, PRNewswire
Why did you join PRSA and what is one of your favorite benefits that the organization provides?
When I returned to the world of Public Relations and Marketing after a stint working for a legal software company, I realized that I needed to get a refresher on new PR trends. In addition to reading various industry specific books and taking some online courses, I decided to join PRSA to network with other PR professionals in the Bay Area (I was also new to SF) and thought it would be a fun way to keep up with PR trends and best practices. One of my favorite benefits is having the opportunity to learn from very high-level PR professionals and journalists.
You have been in PR for over ____ years. Share a few ways it has changed over the years and where you see it going.
I’m still a newbie when it comes to PR, I have been in my current role for 2 years and prior to that had some limited experience in college through some PR and advertising clubs. I also was fortunate enough to have some part time jobs that allowed me the opportunity to put PR into practice, including helping a small restaurant on campus develop a PR campaign as well as an independent wardrobe consultant grow her business.
I think the biggest change I have seen over the years is the importance of analytics and numbers tied to PR. A few years back there wasn’t much emphasis, or a way really, to track analytics tied to PR campaigns. Now I get daily requests from clients to better understand their available analytics and also offer counsel on how to better track PR campaigns so they can better understand ROI.
Tell us about one of your most memorable experiences during your career.
One of my most memorable experiences was a recent event we held at our offices to benefit a local nonprofit. Our MultiVu team, who focuses on multimedia projects, flew in and invited several of our clients to conduct a video brainstorming session to benefit a local nonprofit. The point of the event were two fold – 1. It allowed our customers to see how our team functioned when creating multimedia projects and – 2. To help out a local nonprofit. Our clients had some great ideas and ultimately the winner’s idea was created into a video (free of charge) that now shows at AT&T Park before Giants games! It’s just really exciting to see an idea brought to life for a good cause.
What’s your best advice to the new generation of PR professionals?
If you work in PR, you have to be prepared for change and embrace it. Part of the fun of this industry is that it is ever changing and, as cliché as it sounds, no day is ever the same. This constant change, while demanding, makes PR very exciting. Luckily there are literally hundreds of ways you can keep up with the trends, everything from webinars, groups like PRSA, e-books, blogs, etc.