PR People: Allison Fonke Blough

Allison Fonke Blough

Job title and function: My job title is owner/consultant of Anthem Strategical. We specialize in marketing solutions for small businesses. It’s important for me as a consultant to have the full picture of a business, from the owner’s personal branding to the business’s overall history in their market.

Most rewarding thing about working in PR today: The most rewarding part of this industry is discovering more about the people who make up the businesses. I love telling their personal stories as well as those of their companies. I believe that people connect with stories and that authenticity is the capstone. Truth often resonates with us in a way that we can’t even explain. We just feel it! I love that part of my job is being a storyteller.

Craziest/most challenging thing you’ve done in PR: The craziest thing I’ve done for PR is jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. I was in charge of communications for an outstanding veteran nonprofit, Operation Enduring Warrior, and I was tasked with promoting their skydiving program for wounded veterans. At one of the promotional skydiving events, the opportunity to do a tandem skydive fell into our laps. I was then convinced that the best way to share the experience of skydiving was to do it myself, so onward and upward we went! It was amazingly peaceful, and I have to admit that knowing the feeling firsthand helped me promote skydiving with a greater understanding and build a stronger rapport with our audience.

Advice for new PR pros: My advice for PR professionals is to always be bold enough to take on new projects outside of your comfort zone. Good PR is more about helping represent the heart of an organization than being an expert in that field. You’ll be amazed at how much crossover there is and you’ll gain new experiences and opportunities as a result. We’re in this industry because we’re life-long learners, so don’t be afraid to go learn something new!

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