Trailblazers and leaders: Kandace Williamson
Kandace Williamson | Account Director | The Romans
How did you get into marketing/comms? I appreciate how cliché this sounds, but I sort of fell into it. I had just come out of sixth form and decided against University because I had no idea what I wanted to do. The one thing I was absolutely sure of at that time, is that I did not want to continue further education. After a handful of one-off jobs in retail, bars and pubs I decided to do an apprenticeship (earning money whilst getting a foot in the door, it sounded like a no-brainer to me), and the job description that really stood out to me was in PR. Of course, I had no idea what PR was at the time but since then, I’ve never looked back.
What is something that you do every day without fail?
Practice affirmations! Imposter syndrome is a very real thing, ESPECIALLY as a woman. Our industry is so fast-paced and can be challenging at times, so it’s important to remind yourself that you got this, you deserve it and to trust in your abilities.
What is the best piece of advice that you’ve received? And who gave it to you? An old colleague of mine once told me her work mantra is: “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” A quote, originally said by Henry Ford, that’s always resonated with me. It’s a constant reminder for me to always break new ground and leave my pre-conceptions at the door. There’s something exciting in working out of your comfort zone, no matter how hard it may feel at the time, as this is where you really grow and develop.
What is a tool/hack that you would recommend to anyone starting out in PR/Comms/Marketing?
It’s not necessarily a tool, but my best advice to those starting out is to meet as many journalists face-to-face as you can. Many forget that securing killer coverage is the beating heart of everything we do in PR. Without it, we wouldn’t get any new briefs or be able to continue doing great and important work. Building a little black book of multi-vertical journalist contacts that you can call on for your stories is the quickest way to not only progress but to develop and strengthen your knowledge of the media landscape (which, as we know, is ever-changing. Rapidly).
What’s your greatest achievement to date?
I recently lead the team on a project for Dove’s The Crown Act, which is the brand’s mission to end race-based hair discrimination in the UK – it was one of the most powerful campaigns I’ve ever worked on. We were able to give an extraordinary group of Black and mixed-heritage women the space to tell their stories of race-based hair discrimination they encountered while at school and re-take their school pictures in the present day, as their most authentic selves. All the creatives and production partners were either Black or mixed heritage. The campaign drove real, actionable change and played a part in bringing legislative change too – the Equality Act has now been updated to explicitly call out hair as a protected characteristic of race. Being named one of PR Week’s 30 Under 30 last year was also pretty cool.
Is there a particular comms campaign that you’ve seen in your career that you didn’t work on but wish you had?
I ADORED the Fifa x Kiyan Prince campaign from a few years ago. At just 15 years old, Kiyan Prince’s dreams of becoming a QPR pro footballer were cut short when he tragically became a victim of knife crime. So, on the anniversary of his death and in honour of his memory, Fifa added him virtually to QPR’s team in its Fifa 21 game using deep-fake technology. An incredibly smart use of deep-fake tech, but with such a powerful and emotional message/call to action. EA developers worked closely with Prince’s family, friends, and former teammates to ensure his character was a true reflection of him. The campaign helped the Kiyan Prince Foundation receive three years’ worth of donations on day one alone and drove awareness of such a massive issue. A beautiful example of purpose done right.
What’s the key skill you think a successful PR/comms/marketing pro requires?
Being able to lead with empathy is a skill that I think is invaluable in our industry – having the ability to understand the needs of others and being acutely aware of their feelings and thoughts. You get the best out of people (your teams, clients, and colleagues) when you foster an atmosphere that promotes collaboration and understanding, where every opinion is valued. Truly leading from within means being fully present and listening without judgment. It’s ‘PR not ER’, it’s such a platitude, but one of truth – yes, there’s a job to be done, but we can and should have fun doing it. Leadership and people management are my favourite parts of the job. There’s no better feeling than helping someone reach their full potential and watching them fly.
In three words, describe your approach to your role/work?
Bold, determined, good vibes.
What’s a question every PR/marketing pro should ask themselves?
Will people actually care? Sometimes we as professionals can often fall into the trap of thinking only in our London-based ivory towers – it’s important that the work that we do is fully representative of the nation/audience we are serving for that particular brand or brief.