The Motive team is growing with the recent addition of Alex Jones as PR Director. Alex has joined us from a local digital marketing agency where he was Head of PR. Let’s find out a bit more about him:
Alex, welcome to the team. How has it been joining during the coronavirus lockdown and would you like to share any tips for working from home?
Thanks, great to be here! I’ll be honest, it’s been rather unusual. Especially not meeting my colleagues properly, but Google hangouts has been invaluable. Everyone is in the same boat and has been brilliant. My advice for working from home is to get a routine established, and split your work into ‘Shallow’ and ‘Deep’ work. It’s OK to do ‘Shallow’ work which is mainly admin or little tasks, but make sure you schedule time for ‘Deep’ work which are the larger tasks that require focus and attention. That and an ironing board makes a good substitute for a standing desk.
What has been your first impressions of the agency? How do you think Motive differs from other agencies?
I’ve been blown away by the results. When I look at digital PR results, I expect three things for clients; quantity, quality and relevancy. In the last few weeks I’ve seen all three across all clients. Notably, some really nice national placements, with links included.
How long have you worked in PR? Tell us a little about your career so far?
I’ve worked in PR since 2013. I started in a traditional PR agency, where I like to think I earned my stripes.I look back and value the time I was calling in forward features, having my press releases amended, and setting up meeting rooms. I then moved to a digital marketing agency, working in Digital PR to increase my client’s online visibility. Here I progressed to Marketing Manager, and then Head of PR. Now at Motive, I’m looking forward to helping enable and contributing towards agency growth. It’s also a great opportunity to get involved in more consumer-facing PR accounts.
I’ve worked with some awesome clients, spoken at conferences, ran training workshops and been in for some personal PR awards. I’ve been fortunate enough to love every minute of my career so far, and I’m passionate about client results, my colleague’s career progression, and adding value to the wider PR industry.
What is your role at Motive and how do you see yourself adding value to the agency’s offering?
My role at Motive is PR Director, where I’ll be heading up client accounts and utilising my expertise in content, social media and PR to support the growing demand for digital PR.
You studied PR at university, do you think having a degree in PR helped you get established in the industry more quickly than if you’d had a degree in English (for example)?
Interesting question. It certainly gave me a great understanding and knowledge of PR. From learning all about Edward Bernays, who is known as the Godfather of PR, to running mock press briefings, graduating in PR certainly helped me to get the PR bug. But I think that having the right attitude and great communication skills goes further than a specific PR degree. You can learn the rest with experience.
What is your nickname? Do you have any hidden talents we need to know about?
My mates call me ‘Jonesy’ which is very imaginative. I’m quite good at catching things in my mouth whether it’s M&Ms, grapes or nuts. I think my record is 39 in a row.
Who is the most famous person you’ve met?
Probably Gordon Ramsay. Back in 2015, due to a client’s involvement, I did a charity Triathlon to raise money for Cancer Research, and Gordon Ramsay was in my heat. I was swimming in the muddy lake at Markeaton Park in Derby two feet away from Gordon Ramsay.
We hear you support Everton FC, isn't that a bit unusual for a Nottingham man?
Everton are my dad’s team, and my first game at Goodison Park was aged six.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Just thanks to the Motive team for being so welcoming during this tough time for all. Even with COVID-19 dominating our lives, it’s an exciting time to be part of Motive PR, with a recent rebrand, new website, and great clients to work on.
Welcome to the team Alex.
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