Nikki Rooke - Membership Organisation

Nikki Rooke has spent her entire PR career working in the motoring sector, though has actually worked in a wide range of communication roles in very different environments, including three years touring the world with the A1 Grand Prix.

She is now Head Of Communications for the motoring industry’s main trade organisation, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, leading the body’s PR and comms strategy to ensure her industry’s voice is heard by government, the media and, ultimately, society at large.

We spoke to Nikki about her career to date, the challenges of her current role, and her advice for those at the start of their PR career.

By Unicorn Jobs

---

How did you first get into PR?

I first became interested in PR while at university and managed to secure an internship at the London Tourist Board one summer. It was fast-paced, every day was different and you saw results quickly – it confirmed that PR was the job for me.

It was really being in the right place at the right time that got me my first job working as a freelancer for Markettiers4DC on the British International Motor Show. I gave up a full time job in events for a six month contract, but it gave me a great opportunity to prove what I could do and get myself noticed.

The risk paid off and the Society Of Motor Manufacturers And Traders, who run the show, took me on in their press office when my contract ended.

Do you have a PR degree?

No, my degree is in modern Russian History!

Would having a PR degree have helped?

Yes and no. My degree taught me skills in research, analysis and both written and oral presentations, all of which you need in PR. I think a PR degree can teach you a lot, but at the same time the basics of a good PR can be developed in other areas.

You need to know the media, who reads what and find a different angle that will suit each title’s audience. It’s also about developing good relationships, thinking on your feet and making sure you fully understand a story before pitching.

Tell us about your career since the British International Motor Show

My career has always centred on the motor industry, but at the same time has been quite varied.

The Society Of Motor Manufacturers And Traders, or SMMT, is the trade association for the UK automotive industry, so the press office tends to focus on how government policy and legislation affect the sector and works to promote the image of the industry.

As a membership organisation you develop some strong relationships with companies in the industry, and this led me to move on to Premier Automotive Group a couple of years later where I worked as Communications Planning Manager, coordinating PR activity across their four brands Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo.

In 2005 I heard about A1GP, a new international single-seat motorsport series that was being set up to race over the winter months during the sport’s traditional close season. They were looking for someone with relevant experience but who could tackle things from a new perspective. To be honest, I wasn’t a big motorsport fan when I applied but it seemed like a great opportunity to get some different experience while still maintaining some of the contacts I already had in the media.

I joined six months before the first race when there were still less than 10 people in the company and got to set up a lot of the PR activity from scratch. I was there for just over three years promoting the series and each individual race on a global scale. It was a total whirlwind of activity that was thoroughly exhausting but constantly exciting, challenging and entertaining.

After three years of travelling, an opportunity came up to return to SMMT in my old boss’ job. It was a totally different environment but one that, luckily, I already knew I enjoyed.

Tells us some more about your move back to SMMT

I’m back at SMMT as Head Of Communications.

The job came up at a time I was thinking of moving on from A1GP. The current Chief Executive had recently re-joined the Society having been Head Of Policy while I was working as a junior in the press team, so I got in touch. He’s done a huge amount to transform the organisation, making it a lot more proactive in its approach to government and the media, recognising the important role PR can play.

There’s been so much going on in the industry over the last 18 months that it’s been really exciting to be a part of it and involved in such as central way.

Tell us a bit more about SMMT.

As I said, SMMT is the trade association for the UK motor industry.

It has been around for over 100 years, and was originally set up to run the first motor show in the UK. But nowadays our focus is more towards industry issues and legislation than products.

The organisation has a huge amount of expertise, whether it’s our data department that can provide industry statistics in the most amazing detail or the technical guys who are always on top of the latest technology or legislation.

The role of the press office is to use as much of this information and knowledge as possible to get the media and ultimately the public interested and excited about the automotive industry. The amount of technology in the average car is astounding and the rate at which it’s developed has made today’s car totally different from even my first car 12 years ago, and there’s so much still to do.

The research and development that has gone into cutting car emissions over recent years will continue and it’s a really exciting opportunity to be a part of an organisation trying to make sure that the UK secures a significant proportion of the investment going into future vehicle technology.

What does the Head Of Comms role involve specifically?

My job is to oversee the Society’s PR and communications strategy, and advise the Chief Executive on any communications issues that arise. That could be anything from responding to government or industry announcements to supporting our policy team in their direct lobbying activity or coming up with creative ways to generate media interest on safety, environmental, manufacturing and technological issues.

I also work with member companies whose input is used to develop an industry-wide position, making sure their views are fairly represented and they are aware of any reports or news stories which may affect them. I try to keep up to date with the activity of our internal departments as well, looking for ways to promote their work and use it to raise the profile of the industry.

Some of our biggest media opportunities come through our monthly data releases, which provide regular opportunities to speak to key contacts, and our events work, whether it’s the British International Motor Show, the Commercial Vehicle Show or specific media events like our industry ‘test days’ where our members bring along their latest products for journalists to test drive.

Give us an idea of a typical day at work?

I try to get in quite early to make sure I’m on top of any relevant stories in the nationals and have been through my e-mails before the phone starts to ring. We issue two sets of industry data each month and on the days they go out I tend to spend most of the morning doing broadcast interviews either at Millbank studios or from our ISDN line.

My diary is always pretty full with meetings either briefing or getting feedback from member companies, information from or advising internal teams, or catching up with journalists and looking for ideas for long-lead features.

I’m always juggling long-term projects with immediate issues, but that’s the excitement of PR: you can set aside a day for writing briefing documents, articles or media packs but then a story breaks that you need to act on and that takes up most of your day.

Tell us about a major project you’ve worked on at SMMT

Probably the biggest project I’ve worked on since joining SMMT was our campaign for government support for the sector, specifically the scrappage incentive scheme which saw car buyers get a £2,000 discount off a new car or van when they scrapped one over 10 years old.

In mid-2008, when companies were first talking ‘recession’, it was clear that demand for new vehicles would be seriously hit. We spoke to member companies about what would help them and, together with our policy team, devised a political and public campaign to raise awareness of the potential impact this would have on UK manufacturing sites and those working at plants.

We took every opportunity going to generate media and public support for the industry and secured high-profile backing from national journalists and consumer titles. After more than six months of lobbying media and government, the scrappage scheme was introduced at the last budget and our members have seen a real impact for their UK plants and sales volumes.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I still get a buzz out of seeing a story I’ve pitched in print. There’s a big sense of achievement and satisfaction to be had, especially when you’ve got a good article out of something that at first sight was not especially exciting. It’s even better when you overhear people in the street talking about an article or broadcast that you’ve helped to create.

What’s the worst thing about your job?

There’s certainly a frustration sometimes when you don’t get the time to do things as well as you’d have liked, or when a piece of coverage gets cut at the last minute. Things can get really busy and sometimes opportunities are missed. You can often look back and think how you may have done things differently but luckily it’s rare to miss something completely.

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

That’s tough – I’ve had a great time and some brilliant experiences. I travelled the world for three years and while, it was unbelievably hard work, I thoroughly loved every second. My current job is a lot more serious and, in some ways, more rewarding for it. There’s probably not a single highlight that I could pick out but I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and love the fact I’ve had so much fun doing it.

Do you think social media is having a big impact on PR as a profession?

It’s definitely something you need to know about and understand but, by its very nature, it can be incredibly time consuming. I think it comes down to knowing your audience and the relevance of your story – if something’s got big consumer appeal and is targeted at certain audiences then social media needs to be an integral part of your campaign.

For a lot of the work we do at SMMT, and given our target audiences, it’s less of a priority, but the media is constantly changing and evolving and to stay ahead you need to understand the impact things like social media can have and how different people are getting their news.

What advice would you have for anyone considering a career in PR?

Show initiative, be creative and work hard. PR certainly isn’t the glamorous career that some people still seem to think it is – it has it’s perks but there are also long hours and tight deadlines to meet. To me, a good PR person is always thinking of new angles, ideas or opportunities. People that show initiative by responding quickly to news stories, finding a hook that’s relevant to their business or client and making their story relevant and current will always get noticed.

Tell us something interesting about yourself that we couldn’t find on the internet.

I just climbed Kilimanjaro!

---

---