The work at OPRG: from maintaining media relations to devising strategic solutions

The variety of the work, international contacts and a lot of cooperation in nice teams, there are plenty of reasons why working at Omnicom PR Group is a lot of fun. But what do Joost, Marly, Nathalie and Noa think about working at OPRG? In a series of blogs of three episodes they tell you about it. This week: the work itself.

There are some projects that you look back on with more satisfaction than others. Because you stepped out of your comfort zone, delivered a special performance or just had a lot of fun doing it. Joost, Marly, Nathalie and Noa tell us which project this was for them.

Noa: “At the beginning of this year, I worked on Discovery+ for the Olympic Winter Games. That is a project I am really proud of, even though sport is not really my thing. All in all we produced almost six hundred articles. For this I spent days chasing journalists, including for the correct citation of sources. Keeping track of the coverage tracker was really one big nightmare, but when I finally scrolled through it, it still gave me a good feeling. I could really see where all the work had gone. In the end, I think we produced a great result for the client.”

Marly: “That’s a health client that Daniëlle and I pitched for together in 2018. We then flew to Hungary to present our plan to management. That went well, because after that we brought in that customer. In the three years that followed, we were really able to help the client achieve their goals. It’s very cool to think that the request for a pitch came in on a Tuesday afternoon and that now, in 2022, we have such a pleasant and long-term relationship with this client and that Daniëlle and I are both still working at OPRG.”

Nathalie: “What I am most proud of are the social projects. We are currently working pro bono on TENT Partnership for Refugees. That’s an organization dedicated to getting large international companies to hire or support refugees through coaching. A super-hot topic right now. I like contributing to it because it’s really about helping people. For me personally, that gives me more satisfaction than the more commercial projects.”

Joost: “I get the most energy from finding a strategic solution. You can compare it with a puzzle. You have all different pieces and you have to find just that one missing piece that fits perfectly. When you’ve found that and you can put some nice words on it, I’m very satisfied.”

Noa: “What I enjoy most is working on media relations and media strategy. What appeals to the media and what doesn’t? I am also interested in stakeholder management. But then from the Public Affairs angle, so really looking at how you can influence politics.”
Marly: “I like the fact that our work usually has a lot of pace and that we achieve results quickly. Having to invest months before there is a little movement in a project would not work for me. I like short term, results and setting new goals every time.”

Nathalie: “The variety and versatility of this work give me a lot of energy. At OPRG you don’t work with a fixed team, but constantly with different people. I myself work on five clients, which means that I work with five teams consisting of three to five people. As a result, I speak to many different colleagues.”

Nathalie: “Working with different teams is also a great challenge. You have to monitor your own planning very carefully and make sure that you do not lose yourself in details or the delusion of the day. Sometimes working together is also a challenge. But because there is such a good atmosphere at OPRG, I always feel free to speak my mind when something is not going so well.”

Noa: “What still bothers me is that sometimes it can be very quiet and at other times very busy. In those really busy moments, I find it hard to say ‘no’ to something. But then again, if you don’t do that, at some point your schedule gets so full that you do everything too late.”

Joost: “I’ve found it a challenge to start working at a PR agency again. I come from PR, then I went into advertising and then back to PR. I also didn’t know exactly what to expect, more or less, but not exactly. I found that challenging.”

Joost is Creative Strategy Director (CSD) and has been working for OPRG for about five months now. As CSD, he is responsible for the creative strategy of campaigns. What does the client want to achieve and what is needed to do so? Joost then comes up with a positioning idea and a strategic platform. This in turn is translated into a concept.

Marly is Senior Account Lead and has worked at OPRG for almost five years. She is the first point of contact for clients. Based on the client’s request, she then comes up with a strategic campaign. She then works with her team to bring this to a successful conclusion.

Nathalie has been working for OPRG for almost three years now and is a Client Advisor. She is a true generalist and works for a variety of clients, from corporate to lifestyle. She is also an all-rounder in terms of tasks. Making a strategic communication advice, marketing, organizing events, influencer marketing and content marketing, she does it all. In addition, she maintains media relations for many clients.

Noa is a Client Executive and has been working for OPRG for almost six months now. He usually works for five different clients at the same time. No two days are the same. One day he writes a press release and updates the media list, another day he does research and maintains contact with stakeholders.