CareerDailyNews.com becomes a media partner of BAPRA

Introduce yourself in a few words..

My name is Iva Grigorova. I have been working in PR for many years. I love my profession, as well as exploring new horizons and opportunities. I manage MSL – PR the agency in Publicis Groupe Bulgaria, where I work with the team for the development and innovation of PR services. Currently, I have the honor to be the Chair of The Bulgarian Association of PR agencies (BAPRA).

CareerDailyNews.com becomes a media partner of BAPRA

BAPRA is the voice of the Bulgarian PR business. The association aims to support and establish PR as an activity. Together with its members, we work to create and maintain a network of a platform for exchanging good practices, creating and preserving high ethical standards in the profession and coordinating efforts  for the development of PR in Bulgaria together with the state and local authorities, academic circles, business, civil organizations and media. Media partnerships like this one with CareerDailyNews.com are important for BAPRA, so that important topics for PR the industry and its development reach businesses, because together with the engagement of companies, PR agencies have the opportunity to build and improve their services. And this leads to improvements in the sector, creating good practices and standards for successful PR communications.

 

For the PR professional Iva Grigorova

How did your journey in the field of public relations begin?

PR communications became part of my professional path while I was still at university, and then in my first internships, which sparked the desire to develop in the field.

What was the turning point in your career that directed you towards strategic PR?

I think that many different moments and experiences from my professional path on international and local levels have been key to the development path I have had. PR is a strategic service and when you use its potential, you can successfully turn your skills into a strategy that helps businesses position their goals and work long-term to build a stable image in society.

What qualities do you think are most important for a successful career in PR today?

Curiosity, adaptability, the ability to analyze and be creative at the same time.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned during your professional development?

The most valuable lesson for me has always been the ability to maintain your curiosity and the drive to want to learn more.

How do you balance your personal life with your busy work and commitments to the association?

It's difficult 😊 I try to have personal time every day, where I can focus and reflect on what is happening in both personal and professional aspects.

 

For the role of Iva Grigorova in MSL

 

What are the biggest challenges faced by a PR director in today's media environment?

The biggest challenge for Bulgarian PR specialists today in the local media environment is to find the best angle for presenting topics, so that there is journalistic value and interest for the media, as well as to use the most effective approach to create organic content, which is at the core of PR communications. Directors also face an additional challenge, such as being able to protect PR budgets.

How do you combine creativity with the need for specific, measurable results?

With data and analysis of the current market environment, consumer attitudes towards the brand and the company's topics, market opportunities and budget investments from clients.

How do you approach crisis communication – do you have a specific philosophy or protocol?

The philosophy for crisis communications is that they can be avoided or have a much smaller effect on the brand's image if companies invest long-term and are open to regular PR communication that builds on important topics for the business in informational channels. At MSL we have a protocol for crisis communications, which is adapted according to the client and the topic.

Can you share an example of a campaign that you are particularly proud of?

The communication campaign for screening for colon cancer for the “Lachezar Tzotsorkov” foundation – Noise for the silent killer, which the teams of MSL, Saatchi & Saatchi, Brandworks, Zenith, Digitas, Red Lion (all part of Publicis Groupe Bulgaria) have been working on for several years and help the foundation achieve its goals through it.

What skills do you expect and encourage in young professionals entering your team?

To be curious, to have the desire to participate, not to be intimidated by the dynamics, to love challenges and not to be afraid to work in a team to find solutions.

For the role and work of Iva Grigorova as Chair of the Association of PR Agencies in Bulgaria

 

What are the main goals you set as chair of the association?

BAPRA aims to support and establish PR as an activity. Together with the members, we work to create and maintain a platform for exchanging good practices, creating and preserving high ethical standards in the profession and coordinatesno  efforts for the development of PR in Bulgaria together with the state and local authorities, the academic community, business, civil organizations and media.

What initiatives is the association developing in support of the sustainable development of the industry?

In BAPRA, we work on creating and enhancing good practices that develop our industry, such as our recommendations during competitions, principles for the use of AI in PR, or good practices in influencer marketing, which we developed together with IAB Bulgaria. Another important goal is to develop partnerships with other industry organizations to work on common topics – important for business and the communication industry, such as initiatives with BDVO, BAKA, BAR, IAB, BESCO and BKDMP. We have also expanded our media partnerships, creating columns for PR or campaigns around our major projects like BAPRA Bright Awards. All of this allows our members to be active and engaged in various initiatives and thus work together for unity and development of PR market.

What are the main problems faced by PR agencies in Bulgaria, and what is the association doing to overcome them?

PR industry in our country is still struggling with the fact that the expertise of PR professionals is not accepted as a strategic function and the role of agencies is more of a partnership than just executive. In BAPRA, we work on creating and promoting practices, recommendations, and standards that our members can rely on to defend their expertise and work. Also, we have to overcome the challenge of PR content finding the right journalistic and organic reflection – a topic, that we actively work on together with other industry organizations.

What steps are you taking to establish ethical standards in the communication business?

In BAPRA, we have created and adopted an ethical code by all PR industry associations and an independent Ethical Commission that monitors the work of the industry to be according to the norms and standards for ethical communication adopted by the members. We also have adopted principles for the use of AI in PR.

What is your message to young people who want to develop in the field of PR and become part of the professional community?

In PR field, you can learn a lot and develop, work with interesting people from different industries, get to know the entire spectrum of communications, have fun and create ideas that help businesses change the environment.

 

Iva Grigorov's comment on AI and the future of the PR profession

 

How do you think artificial intelligence will transform the daily work of PR specialists in the coming years?

AI will help PR specialists optimize work processes between teams, process large information or many data from media monitoring or conversations on social networks, develop creative concepts or generate various texts that can be the basis of communication plans or content that can be personalized according to the media channel and audience.

A large part of BAPRA members are already testing and using various AI platforms to optimize their work. This will only help us invest more time and effort in client relationships and create strategic communication solutions.

Do you think AI can be an effective partner in content creation, or is there a risk of losing the human nuance in communication?

AI can effectively assist in creating different variations for content. The role of PR experts is to verify the credibility and sources of information and edit it to have a greater emotional and human readability. 

What skills will be key for a PR expert in the era of automation and artificial intelligence?

The skills of PR experts need to develop towards analysis, understanding how platforms and technologies work, sources and interconnections of data. This way, they will successfully use AI technologies and at the same time improve the basic PR communication techniques and relationship building, which will always remain part of human nature.