Kasia Sobiech is an Account Manager at Sweartaker, a creative marketing agency based in Dublin. In 2017, Kasia graduated from University College Cork with a degree in Art History, Criticism and Conservation, Digital Arts & Humanities. Kasia also took a postgraduate diploma in Public Relations and Event Management, graduating in 2019.
Kasia began her PR career in 2019, when she joined Elevate PR as Intern, progressing to an Account Executive after four months. In 2021, Kasia joined Sweartaker as a Senior Account Executive, and in April 2022, she was appointed as Account Manager at the company.
Why did you decide to follow a career in PR?
I have always been passionate about storytelling, which led me to major in Art History, with a minor in Digital Arts and Humanities for my undergraduate degree in UCC. During my time there, I was active in Academic Representative roles and the student council and I found that the skills I was using to ensure that the student voice was being heard were similar to those of a PR professional. I’ve also always been interested in media and have strong interpersonal skills which I have developed while working in hospitality from a young age and as a gallery assistant.
Specifically, tell us about your route into working in the PR industry?
I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in PR and Events Management in Fitzwilliam Institute and part of the course required an internship. I applied to intern at Elevate PR, where I worked for two and a half years and got to learn from some of the best.
What is your favourite thing about working in PR?
I love how varied the work is – no day is ever the same. Creative comms also allows you to work on some of the most exciting campaigns, it’s a really fun job. In my new role, I also get to contribute to the business in a variety of ways from mentoring and management upskilling; trends, innovation and cultural leadership; as well as commercial goals and objectives to support the growth and expansion of the business. I’m really enjoying the journey.
If you could make a lasting change in the PR industry, what would it be?
I would love to see more diversity and inclusion across the industry. Representation of people from different backgrounds and cultures increases creativity, problem solving and plays an important role in shaping campaigns that depict modern Ireland.
I’m proud that the values of my current agency align and that Sweartaker is actively trying to make a difference. It’s great to be on a team that really cares about diversity and inclusion.
Name one person who has influenced your career and tell us why.
The team at Sweartaker has been really great – especially Orlagh Ryan and Colm Hanley – both are super clever and full of advice. I work closely with Orlagh and Colm and feel like they empower and encourage me to think outside of the box every day and take on a challenge.
They have been so supportive too, brilliant mentors and hilarious to work with.
Name one communications tool you couldn't live without.
WhatsApp – I would be lost without it at work and for personal communications too.
Tell us about a campaign or piece of work that you’ve worked on that you are proud of.
There have honestly been so many highlights, it’s difficult to choose. I have worked on a number of stand-out campaigns over my career. I really enjoy working with the naturally kind skincare company, Dublin Herbalists, and I had a blast working on campaigns with PlayStation, Meta and Jameson over the last year.
My absolute favourite would have to be working with Royal Hibernian Academy on the RHA X project. The ’innovative international art experience’ was a collaboration between the fashion designer Roland Mouret and visual artist Dragana Jurisic. It was a fantastic installation and I had so much fun planning and executing the PR campaign for it.
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Finish this sentence. “The best way to connect your story to your audience is by...”
Understanding what moves them and creating connection points.
What is your favourite hobby?
I adore exploring new art exhibitions and I really love to cook and try out new dishes too.
What is the best book that you have read in the last year?
‘Architecture of Happiness’ by Alain de Botton.
What is your binge watch recommendation?
You can’t go wrong with ‘Call My Agent’, ‘People Just Do Nothing’ and ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’.
Name three trends that you think will be important in the PR industry in the next five years.
- Sustainability – more efforts need to be done. Full stop.
- Continuous growth of influencer marketing – it’s standard practice to support campaigns with paid-for content on social. Content creators carry a lot of influence and a lot of brands like to see the instant results and detailed insights of how posts perform. I think that the focus will be placed on nano influencers too, as their audiences are far more engaged and they tap into smaller niches.
- Video content – video is one of the best ways to connect emotionally with a consumer. Producing tailored video content for different platforms will continue to escalate.
Which social media site is the most important to you and why?
TikTok – I am obsessed! The algorithm keeps content fresh and entertaining.
Name one staple of the PR industry that you think will die out in the next five years.
Photocalls. We all know the cheesy, cheque in hand snaps that were popular a decade or two ago. They have obviously left the building a good while back. I think that other photocall-style images will also start to disappear soon – it’s getting harder and harder to land these in print and online media.
Instead, I think we will be investing more in high-quality, creative and cut-through images. It’s much easier to place stunning assets that are well thought out and they resonate better with markets.
More about Kasia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarzyna-sobiech/
About MediaHQ
Designed for PR and Communications teams, MediaHQ is the all-in-one media contacts database and press release distribution software with the mission to connect your story with your audience.
It was founded by entrepreneur Jack Murray in 2009. Our cutting-edge software is the best, fastest and most accurate way to find the right journalists, build media and pitch lists in seconds, send press releases and get results.
The comprehensive MediaHQ database lists the details of every journalist, and media outlet in the UK and Ireland and is full of time-saving features.
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