Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Anders.
Hi Andrea, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve worked in the North American public relations agency space for almost two decades and have learned from many fascinating and intelligent people. I’m so grateful!
I’ve always been entrepreneurial and knew I would one day do my own thing, I just wasn’t confident enough to do it for a very long time. I’m very mindful of telling young girls they’re pretty or smart because in my experience, labels can be toxic and really set the stage for the lens you see yourself and others through early on. Though the words sound complimentary in the moment, for me, from an early age it meant I could never live up to my own expectations regardless of my achievements or recognition from others. This thinking carried on for most of my life preventing me from going out on my own much sooner. I always assumed my peers did something better or smarter than me and it took the global pandemic and working with many successful entrepreneurs to realize that was never the case.
I spent much of my career learning and observing and defining the person and leader I did and did not want to be from good and bad examples. At the same time, I realized agencies were always fired for the same reasons and I noticed there’s a bad industry habit of overpromising and underdelivering while letting very junior teams without the needed skills or support run big clients. I knew I wanted to create an agency that was focused on the opposite, smart senior counsel that delivers measurable outcomes and that I had to find a way to monetize that offering. So, I have.
Ultimately, Andrea Anders Inc. makes executive-level strategic counsel accessible and we lead with honest recommendations. If we know a tactic just won’t work, we’re not interested in going through the motions. Instead, we give counsel like an investor in our clients’ brands and engage the media, influencers, strategic partners, ambassadors and tastemakers needed to propel our clients’ businesses forward.
Finally, we are a values-driven company first with a focus on philanthropy. Transparency, integrity, inclusivity and giving back with gratitude guides all we do.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not. The public relations and marketing industry has a lot of strong, ego-driven personalities. I’ve worked with some amazing clients and mentors who are now great friends and my biggest supporters but on the flip side, I’ve had many experiences that taught me very quickly that few people are truly invested in your success and well being and that finding a business partner who genuinely wants to celebrate and elevate you with complementary skills is not easy. For me, humility and transparency are some of the most valuable currencies in business and life.
While it hasn’t always been an obstacle-free career, I’m proud of the leader I am today, my integrity and business acumen. That also means I am deeply grateful for every challenge I’ve overcome and ever unsavoury business experience and personality I’ve encountered because without adversity, I’m sure I wouldn’t be who I am today. I tend to believe gratitude is the best place to start from in life and try to always remember that. It can be destructive, especially as an entrepreneur, to give too much airtime to anyone who doesn’t believe in you but it can be hard not to at times. I talk about this often but for me, one of the biggest obstacles to overcome as an entrepreneur is negative mind chatter. You have to find ways to manage it or your goals can quickly become secondary.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Andrea Anders Inc.?
If you’re looking for strategy-based creative thinking, return on investment and approachable client service, you’ve finally found the right public relations agency partner. Tightly honed communication skills meet flawlessly applied best practices to deliver no nonsense counsel clients rely on and trust.
We pride ourselves on being proactive and responsive, always identifying opportunities for our clients.
We specialize in all things that fall under the public relations and marketing umbrella so brand development and strategy, brand and product launches, copywriting, crisis communication and issues management, content marketing, CSR, event planning and management, influencer marketing, internal communications, media relations, media and spokesperson training, narrative and key message development, personal and corporate re-brands, spokesperson negotiation and management, speech writing, strategic partnerships.
Our biggest differentiator is our direct approach to client service. We treat every dollar like it’s our own and communicate with candour without exception.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
When I think about the marketing and public relations industry when I started my career and compare it to today, almost nothing is the same. There are less media globally, resources are tighter than ever and many clients are looking for work and recommendations far beyond media relations. I think this will continue as new digital platforms emerge and evolve and as content creators become some of the most powerful sales drivers. Consumers also expect more from brands than ever before meaning companies that operate with purpose will lead.
I’ve always thought of public relations as finding and reaching target consumers where they live, work and play. Though tactics will continue to evolve, this will always be the basis of sound public relations strategy. If you nail the consumer insights, desired outcomes will follow. Every single time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.andreaandersinc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreaandersinc/
Image Credits
Image 1 – Lucia Remedios Image 2 & 3 – Ryan Emberley Image 4 – George Pimentel
