[Behind the Selfie] with... Nicole Spruijt

Nicole Spruijt, living la vida loca.

1. Where do you live, work and play?

Spruijt: I live in Randpark Ridge and work in Bryanston. When it comes to playing, I do that wherever I am - what's the point if we take it all too seriously?

2. What's your claim to fame?

Spruijt: On a personal level, I have overcome many health challenges and am still here to tell the tale. On the work front - I love starting in a new position, that way I can develop my own processes and procedures. I worked for a dual-listed gold mining company about a million years ago and I feel I was instrumental in moving the share price up.

3. Describe your career so far.

Spruijt: In one word... Interesting. I have done everything from telesales, to corporate governance. Having worked in both agency and corporate environments has given me great insight into 'how the other side' thinks.

4. Tell us a few of your favourite things.

Spruijt: My husband, my kiddies, family and friends - OK I know they aren't 'things', but they are my favourites. I LOVE blockwords, dancing (on tables or wherever), Candy Crush and gardening.

5. What do you love about your industry?

Spruijt: I love that no two days are the same. One day I will be writing a thought leadership piece on how technology is changing governments across the continent, and the next I will be meeting a journalist for coffee. PR provides the opportunity to learn constantly, take on challenges, and interact with a very diverse range of people.

6. What are a few pain points your industry can improve on?

Spruijt: We have lost the human touch - it's much easier to send an email than pick up the phone (yes, I too am guilty), yet when we give ourselves the opportunity to interact with people on a personal level, we grow, they grow and it is beneficial all round.

7. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

Spruijt: I like to start my day early, so I am in office between 6:30am and 7am. I make a coffee and sit outside for about 10 minutes, to get my head into the day and plan my to-do list. Meetings, research, writing, and reporting are a major part of my day. I leave the office at about 4.30pm to fetch my babies, and if there is something pressing, I will log on again at home.

8. What are the tools of your trade?

Spruijt: Wit, creativity, holistic thinking, and the ability to build and maintain relationships.

9. Who is getting it right in your industry?

Spruijt: I think anyone who is able to build a successful PR agency has made it. The number of agencies makes it quite a difficult industry to break into.

10. What are you working on right now?

Spruijt: SAP Africa, Edge Growth and Merchant Capital are my clients. SAP Africa recently ran Africa Code Week, an initiative that saw 20,000 children across the continent trained in code. Edge Growth are enterprise and supplier development specialists who bridge the gap between SMEs and corporates in terms of supply chain and transformation. Merchant Capital provides capital to the retail sector.

11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.

Spruijt: Return on Investment: not a common PR term, but what it shows me is that clients are no longer happy with securing coverage only, they are looking for an investment that will in fact show them returns. It is up to the client to let us as PR professionals know what the return is though, is it purely the number of times they appear in the media, the tone of the pieces, or increasing their social media audiences?

12. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

Spruijt: Whilst driving - I let my mind wander - some may say that's dangerous... and as a mom of young children, it's pretty much the only place I am alone.

13. What's your secret talent/party trick?

Spruijt: I can roll my stomach so that it looks like waves - not the most attractive...

14. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?

Spruijt: Neither really - technology is great, when it works - then I am a technophile (terrible word BTW), when it doesn't or I can't figure something out quickly enough - technophobe.

15. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

Spruijt: Candy Crush and photos of my kiddies.

16. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Spruijt: Stay inquisitive, don't take rejections personally, pick up the phone.

17. Plug your contact details, punt yourself - list all the places people can find you/your work online.

LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook

You can read more about Spruijt by clicking here and more about marcusbrewster by clicking here.

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.