This past May, the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) honored LCI’s senior tech counselor, Heidi Groshelle, with two Impact Awards. These awards honored the launch of the nio, a security tag that prevents the loss of mobile devices in the United States. We sat down with Heidi this week to talk tech, her new awards and what’s next.
Heidi, how long have you worked with LCI and what’s been your experience here?
I’m honored that LCI taps my knowledge of Silicon Valley, technology and innovative PR. I’ve partnered with LCI on everything from introducing a new line of bagels to rolling out interesting new technology. In fact, David and I have had a lot of fun collaborating and sharing ideas over the past 17 years.
So how does tech PR differ from your typical consumer PR?
Well, they’re actually very similar in certain ways because a good PR professional understands how to use language to engage people and articulate the value of what your client offers to its targeted audiences. Because tech is complicated to explain, you can’t use jargon, or you’ll end up losing people. As a communications professional who promotes products and ideas to both technical and consumer audiences, we help clients craft messages that a layperson can understand.
We’re all very excited about your new award! Tell us all about it.
Thank you! I am pleased to share that I won two awards from the League of American Communications Professionals under two different categories. One was for Best Use of the Internet in a PR campaign and the other was for Best Boutique Agency. The Impact Awards calculate results and the impact an initiative generated with the media. Both awards were for a very successful campaign with a Scottish Company to launch their mobile security gadget in the United States. There is stiff competition out there and the LACP had entrants from seven different countries. U.S. communications professionals, from both the corporate and the agency sides of the industry, judged the awards.
What does this award mean to you?
We are leading edge in our thinking and blend industry experience with best practices. The LACP Impact Award validates that our strategies and our vision of holistic PR practices deliver results. I believe in always using traditional tools such as the press release and new communications tools such as Twitter and Facebook in tandem. The award underscores how we are continuing to expand our skills and use new tools in innovative and exciting ways on behalf of our clients.
So what’s next for Heidi Groshelle?
I find it thrilling to learn about new technologies and new gadgets. I am currently working with LCI on Repost.Us, a startup in the online publishing space that is figuring out how to monetize and syndicate content easily online. I’m also working with startups that innovate security, data storage and virtualization technologies. And you can often find me having fun, learning about new ideas and raising a toast with my media pals at entrepreneur and social media events in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
Want to learn more about Heidi? Email her at [email protected] or visit her online at: www.groshelle.com. And if you want to connect with LCI, email us at [email protected].