PORTAL Art&Business | PORTAL WOMANCOMM | KREATIVNI PORTFOLIO 03 | HOTEL JUGOSLAVIJA (PDF)
Media-Marketing.com
  • Vijesti

    Wüsthof Sharp Systemic Brand Identity with Gigodesign wins Red Dot Award

    How to win a Grand Prix in Cannes?

    The best of Latvian and Estonian advertising

    Enjoy the summer with Cinedays Film Factor 20

    Lokomotiva and SentecaCommerce signed a partnership for 12 European markets

    Virtual Drumming with Fernando Machado, Karolina Galácz, and Thomas Kolster

  • Tema sedmice
    daljinski-naslovnica

    Television Audience Measurement: In Serbia, the media are in a race to the bottom for every extra “click”, while in Croatia HTV has undermined the principle of joint monitoring

    This global pandemic, coronavirus, cuts across all geographical borders regardless of cultures and language. What is the role of Public relations today?

    Slaven Fischer: Creativity doesn’t reside in buildings but in people, no matter where they are. It’s natural for people to work from home.

    Janja Božič Marolt: As in every crisis, there will be a lot of victims and some winners in the communications industry of the region.

    Shortcutting Video: New Study Highlights the Effectiveness of 2-second Ads

    Topic of the Day: Can artificial intelligence replace human intelligence and emotions. Is technology a servant or a master?

  • Intervju

    Miranda Mladin: Keeping consumers’ attention is every brand’s biggest challenge

    Nataša Mitrović: I understood that the Balkans should be my primary target area and that, once I had become a shark in the Balkans, then I could make my way “back” into the big world and swim in the sea with the other sharks.

    Ivan Stanković: I admit to having great fun and enjoying myself enormously working on my show, What I am to you and who I am to myself.

    Scott-Gould-naslovnica

    Scot Gould: Stop doing anything that you do that isn’t valuable, tell everyone about that offering, and don’t stop!

    lazar-naslovnica

    Lazar Džamić: We are experts at preferring the byways, swamps, and chasms, so that we can keep on going in circles, lost in space

    Irena-naslovna

    Irena Kurtanjek: Contributing to the Communities in which we Operate is the Foundation of Nestlé’s Business

  • Kolumna

    Sponsors? What that?

    misa-naslovnica

    Miša Lukić: What can start-ups learn from sperm?

    Do Brands Always Need to Sell Aggressively to Grow?

    Price of Hate

    The Advertising Industry: From Alchemists to Distributors and Back Again

    Milena Garfield: It’s not long since I said: If it ain’t live, it’s dead

  • Dnevnik

    Diary of a Methuselah #176 Will our industry come out of this better and smarter?

    Diary of a Methuselah #159: Ivo Pogorelić and Zoran Todorović weren’t attractive enough for sponsors in Sarajevo

    Diary of a Methuselah #157: The Young Leaders of Tomorrow, a great event for young people who are ready to assume responsibility for the future of industry

    Diary of a Methuselah #156: I’ve been writing my Diary for three years now, and I don’t think I wrote anything smart

    Diary of a Methuselah #154: Three days at the PRO.PR Conference

    Diary of a Methuselah #153: Portal Media Marketing starts a new life today

  • Mladi lideri

    Mladi liderji – Uroš Zorčič, New Moment Ljubljana: Vedno gledam na dela sama in ne postavljam v ospredje posameznih ljudi ali agencij

    Mladi liderji – Saša Droftina, Luna \TBWA: Želela bi, da bi se spremenil odnos do pitchev

    Mladi Lideri Kristina Gregorc

    Mladi liderji – Kristina Gregorc, Mercator: Zelo sem optimistična in izjemno ponosna in vesela, da sem del tako velike in uspešne ekipe

    Mladi Lideri

    Mladi liderji – Maša Crnkovič, Futura DDB: Največji izziv je vpeljava podatkov in feedback-a uporabnikov v procese dela

    Young leaders – Aneta Nedimović, New Moment Belgrade: Articulating ideas and the value of those ideas is an art form and a skill

    Mladi liderji – Matjaž Muhič, ArnoldVuga: Želel bi več časa za razmislek, za delo, za raziskovanje

  • Tri pitanja

    Robert Wester: Strategic communications is at the top of the European Commission’s agenda

    Chris Pomeroy: Tourism in 2019 accounted for 1 in 10 jobs on the planet and until now it was resilient to all manner of crisis

    Andrey Barannikov: The role of PR in Russia is changing and becoming more strategically important both for brands and communication agencies

    francis-ingram-naslovnica

    Three questions for Francis Ingham, Managing Director of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) & Chief Executive of the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO)

    3 questions for Svetlana Stavreva, President of the International PR association (IPRA): Today, people are demanding that organizations do what they promised

    Three questions for Petra Krulc, Senior Vice President of Celtra

  • WOMANCOMM
  • B/H/S
No Result
View All Result
Media-Marketing.com
  • Vijesti

    Wüsthof Sharp Systemic Brand Identity with Gigodesign wins Red Dot Award

    How to win a Grand Prix in Cannes?

    The best of Latvian and Estonian advertising

    Enjoy the summer with Cinedays Film Factor 20

    Lokomotiva and SentecaCommerce signed a partnership for 12 European markets

    Virtual Drumming with Fernando Machado, Karolina Galácz, and Thomas Kolster

  • Tema sedmice
    daljinski-naslovnica

    Television Audience Measurement: In Serbia, the media are in a race to the bottom for every extra “click”, while in Croatia HTV has undermined the principle of joint monitoring

    This global pandemic, coronavirus, cuts across all geographical borders regardless of cultures and language. What is the role of Public relations today?

    Slaven Fischer: Creativity doesn’t reside in buildings but in people, no matter where they are. It’s natural for people to work from home.

    Janja Božič Marolt: As in every crisis, there will be a lot of victims and some winners in the communications industry of the region.

    Shortcutting Video: New Study Highlights the Effectiveness of 2-second Ads

    Topic of the Day: Can artificial intelligence replace human intelligence and emotions. Is technology a servant or a master?

  • Intervju

    Miranda Mladin: Keeping consumers’ attention is every brand’s biggest challenge

    Nataša Mitrović: I understood that the Balkans should be my primary target area and that, once I had become a shark in the Balkans, then I could make my way “back” into the big world and swim in the sea with the other sharks.

    Ivan Stanković: I admit to having great fun and enjoying myself enormously working on my show, What I am to you and who I am to myself.

    Scott-Gould-naslovnica

    Scot Gould: Stop doing anything that you do that isn’t valuable, tell everyone about that offering, and don’t stop!

    lazar-naslovnica

    Lazar Džamić: We are experts at preferring the byways, swamps, and chasms, so that we can keep on going in circles, lost in space

    Irena-naslovna

    Irena Kurtanjek: Contributing to the Communities in which we Operate is the Foundation of Nestlé’s Business

  • Kolumna

    Sponsors? What that?

    misa-naslovnica

    Miša Lukić: What can start-ups learn from sperm?

    Do Brands Always Need to Sell Aggressively to Grow?

    Price of Hate

    The Advertising Industry: From Alchemists to Distributors and Back Again

    Milena Garfield: It’s not long since I said: If it ain’t live, it’s dead

  • Dnevnik

    Diary of a Methuselah #176 Will our industry come out of this better and smarter?

    Diary of a Methuselah #159: Ivo Pogorelić and Zoran Todorović weren’t attractive enough for sponsors in Sarajevo

    Diary of a Methuselah #157: The Young Leaders of Tomorrow, a great event for young people who are ready to assume responsibility for the future of industry

    Diary of a Methuselah #156: I’ve been writing my Diary for three years now, and I don’t think I wrote anything smart

    Diary of a Methuselah #154: Three days at the PRO.PR Conference

    Diary of a Methuselah #153: Portal Media Marketing starts a new life today

  • Mladi lideri

    Mladi liderji – Uroš Zorčič, New Moment Ljubljana: Vedno gledam na dela sama in ne postavljam v ospredje posameznih ljudi ali agencij

    Mladi liderji – Saša Droftina, Luna \TBWA: Želela bi, da bi se spremenil odnos do pitchev

    Mladi Lideri Kristina Gregorc

    Mladi liderji – Kristina Gregorc, Mercator: Zelo sem optimistična in izjemno ponosna in vesela, da sem del tako velike in uspešne ekipe

    Mladi Lideri

    Mladi liderji – Maša Crnkovič, Futura DDB: Največji izziv je vpeljava podatkov in feedback-a uporabnikov v procese dela

    Young leaders – Aneta Nedimović, New Moment Belgrade: Articulating ideas and the value of those ideas is an art form and a skill

    Mladi liderji – Matjaž Muhič, ArnoldVuga: Želel bi več časa za razmislek, za delo, za raziskovanje

  • Tri pitanja

    Robert Wester: Strategic communications is at the top of the European Commission’s agenda

    Chris Pomeroy: Tourism in 2019 accounted for 1 in 10 jobs on the planet and until now it was resilient to all manner of crisis

    Andrey Barannikov: The role of PR in Russia is changing and becoming more strategically important both for brands and communication agencies

    francis-ingram-naslovnica

    Three questions for Francis Ingham, Managing Director of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) & Chief Executive of the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO)

    3 questions for Svetlana Stavreva, President of the International PR association (IPRA): Today, people are demanding that organizations do what they promised

    Three questions for Petra Krulc, Senior Vice President of Celtra

  • WOMANCOMM
  • B/H/S
No Result
View All Result
Media-Marketing.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Interview

Amra Maynard: Goal is to help the company find creative ways to help the community

She has worked with small and big firms, small and big clients, small and big teams in many treatment areas

21/09/2021
in Featured, Interview
8 min read

Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian

By Ekrem Dupanovic

Translated to English by Hana Maurer

Amra Maynard has 16 years experience in communications and providing support to leading clients from tbe pharma and the non-profit sectors in several treatment fields.

Born in Banja Luka (BiH), she moved to America in 1995. She graduated in history of art at the Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She also studied in Madrid on an exchange programme. She lives in New York with her husband and two children. She is currently vice-president at Ogilvy, where she leads a team working with a high-profile global pharmaceutical company in the field of oncology. Before Ogilvy, she worked at Orangefiery providing scientific communications for a global company and advised a major pharmaceutical house on defining and implementing its innovation strategy and focus on government and healthcare professionals. Before Orangefiery, Amra worked at a public relations company Biosector 2 (Syneos Health department) advising pharmaceutical companies and non-profits. While there, she led teams on initiatives raising awareness for companies, organisations, and products, deploying modern communications tools, including relations with media and non-profit organisations, coalition building, sponsored content, social media, targeted ads, events and collaborations with high-profile personalities.

Through her career, Amra has also helped to develop and spread awareness of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian Film Festival in New York.

MM: You studied art history at universities in the US and Madrid, but have spent the past 16 years working for the pharmaceutical industry. How did that happen, and why the orientation towards pharmacy?

Amra Maynard: I fell in love with biology at university. I even daydreamed about going into medicine, but didn’t really take to the organic chemistry. I was very curious about everything so in the end I chose the liberal arts track. As well as art history, I studied analytical thinking, research, and writing. I was a member of various school clubs, and volunteered, writing articles, Ljeti bih vorganising educational events and marketing projects. I wanted to help people through education. My final year, I knew that what I wanted was to use all those skills in my career, but not how to do it. Just before graduation, I got in touch with alumni from my school who worked at companies specialising in public relations in healthcare and was called for informative interviews. Some of them passed my CV on to their companies and that’s how I got my first job.

MM: You are leading a team at Ogilvy working with a high profile global pharma company in the area of oncology. What exactly does your team do on this project?

Amra Maynard: The most important part of the job is helping the client prepare communications for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a therapy for a certain kind of cancer. For example, we write the public announcements; Q&As (for internal use); social media content and audience targeting, and content for the company website and internal communications; identifying and preparing spokespeople; media releases; sponsored media content; etc. And then, unrelated to the FDA approval, we do work on raising awareness of cancer therapy and the company’s commitment to patients with cancer and everyone helping them – doctors, carers, advocacy groups.

MM: Your work on projects for the pharmaceutical industry and non-profits indicates you are working on socially responsible projects. The communications industry is increasingly turning to responsible brands, brands that change the communities they “live in”. Can ideas change a world with such big problems?

Amra Maynard: Of course! Successful ideas are successful because they are based on insights regarding the target group and white space a company can effectively influence on its own or in partnership with others. Your messages have to resonate, get through to the target public in the way they enjoy content. The goal isn’t just to promote a product or company. It’s to find a way to help the community. So, for example, I worked recently on the Be Vocal, Speak Up for Mental Health campaign for Sunovion Pharmaceuticals and the five leading mental health organisations in America. Its spokesperson at the time was the singer Demi Lovato. The initiative encouraged people all around America to use their voice to support mental health in America. The goal of Be Vocal was to equip adults living with mental health disorders to talk with the professional support team and, as a community, work on improving mental health in America.

MM: In 1995, you moved to America and you live in New York today with your husband and two children. What has your career path looked like? How did you reach your current position as vicepresident at Ogilvy?

Amra Maynard: I came to hHealthcare public relations quite by accident – connecting my passion for biology, analytical thinking, research, writing, creative ideas, training, and marketing in a single job that is varied and dynamic and where I can help people through education. While I was at university I had an informative interview with an alumna from the school and she forwarded my CV to her firm. At the start of my career, I had to learn the tools of the communications trade, and then began gradually taking on more responsibility and leading teams, and finally was tasked with operational development and finances. In my 16 years of experience I have worked for leading pharmaceutical and non-profit clients in many treatment areas. I have worked with small and big firms, small and big clients, small and big teams in many treatment areas. I came to Ogilvy because of its reputation as a global company with a big presence in healthcare. I was interested in working for a high profile company in the oncology field, where I already had experience. Not to mention that I liked the team in New York a lot. I have led teams there on various initiatives raising awareness for companies, organisations, and products using modern communications tools, including public relations, sponsored content, social media, targeted ads, and collaborations with high-profile personalities and organisations.

MM: From your vantage point as vicepresident at Ogilvy, you have a clear overview of the communications profession at the global level. How do you see public relations developing, and what are the trends?

Amra Maynard: When I started working in communications 16 years ago, it was all about the basic traditional tools – public announcements; finding and preparing spokespeople; press releases; organising events; letters to the editor; satellite media tours/radio media tours, and so on. The public we are trying to reach and how it consumes content have become more complex, but we have a growing and constantly changing toolbox – alongside the tradtional tools and the social media that are now the norm, we use sponsored content of considerable sophistication and work with targeted advertising (where we know exactly who is consuming the context, when and how), multimedia experiences (online and offline), virtual and augmented reality, etc. At the same time, the increasingly fierce competition for the public’s attention makes it crucial to ground creative ideas on insight into the target group and the white space an organisation or company, partnering with other organisations, can influence effectively. Another goal is to help the company find creative ways to help the community.

MM: You have helped foster and spread awareness of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian film festival in New York. Can you tell us something about the Festival and your role in organising it?

Amra Maynard: The Bosnian and Herzegovinian Film Festival in NYC is an annual cultural event that showcases contemporary BH cinematography and films about Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a unique cultural event that offers young talent in film a platform alongside internationally recognised creatives, while at the same time spreading understanding of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I joined the organisers of the BHFF in 2004 (its second year) and helped out until 2013, by when it was already a highly significant institution in NYC. While a member of the BHFF steering board, I helped shape its development strategy and increase its visibility by developing and creating a PR and marketing strategy. I was also the spokesperson, helped out as MC, event planner, and in fundraising. Now, , thanks to the work, energy, and creativity of the volunteers, the BHFF is in its 17th year. I am really proud of everything the taj BHFF team has achieved and can hardly wait for this year’s event in October!

MM: Work in the communications industry is very dynamic. Add living in New York and time management becomes quite a challenge. What does your work day look like and how much free time do you have? How do you spend it?

Amra Maynard: My work day is very full, dynamic, and varied. I barely have time to catch my breath or sit down for lunch (except in front of my computer). I have a lot of meetings, a lot of emails to write and reply to. I do a bit of everything – planning, creative brainstorming, communicating with the boss, team members, and clients, writing, monitoring the team’s work, making sure the team members and clients are happy, finances, and so on. My work day is generally from 9 a.m. to 6/6.30 p.m. Actually, I am reading and replying to emails from the moment I wake up in the morning and doing the same in the evening before going to sleep, if there is anything urgent. In my free time, I cook, do the shopping for food and other necessities, and spend time with my husband and my two young kids. Before the coronavirus put the whole world on hold, we loved going to Central Park together, to classical concerts, the BHFF, museums, and music classes for the children. We loved spending time with friends and my husband’s family (mine are mostly in Bosnia, except for a couple of cousins in NYC) and videoconferencing with family in Bosnia, Austria, etc. We are looking forward to those times returning soon – just so long as everyone’s healthy.

MM: The news from New York and the coronavirus situation is worse every day. What is your situation today, Tuesday, the 31st of March?

Amra Maynard: For the moment we have everything we need – food, hot water, power, the internet. The subway and the buses are still working, like transport more generally, but we are being advised not to use public transport. There is still no ban on going out for a walk or a run or grocery shopping, but we have to keep two metres apart from other people and out of playgrounds. My husband and I are ordering in plenty of food from the delivery services so as not to be exposed to crowds or the virus. Sometimes the choice of food is not great and there’s no chicken or hand disinfectant, or something like that, but it is what it is – those are small problems.

Unfortunately, a lot of people have lost their jobs under the current difficult situation. Except for the food stores and pharmacies, the shops are all temporarily closed or have closed down for good because they can’t cover the bills. The schools and kindergardens are closed. New York is nearly empty. Everyone who could leave New York has. There’s no one in Times Square. Most people who still have a job are working from home, unless they are key workers (like doctors), who have no choice. Anyone with small children has to entertain and school them at home.

The situation is getting worse. There are more and more sick people (around 40,000 diagnosed in NYC; a colleague and her husband are both sick). There are a lot of people who don’t even know they are infected because there aren’t enough tests for everyone, people are dying (more than a 1000 in NYC, and the number is rising every day). We still haven’t seen the worst. We hear the ambulance sirens all the time, which is harrowing. The healthcare system is not ready for the coming wave of sick people. The doctors, nurses, and everyone working in hospitals don’t have enough protective equiment or respirators. It’s absolute chaos at the hospitals. Unfortunately, it’s the same everywhere around the world (I never stop thinking about those close to me in Bosnia, Croatia, and other countries around the world).

I so admire and am so grateful to the heroes, the doctors, nurses, police, teachers, firemen, scientists, journalists, and everyone fighting to help us beat the virus.

MM: How are you and your husband and children spending your time in self-isolation?

Amra Maynard: Oh, working, following the news, looking after the kids, feeding them, keeping them entertained the best we can (drawing, reading, watching cartoons), keeping in touch with family and friends by phone, message, or video call. We share advice with friends from work on getting through it all, sometimes jokes too, you have to keep a sense of humour. I cook and always try to make sure we have good food at home. We go out with the kids most days to keep fit, as its hard being cooped up indoors, but we take care to keep our distance from others. Each evening at seven the neighbours go to their windows and clap to applaud the hospital staff and everyone fighting the virus. We do it too. We have explained to our daughter, who is three and a half, why we are doing it, and she says she wants to be a nurse when she grows up.

*  The opinions expressed are Amra’s only and do not express the views of her employer.

ShareTweetShare

Related Posts

Interview

Miranda Mladin: Keeping consumers’ attention is every brand’s biggest challenge

11/10/2021
Archive

Budi prvi HR-ovac/HR-ovka agencije Bruketa&Žinić&Grey

21/09/2021
Archive

Najbolje od latvijskog i estonskog oglašavanja

21/09/2021
Archive

Virtualno bubnjanje sa Fernandom Machaom, Karolinom Galácz i Thomasom Kolsterom

21/09/2021
Archive

Upoznajte Schweppes Pink Grapefruit: osvježenje se sa stilom!

21/09/2021
Archive

Sve je spremno za Play Media Day 06!

21/09/2021
Next Post

Advertising Can’t Stop Coronavirus—But It Can Still Help

Media-Marketing.com

2011-2020 © All rights reserved.

Portal Media-Marketing.com

  • About us
  • Marketing
  • Impressum
  • Contact
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Social Media

  • News
  • Topic of the day
  • Interview
  • Opinion
  • Diary
  • Young Leaders
  • Three questions
  • Media Marketing
    • About us
    • Marketing
    • Impressum
    • Contact
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Advanced search
  • en English
  • bs Bosnian

2011-2020 © All rights reserved.