Meet Kristin Moller, Senior Vice President at J Public Relations. Having recently moved from NYC to Toronto to head up the agency's new office there, Kristin gave us an inside look at why it's a smart time to establish a presence in Canada. She also shares some insider knowledge on the travel, wellness and lifestyle trends set to reign supreme this year.
Tell us about your personal journey with PR and how you've grown with JPR?
I majored in journalism in college, but didn't understand much about public relations, and only took one intro to PR class as part of a requirement. After interning at a few magazines in NYC, I was encouraged by my editors to look at PR internships. I was lucky enough to find an internship with a small travel PR agency and became obsessed quite quickly. The agency was run by a really smart and talented woman, and as the intern there I supported the entire office: a team of 5 people. It really brought out my entrepreneurial spirit and because the team was small, I was given a lot of responsibility off the bat, which organically grew. After several months I was hired full time and worked really hard there for six years, growing, learning and traveling all over the world.
I went on to work at a few more agencies in NYC because I wanted to gain experience in different industries, I didn't want to be “pigeon-holed” into travel. I learned soon enough that I was really passionate about travel and hotels and when Sarah Evans called me at the end of 2012 to see if I would be interested in joining JPR, I was so excited. I had met Sarah at my first job and worked with her for a long time at that agency. She and I always kept in touch and I knew that she was doing something special with JPR. Having known her for a long time, I understood her values and how she did business and I absolutely knew I wanted to work for someone with that mindset and drive. I've been with JPR for 8 years now and have had the most incredible opportunities with the agency. I’m most excited about leading our new office in Toronto and increasing our scope of services for all clients with a presence in Canada!
How has the industry evolved since you first started and what does it mean today to have a successful integrated PR campaign?
Technology! When I first started in PR I was printing press kits on letterhead, burning CDs with images, and making packets to mail or messenger to journalists. I even had to call some airlines and have printed plane tickets mailed to us for press trips! I also remember some clients way back when who didn't even have websites because they told us that their clients weren’t booking online so they didn't need them. Hotels as an industry have been notoriously slow at adapting new technologies, but thinking about how much has changed since the early 2000s is really remarkable.
Today, it’s imperative to have multiple channels to engage with your customer and an online presence is a must. Just the way we do business now is much more technology based: everything is email, links to download, etc. The quality of imagery and video is exponentially better than it was (sometimes even just a few years here has made a world of difference). What I have noticed as I have gained more experience is that the more our clients integrate their PR team into their overall communications, marketing and sales strategy, the more successful we become. The disciplines are more intertwined than ever because of technology – you need to maintain a consistent and clear message to your customer across multiple channels at once, because it’s likely they are digesting content that way.
Can you tell us about some of your career highlights?
I've collected memorable experiences traveling all over the world for work and these mean more to me than the many big meetings I’ve been a part of, or new clients won or presentations given. I’ve been fortunate to travel to places that I never dreamed would be my reality when I was growing up and these are what I count as major career highlights and life moments wrapped into one. One memory that stands out was when I was 25, I found myself in Rome for a few nights on my own after hosting a group press trip with Gordon Ramsay in Tuscany. It was the first time I was on my own abroad without any work responsibilities and I remember walking through the major historic landmarks of the city on my own and feeling so lucky to be able to travel for work and how cool it felt to be in Italy on my own.
Looking back and remembering so many meetings and working with iconic hotels around the world and how my story ideas as a publicist landed in the pages of many top newspapers and magazines, there are too many awesome days to count. Many years ago, Sarah and I had a big meeting with Ritz-Carlton, they were looking for an agency to support several of their hotels in the US. We went to The Ritz-Carlton Central Park for our big pitch and it went so well – we won the business! It was a big turning point for the agency and for me professionally, too. Now, more than five years later, we are lucky enough to still work many Ritz-Carlton hotels and through it all I have learned so much from them, their brand and leadership at Marriott.
You're now heading up the newly launched JPR Toronto office, can you tell us more about what this means for you and the agency?
Starting in Toronto is a really exciting milestone for me and for the agency and I’m so happy that Jamie and Sarah trusted and supported this move when I approached them with the idea. Toronto is incredibly diverse and it's currently the fastest-growing urban metro area in all of the US and Canada combined. Overall, the largest international traveler segment to the US is Canadians, and for a long time our clients have sought to expand their voice in Canada. Now being here, JPR has the advantage and access to Canadian media and brands and a more acute understanding of the cultural nuances and interests of Canadian consumers and media.
Additionally, Canadian hotels rely heavily on American travelers, and having presence in Toronto we are in a prime position to offer media relations services to hotels in Canada looking to expand not only their presence here, but also in the United States. I’m still learning, and the pandemic has not made it easy, but we are focused on the long game and know that having a presence in Toronto is major for JPR and for our clients in the types of service and access we can now offer. The opportunity for growth personally and professionally living in a new country is enormous and I can’t wait to take advantage of everything Toronto has to offer once things are in a better place.
Can you tell us some of the trends you're seeing in the travel, wellness and lifestyle spaces for 2021?
This year seems to be still very much a year in transition, and that reflects in what we will see from hotels and resorts and how people continue to travel and what they purchase. Privacy and space will continue to be major themes of travel experiences and luxury properties are still figuring out how to continue to deliver the high-touch service their guests had become accustomed to. More and more people will want private villas, bungalows or rooms with their own entry as they begin to travel again. We will see a rise in suite bookings at hotels for travelers who are now used to having more space at home and want to continue to feel that luxury while they are traveling. It will be interesting to see hotels that are built in 2021/ 2022 and what that means for their key counts – I think in the next few years we will see new hotels open with more spacious room configurations and suites because the demand will be there.
The way the pandemic has shifted personal perception of wellness is actually a blessing. Many people have been cooking more at home and are more aware of what they are eating and how it affects their bodies. There will continue to be a rise in whole, organic foods and simple recipes that people are familiar with. I think more people are comfortable working out at home than ever before, so I do think this will encourage more hotels to have personal gym equipment like yoga mats, blocks, resistance bands and light weights, regularly available in rooms versus in the hotel communal gym.
We will also continue to see a growth in more outdoor activities across the board. More walking, hiking, biking and exploring nature. More people have come to appreciate these things and destinations will be promoting their outdoor activities more than ever. By later this year, hopefully the world is on pace to overcome the pandemic and people will be taking those big bucket list trips that have been on hold for so long.
