A Year of Clarity: We Have One Foot in the Future

At InkHouse, we live by our values. They’re with us at work, when we’re with our clients, as well as in our personal lives. Each value is unique both in what it means for our employees personally and our team as a whole. Understanding how these values influence our lives helps us to better understand someone else’s experience, expertise and, ultimately, their unique point of view.

As we move into our year of Clarity, we asked our team what each InkHouse value means to them. In this blog series, you’ll hear from team members from each office, across every level and skill set — design, content, media, digital — on how they live different InkHouse values. 

The first value highlights our ability to adapt and be open to change:

We have one foot in the future. Just because something worked last year, or last week, or even yesterday, does not mean it will today. We seek what will work tomorrow. 

Having one foot in the future, to me, means being aware of new and upcoming digital trends, while still paying attention to the work I'm currently working on. It's having a balance, knowing that things are bound to change and being ready so that when they do, I can adjust my current strategies to ensure the best results for my clients. Those who know me also know that I'm a BIG planner — while I am flexible with things changing, I like to know what's coming up or going to happen next!

- Claire, Senior Digital Specialist, San Francisco 

Technology and digital media are constantly evolving how we see our world and get information about it. These changes are especially prevalent in the PR industry, where we need to have a keen understanding of where audiences spend their time, what they pay attention to and how those channels impact behavior. Keeping an eye on trends and changes, not just in our industry but in every industry, is vital. Effective public relations requires practitioners to be nimble and flexible, adapting to find ways to strategically tell stories. This can be capitalizing on new apps — like how to use TikTok in a way that is authentic — to coming up with a game plan for various campaign scenarios to the election in November and how it impacts a client’s business.

- Rachael, Senior Account Executive, Boston 

We work hard to push the envelope on new innovations in our industry. To me, “one foot in the future” means we are always looking for what’s next. The Internet has forced a seismic shift in how people consume information and that means we have to constantly evolve how we tell our clients’ stories. Not only is it not effective to rely on yesterday’s tactics, it’s not satisfying. What’s the fun of work if you’re not constantly challenging yourself to think more creatively and try something new?

- Anne, Senior Vice President, San Francisco 

I’m a big believer in the idea that if you’re not in a constant state of minor discomfort, then you’re probably not growing or doing your best work. Uncertainty and risk can be scary and uncomfortable, but inevitable when adapting to new situations and problems where there is no template for success. This is something we encounter every day in marketing and media relations — the world is evolving around us so quickly, and to succeed we can’t do the same things that worked last week or last year. We have to look at every problem with fresh eyes and integrate new tactics and ways of thinking to keep our edge. I’ve always found that this is the space where I feel most energized in my work.

- Angela, Vice President of Digital, Boston 

Stay tuned for more insights from our team on our next value: We are accountable.