Coe alumna described as one of the brightest minds in the public relations industry
Salisbury wins prestigious 30 Under 30 Award by PRWeek UK
Erin Salisbury ’12 (public relations and sociology major) is a trailblazer in her field. She was recently awarded two top honors — Young Professional of the Year by PRmoment and 30 Under 30 by PRWeek UK — both distinguished accolades within the public relations world.
Salisbury got a true taste of public relations during her sophomore year at Coe College. She took full advantage of New York Term, a program designed for students to receive one full term of credit while studying in New York City. “During my time in New York, I worked as a part-time intern in the research and analytics team at Ketchum, which was a perfect fit for me as it combined both my majors — PR (public relations) and sociology,” said Salisbury. “I absolutely loved the work and had no idea this side of PR actually existed. I was able to use my strengths as a left-brain analytical thinker to help solve businesses’ communications challenges and evaluate their success.”
Following Salisbury’s term in New York, she continued working with Ketchum as an intern for its Chicago office. After graduating from Coe in 2012, Salisbury accepted a full-time position with Ketchum as a research analyst. In her second year with the company, her role shifted to focus specifically on social media research and analytics. Within three years, she was given the opportunity to move overseas to become a founding member of Ketchum’s digital research and analytics team. “I seized the opportunity to move to the London office to build out this capability for the United Kingdom and Europe,” said Salisbury.
Since moving to London in 2015, Salisbury has had the opportunity to work with a variety of major clients. One of her most notable projects included working for a global Eurosport client during the 2018 Winter Olympics. “I sat on a hub team in London, helping to manage and measure communications across their top European markets. It was an amazing experience to be embedded in such an innovative company while they were broadcasting the Olympics across all of Europe for the first time in company history,” said Salisbury. She has been described by her employer as “a strategic thinker, team player and superb client counselor.” She is currently leading a team of four, working with multiple major brands and is also a member of Ketchum’s global influencer task force. Her 30 Under 30 nominator described her as “one of the brightest young minds in our industry today.”
Salisbury believes the most important skill to master while preparing for a career in public relations is to learn how to write. “There’s no substitution for being able to effectively communicate – in both your writing and speaking – and it’s something that will help you stand out and create trust with the people with whom you’re working,” said Salisbury. She feels her professors at Coe had an enormous impact on the way she thinks and feels about the media.
“I leaned heavily on my advertising and marketing professors Pam Carstens and Rob Kuennen to learn the basic principles of integrated communications. They were also integral to my summer research project regarding the use of social media within a communications strategy,” said Salisbury. “Coe was an amazing place for me to grow and thrive, and I had a very personal connection with a huge number of important people who helped mold me into a young professional, ready to enter the workforce.”
Not only did Salisbury have an opportunity to experience theater, music, art and architecture during her off-campus study term in New York, she was also able to cultivate personal and professional connections that will last her a lifetime. Like Salisbury, each Coe student has the opportunity to create a “My Coe Plan,” a personalized guide to a successful four years at Coe. The plan includes courses for your major, your general education requirements, elective options and a hands-on experience — such as participating in an off-campus study term in New York.