The Innovator 25:

Nicole Moreo

Director of research and insights

Peppercomm

"There are still far too many barriers between disciplines, and PR is still an afterthought for some."

At Peppercomm, Moreo has brought her background in economics to PR and marketing. She has designed and lead measurement, analytics and research programs for clients such as Ernst & Young, Whirlpool and Pershing, amongst others. "We feel that the media analysis is only one part of a true strategic analytic report," Moreo says. "We will work with the client to use website analysis, SEO/ SEM analysis, CRM software data, internal sales/ donation data, and correlate data from multiple departments. We are able to provide true insights in our business outcomes reports."

Describe what you do.
I work with teams to uncover insights that drive strategy and design and direct measurement, analytics and research programs for clients ranging from consumer to financial and B2B.

Where are you from/hometown?
Westport, CT

Where are you based now?
New York, NY

In what area of marketing/PR do you see the most innovation?
Planning &Measurement. We have more information and data at our fingertips than ever before. When used correctly, we can help to uncover insights to guide social, storytelling, content, influencer engagement, and management techniques. Technology is allowing us access to more data than most know what to do with. Every time we find a new way to harness that data, we find a new way forward.

How would you describe the communications/PR industry's level of innovation?
About the same as other marketing disciplines. While I think there are truly innovative ideas that are developed in the PR industry, we are still not given the budgets or the integration needed to execute. There are still far too many barriers between disciplines, and PR is still an afterthought for some.

What is most important for the PR industry to do to foster more innovation?
Disrupt the agency business model

How do you define innovation?
I define innovation as moving beyond what is comfortable and integrating new ideas with a willingness to test and fail.

Most innovative PR/comms campaign you've seen in the last 12 months?
The "House of Clicks": The House of Clicks was a PR campaign for Hemnet in Sweden (a site to look at houses to buy). By analyzing all clicks on the site, analysts found out what users are looking for when it comes to an ideal home- and then worked with architects to build it. Since created, the House of Clicks had an enormous impact internationally - over 600 people worldwide signed up to buy the house when it comes on the market.

What brands and/or agencies are most innovative when it comes to marketing/PR?
I really like what Sonos is doing. They are creating truly integrated campaigns and looking to engage with the consumer at all levels. They are forcing the consumer to recognize the power of sound in everyday life. From a biometrics study to see how the human body is affected by a life with and without music, to setting up a store in NYC that is all about experiencing sound in different “homes” and creating more of a gallery than a store, Sonos is really connecting and disrupting the consumer’s path to awareness and advocacy.

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider 'innovative.'
The moment I realized that I could bring an economics background into the PR/ marketing space and create a whole new way to approach a communications program.

Something — not PR/marketing related — that is innovative.
Urban Design: The story of obesogenic environments and the Medellin example.

Please give our readers an idea of something that can inspire innovation — this can be a book/movie/podcast/activity/article.
"Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas In Just Five Days" by Jake Knapp

Least favorite time of day?
The lull just after lunch.

Most innovative place in the world? This could be a city, a venue, a neighborhood, etc.
Developing cities- like Medellin. Innovation is almost forced on them because they don’t have an existing infrastructure to define how things are done. I think we will see some incredibly interesting things coming from city planning in the future.