on the board On the Board Mark Chapman – Director, PR Direct


on the M25! I would say quality of life has been brought into sharp focus for a lot of us over this past year.


What is a typical day like for you? There are 6 of us now at PR Direct so in March last year we opened up an office in the centre of Chester – just as the pandemic struck and we all had to revert to working remotely. We have been in and out of the office since and started back there again in earnest in April this year. We’re still a small business though, so my roles have expanded to cover finance, HR and IT! There’s usually an aspect of one or more of those cropping up on a weekly if not daily basis. But what is taking up most of my time now is our expansion into digital marketing.


What is your career background? I joined Sarah Selzer in PR Direct nearly 8 years ago, with 20 years’ background in sales and distribution, mainly in hardware but also music production in my early career.


Tell us about the company you work for Sarah set up PR Direct in 1998 and has specialised in housewares PR for a very long time, so her media contacts list is awesome! I joined the business in a development role but it was driven by our daughter, who was a toddler at the time, referring to me being ‘stuck a road’ as I was always on sales trips and stationary


What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? We all get a buzz about securing that killer bit of coverage – when I was in sales it was landing that deal or winning round that tricky customer. It’s the same in the media – we have some ‘special’s we like to land!


What is the most challenging part of your job? Those same ‘special’ contacts in the media can be tricky and with our new expansion it’s keeping on top of the changing face of marketing – the latest changes that Google or Instagram are going to throw at us this week!


What new products have impressed you in the industry? We are hugely lucky to work with incredible brands who keep on thrilling us with their creativity! Our skills are very much in taking a product or service and finding the right route to a market or audience, but the job is helped so much by that product or service being innovative, quality or just downright fun.


What challenges are suppliers facing? We have heard some horror stories about logistics and the spiralling costs of transport, with prices for containers tripling – and then some. We don’t envy companies being in that position at all. It has been truly amazing how resilient our industry has been through this, but we know of personal stories where it has been really tough. Another reason why we are happy to support Bryan and Roz at the Rainy Day Trust through PR. They are needed more now than ever.


May/June 2021 • HousewaresLive.net


What is the biggest change you’ve seen? It’s probably the travel. We represent the IHA (International Housewares Association), the organisation behind the US’s biggest housewares show The Inspired Home Show in Chicago, and we have missed joining our colleagues out there for the show and International Business Forum. September 2019 we were networking with businesses in San Diego and last month it was the second year of networking via Zoom. We are all very much looking forward to March 2022 in Chicago!


What advice would you give someone starting out in this industry? Once the face to face meetings and travel to shows is allowed, then I recommend you embrace it. It’s a super-friendly industry (professional rivalries aside!) and you can learn so much by meeting with people. Your first experience of a mammoth trade show is one you’ll never forget!


What do you enjoy doing on weekends and in your free time? Aside from family time, I love to cook, coach u11s football and spend time on the cricket pitch in the summer. The last few months it’s been introducing the family to my collection of punk vinyl!


If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you take with you? A broad brimmed hat, acoustic guitar and a beginner’s guide to boat building!


mark@prdirect.net • twitter.com/Housewaresnews housewareslive.net | 13


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