Trailblazers and leaders: Efe Otokiti

Efe Otokiti | Editorial Director | Harvard

How did you get into marketing/comms?

I spent most of my early twenties in an array of jobs, as I fundamentally didn’t think I had a chance to write professionally. I hadn’t taken my degree particularly seriously, and after I received a 2.2 at the end of my bachelor’s, in my mind, I’d failed uni and didn’t deserve to write professionally. So, I didn’t seriously apply for any writing jobs until I was in my late twenties. When I did eventually pivot into content, I worked as a freelancer for a year to build up my portfolio, then got a job with an events company as a tech correspondent and content writer. A year later, when a poor fiscal year led to them having to make a 3rd of the workforce redundant (it’s fine, they don’t exist anymore) I was headhunted by Harvard as the skills were largely the same. And four years later, I’m still here.

What is something that you do every day without fail?

It sounds a bit woo-woo, but I start most days doing a bit of yoga. My girlfriend and I started doing it over lockdown (back when we were all strategizing ways to remain sane) and we just kept it up and now I love it. Who knew stretching could help with muscle pain… (I did. We all do. Try yoga).

What is the best piece of advice that you’ve received? And who gave it to you?

As I mentioned, I worked in a bunch of different jobs in my 20s, and at some point, I found myself working for the Earthquake Commission in New Zealand. One afternoon, I was explaining to my old line manager why I’d never bothered getting into professional writing (I’d started writing a lot for the organisation by this point, even though I’d been hired as a technical advisor). I was giving her all my usual excuses I’d told myself over the years, the key one being the fact that I’d received a 2.2. To me, it was just so unlikely, what was the point of trying? After my ramble, she very simply said, “what’s the big deal? Worst case, you fail. But at least you tried”. Maybe it was being on the other side of the world or maybe it was her calming Kiwi accent, but it was just so simple and obvious that it just clicked. I’d counted myself out before I’d even tried – how did that make sense? A few months later when I was back in the UK, I plunged head-first into figuring out how to make a living from writing. And six years later, here we are.

What is a tool/hack that you would recommend to anyone starting out in PR/Comms/Marketing?

My answer would’ve probably been different a few weeks ago, but now, I would highly recommend getting familiar with all these new open AI tools, such as ChatGTP, to anyone starting out. Not only are they incredibly helpful for research and quickly completing mundane or repetitive tasks, but more than anything, I think long-term job security will come from being as adept as possible with “paradigm changing” innovations like these. Because while I don’t think I’m going to be replaced by an app anytime soon, I do believe that growing an understanding these exciting (and kind of scary) new tools and figuring out how to make the most of them within the context of your roles, will inevitably set you apart from peers who don’t.  

What’s your greatest achievement to date?

Honestly, simply pivoting into my current career as late and haphazardly as I did and getting to where I have in the time I have, is something I’m deeply proud of. I’ve also since had the chance to be part of a lot of important work, particularly in the DE&I space, that has been incredibly fulfilling.

Is there a particular comms campaign that you’ve seen in your career that you didn’t work on but wish you had?

There was a campaign by HP, called The Wolf, and it had actor Christian Slater (star of Broken Arrow – IYKYK) playing a hacker and going into the risk businesses put themselves in having unsecured printers. It’s the kind of stuff you’d expect in a really technical blog post, but because they packaged it in an engaging story, you think you’re watching some kind of cyber-thriller like Mr Robot (which Slater also starred in). As a content creator, these are the exact types of campaigns that I love, because they prove no topic is too dry but only ever just an opportunity to flex your imagination and figure out how to explore that top in the most engaging and fun way. If you can, give it a watch.

 What’s the key skill you think a successful PR/comms/marketing pro requires?

I imagine there are a lot of skills beneficial to being a good comms professional, but in my opinion, the most important trait I look for is the ability to collaborate. And that’s more than simply accepting feedback with a smile or CC’ing someone to an email. True collaborators innately foster an atmosphere of respect and understanding, and they are open, always keen to listen and learn, and they always freely share their own ideas. I think these sorts of people are not only at the root of most great campaigns, but more importantly, they make the act of work an overall pleasure, even in the toughest of times.  

In three words, describe your approach to your role/work?

Creative, collaborative, chill.

What’s a question every PR/marketing pro should ask themselves?

How can you align the things you’re truly passionate about with the work you do every day? Because it matters more than you’d think.