#100K: Linda Eatherton
30 years ago I started my career in PR at an agency specialized exclusively on food PR. The German agency “Komplettbüro”, founded by a pioneer of PR in Germany, Freya Köhler, was the perfect partner for the US-agency Ketchum to expand internationally. After all in the 1990s, Ketchum as well focused on food communications with clients such as Kikkoman soysauce or National Potato Board. Oh - and there were also beverages. During my first job interview with my first boss, Sabine Stadel-Strauch, asked me: "Do you like to eat and drink? Of course I did (and still do).
Therefore Food PR became my first passion in this business. And to this day I still have a great love for this topic. So it's no wonder that colleagues from the field of food PR are especially close to my heart. And a very special friendship and longterm relationship I have with one of the absolute experts in food PR: Linda Eatherton.
Food is so much more - I learned from her. Food is “home”. Food is a “meaningful connection”. Food is healthiness. Food is friendship. Food is real - and can´t be replaced. And "foodies" are a lovely, special breed of people.
“Food Understood” is Linda´s mantra still today. And that´s so true – as she is a Global counselor and coach who knows food, food people and food businesses inside and out. For this #100K-interview I met her for a virtual “brown bag lunch” – and here are her answers:
Dear Linda, After three years of Covid, we finally arrived at a kind of "new normal." But the three years passed leaving us with traces, right? What had been your experiences during this time and what learnings will you take with you from the pandemic?
Like many, I am happy that we can get together again with friends, customers and business partners – finally. The time when we could not meet face-to-face made me feel lonely and also sad. I am very glad that this is over.
And more importantly, we can meet again to eat and drink together. Many hardships during the pandemic we´ve been able to absorb by innovative, technology and new digital solutions. But you can't digitize food. And the experience of eating and drinking - the experience of eating and drinking together with friends and family - cannot be solved by the internet. Food is so real - you can´t fake it (.. speaking about eating together: do you know that eating with friends and family will keep you young? Have a look into this article).
But there is one thing I found quite amazing as a result of the pandemic – and this is connected to the way we were forced to make business those days: the personal knowledge and special experience of individuals was suddenly noticed.
Before Covid, I must say, that freelancers and independent consultants had a mediocre image. They were partly seen as unemployed dropouts with a low level of competence and credibility. But that changed during the pandemic. Along with the new “digital working culture”, freelance consultants and experts got a voice. Now independent consultants were perceived and recognized as valuable industry partners.
Many companies today see freelancers as an opportunity to get access to an additional wealth of experience – experiences they add to their existing teams and generate new value.
Linda, you work with “food innovators, renovators, transformers”. The food industry is constantly changing – so you are on a constant search for new ideas. Since you are so long in this business what do you need to find great ideas?
My recipe for creativity? It´s the ability to suspend reality – and to force myself looking much further, beyond today, into the future.
I challenge a product (and an idea) with two questions: First, what do I know about this product today and is it worth to exist? And second, will this product (or this idea) exist in ten years from now? Will it change or not?
These fundamental questions are the reason why I enjoy working with food-scientists and technologists. For scientists, creativity is the ability to see possibilities. They are explorers. They are open – even to mistakes. They are willing to take risks and they allow themselves to make mistakes. Every mistake is another building block on their journey to a possible goal. A great way of being creative.
A great way to see creativity - and so urgently needed. There is the impression we need innovative solutions more than ever before. The world seems to become more complicated and complex, more difficult and a bit crazy, right? Crises and catastrophes are everywhere. And we are right in the middle of it. In this stressful times each of us is called upon to help make the world a little bit better. How do you see your contribution to this?
I love this question. Because each of us has the opportunity to do a little bit - to have a small but positive effect for something and for someone.
Whenever someone asks for help, you should get involved. Today, it is rare to ask others for help. It seems we are ashamed to call in a favor as we are all so “self-sufficient” and “strong”, and “smart” and “self-reliant” – we don´t need help from others, don´t we?
So when you are asked for a favor, the need is great. Please, help. Your help will pay off. You never know when you'll need help yourself. My idea is to set aside ten minutes a day in which I´ll try to help someone - minimum. This can be a phone call, a small favor, a praise, a advise, an idea. And these ten minutes will be worth it. They won't save the world - but they will make it a little bit better. And I know I will get this back a hundredfold.
About #100K
In 2023 Ketchum - an international communications network - celebrates its 100th anniversary. This makes it probably the oldest communications agency in the world. I´ve worked more than 25 years at Ketchum and learned so much with this agency. I am thankful for this time and the many colleagues and friends I´ve met there. So I´ll take this as an opportunity to meet old Ketchum-friends. And ask them some fundamental questions. Thanks to Linda, Gustav Averbuj, Sabine Stadel-Strauch, Gesine Märten and Martin Dambacher.
