Where Are They Now? - Q&A's With Notable Jenks Grads
Camille Nassar - Marketing and Public Relations Professional
Know your audience, and create a connection. Camille Nassar loves the challenge of crafting the right communication, a skill she discovered while sitting in a Jenks classroom. The subject of tonight’s “Where Are They Now? Wednesday” profile, and a 2008 graduate of Jenks High School, Nassar is a public relations pro who currently holds the title of Marketing and Special Events Manager at Nabholz Construction. She discusses her preferred marketing platforms, favorite corporate brands, and much more in this Q&A session.
What are some of your fondest memories of attending Jenks Public Schools?
Nassar: I’m not sure there is just one thing. Jenks has an incredibly rich culture—football, teachers, student traditions, pranks, achievements, all of it—those are my fondest memories. Everything that makes Jenks, Jenks is what makes me smile.
How do you think the classes, the teachers, and the opportunities at Jenks helped inspire you and prepare you for your career?
Nassar: The classes and teachers at Jenks taught me to think outside of the box. Whether it was academically or personally, they take the way you look at something and completely transform it into a something you thought it could never be. They help you prepare, help you flourish.
What types of fads or trends were important to you and your friends when you were in high school? How do you think your priorities and perspective have changed in the last 10 years?
Nassar: Other than the fear of ever getting a B, my high school career was all about pom. I live and breathed it and I loved every second it of it! The artistic side, the competitive side, and the teamwork it took to get there. After high school though, you quickly realize the things that seemed like the end of the world in high school—getting a B, not nailing a performance—are incredibly small on the scale of things that are important. You have to learn not to sweat the small stuff or life is going to be pretty hard for you!
Camille Nassar, a Jenks lifer, participated in Pom, Key Club, Spanish Club, and Yearbook during her time at JHS. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Journalism/Public Relations.
What do you think separates Jenks from so many other school districts?
Nassar: It’s the innovation, the passion, and the people. Jenks is lucky to have some incredible minds and incredible people who fight for the District to be the best it can be. Jenks has always been on the cutting edge. It always looks to provide the best for its students, parents and the community. The energy of such an organization is incredible and therefore successful.
When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in marketing and public relations?
Nassar: I actually owe this to JHS! Senior year, I think Mrs. Lawrence’s AP English class, our assignment was to research our future careers. We took a career test and one of my results was Public Relations. I had no idea what this was, but it sounded fun! By the end of the research project and paper, I had decided I was going to major in Public Relations! I love telling that story and realizing that something Jenks provided me with became my career—yet another reason that makes Jenks so wonderful!
In your experience working for advertising agencies, Southern Hills Country Club, and now, at Nabholz Construction, how have you been able to create powerful, effective messages for your audience?
Nassar: I say this all the time, but always go back to the emotional connection. That is something that will ALWAYS make an impact on an audience. In our world that is now overrun with constant videos, pictures, sayings, music, etc, you need something that is going to make the customer stop and think and connect. Whether they want to admit it, the emotional strings will always leave a mark, it’s human nature.
With so many different platforms and varieties of communication today, do you have a favorite method for reaching people?
Nassar: Internally it would have to be email. Having a paper trail of your work, previous conversations or to do lists is incredibly helpful. When you are so busy you need those touch points to refresh your memory and be able to take a step back to see any other items that need to be accomplished. As far as marketing platforms, Instagram and Facebook are probably a tie for me. They are utilized differently, but they both serve the purpose of customer service which at the end of the day is the key to any successful company.
What are some of the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of your job?
Nassar: I’m so thankful that most of my job includes opportunities to create and to build relationships. Those two things are some of the things I am most passionate about in life. But with several projects often times spinning around, sometimes you are unable to get to the smaller items that still need your attention. That is with every job though, and all you can do is find the best routine to manage it.
If a worldwide brand chose you to manage marketing and PR, which company or product would you choose and why?
Nassar: Target or Coca Cola. Partly because I am a large consumer of both—that home décor and coke zero gets me every time, but also their branding. Both companies have great respect in the consumer world and have achieved goals that their competitors haven’t even come close to. You’ve probably heard the phrase “Be like Coke, not Pepsi.” That’s a phrase I use often in general, but in the business world, that is a very accomplished trait to have, and both companies do. I’ve had the opportunity to do some reading on both of the companies’ strategies and branding and it is fascinating!
What’s next for you both personally and professionally?
Nassar: There isn’t one specific step that is “next” for me. My passion truly is the community, the people and the ability to create memorable opportunities for them. As long as I am able to do that and further my experience and talent to do such, I’ll be happy.