My Life in Advertising
Anastasia Rassi – Senior Client Servicing at TRACCS PR
Considering the duties, tasks, and responsibilities that see her out of bed at sunrise, while maintaining a sunny attitude and the humour to match, Anastasia Rassi, senior client servicing executive at TRACCS PR belongs to a rare breed of ambitious women who sports a ‘can do attitude’ and ‘eight tentacles’ to get things done!
Starts at 6:45: I have never been a “snooze” person. My alarm usually rings no longer than a couple of seconds, and I’m up, ready to conquer the world – or at least my to-do list.
7:30 – 8:30: The nightmare of every morning! My one hour journey from home to the office usually includes “Virgin Radio Lebanon” and “Nostalgie” together – it might sound like one hell of a contrast, but the mix between Anthony & Frankie jokes and calm French songs suits me well for some reason. Checking emails on the way to the office is mandatory; in PR time it is a luxury!
8:30 – 9:00: If it’s a Monday, it will definitely start with a desk cleaning process. OCD symptoms follow me everywhere. If the desk, drawers, desktop, and Outlook folders, are not neat and well-organised, no task can be ever accomplished.
Some of the most precious elements on my desk: - My bamboo plant – a touch of greenery is a must everywhere - My potty pads – indeed the perfect place to flush out my ideas! Some of these are truly cool I must say - My wall organiser – just a perfect gift recently received to heal the OCD - ish part of me 9:00 – 1:00: With a cup of hot tea (not a coffee person), the day officially starts at 9. Since the traffic helps go through my emails, I can allocate my morning at the office – the most productive part of the day – to brainstorming, writing, strategic planning, and creative proposals.
Lunch time: A sacred hour to gather with colleagues in our cozy kitchen, gossip about social media influencers and share our food; yes that’s a rule: everyone should grab a bite from each plate. Rule #2: every lunch should end with a “Côte d’or Noir”. Unfortunately, it happens to me frequently to pass on this sacred hour and grab a bite at the desk, while drowning in emails and tasks.
1:00 – 5:30: Being in client servicing turns you into an amazing multi-tasker – an octopus as I like to call that. Handling sometimes more than 6 clients/projects at a time, it is only by miracle that I survive afternoons without mixing up names/ emails/tasks/meeting times. And the work definitely never ends at 5:30. Even when I leave the office by then, the mind keeps working in the direction of clients’ needs and requests, always trying to come up with the best ideas and solutions.
N.B: The above described day is a normal one – let’s not tackle days when a crisis occurs to one of our clients, God forbid!