2019 BCA PROFILES: Viet N’Guyen, The Bloom Award – Communicator of the Year

We’re having a collective digital “cheers” to the 2019 Bespoke Communications Awards winners over the next few weeks. Meet Viet N’Guyen, Founder and CEO of Issa PR– a luxury and lifestyle brand strategy, and public relations agency. Viet’s work pushes the boundaries in PR, and our judges were impressed with her work with luxury brand Fendi, her activism and pro-bono work for the UN, START and Many Hopes, as well as the successful launch of Issa’s sister agency Subculture.

How does it feel to win the Bloom Award? How are you going to celebrate?

I’m honored to be recognized by other industry peers and PR Couture to receive The Bloom Award this year. Issa PR also won the “Media Placement of the Year” award, so we will have a double celebration in New York and London with cocktails and macaroons.

In your eyes, what sets you apart from other communicators in the field?

All strong communicators are passionate strategists, creatives and storytellers. At Issa PR, we cross an intersection of luxury and lifestyle traversing many sectors from fashion, art, culture, music and entertainment but we also do significant work in philanthropy and social good / social justice. I believe that giving back and purpose should be at the core of what we do to create emotionally inspiring work that seeks to move the needle and ignites thoughtful dialogue. The work we did with The United Nations last year, in addition to our work with Vogue Italia through to supporting Fendi with their “FF Reloaded” logo launch with Def Jam were great campaigns to be part of.

All strong communicators are passionate strategists, creatives and storytellers.

How do you plan to tackle the rest of 2019? What are a few things you’d like to focus on?

We just launched Issa PR’s sister agency, Subculture – a culturally defining brand marketing agency. We’ll be doing powerful work with the new agency tackling themes such as mental health, working with Dwayne Johnson, Olympic gold medallists and top athletes and footballers. We have a secret launch for a new product, company and industry this summer, and we will continue to grow our New York and London office. I will also return to NYU’s School of Business, Stern to deliver presentations around “The Intersection of Luxury and Philanthropy.”

What advice do you have for communicators who haven’t had such a successful year?

Resilience and perseverance are key in the industry. There will always be challenging times but we can learn, grow and rise from these experiences to be stronger and better. The communications landscape is also changing everyday, so being at the forefront of trends is also important.

In a few sentences, tell us what your goals are/ what we can expect to see from your agency in the future.

We want to continue to create dynamic campaigns that make a difference both at Issa PR and Subculture, our new sister agency. To ignite conversation, spark dialogue and change, and ultimately make a societal difference or creating a new paradigm is something we hope to continue to do. Giving back is also very important to us in both campaign work and agency life.

If we looked inside your purse/work bag right now, what PR survival must-haves would we find?

Dual phones for international work (including music from Chopin to Louis la Roche), a Malcolm Gladwell book to inspire. Also currently reading ‘Molecules of Emotions’ by neuroscientist – Candace B. Pert PHD, which includes a foreward by Deepak Chopra. Dior lipgloss, YSL mascara, and a statement ring by Icelandic designer – Anna Maria Pitt for red carpet events.

Congrats, Viet!