Always Evolving: Staying Relevant in a Changing Marketing Landscape
Join Molly Baker, founder of Indie Consulting, and our guest, as they unpack what it really takes to stay relevant in today’s fast-moving marketing world. From knowing when to pivot to spotting the “needles in the haystack” for your team, this episode is a candid look at evolution, leadership, and the benefits of collaboration in today’s landscape. We hope you enjoy it!
MB (Molly Baker): What’s top of mind for you professionally today?
CK (Cindy Krupp): Right now, an acquisition. We’re rolling a small agency into our beauty vertical, and it’s my first time leading an M&A process from start to finish. It’s been equal parts exciting and humbling. I’m learning so much, reading contracts, navigating legal language, and understanding the financial nuances of an acquisition. My brain hurts in a really good way. After years in PR, it’s refreshing to be challenged in a completely new dimension of business.
MB: Brag a little. What are you particularly good at?
CK: I’m great at spotting opportunity and talent and then building the structure around it. I’ve started five companies in total, three that I actively run today, and each one came from seeing a gap in the market and knowing the right people to fill it with. I’m naturally drawn to collaboration. I’m good at seeing potential before others do and putting the right systems, people, and energy behind it.
MB: How did you get started in PR?
CK: I actually started my career at Barneys. I loved my job but was pregnant with my first child and asked if I could work remotely one day a week. It was a hard no. I remember thinking, I want to be the kind of mother who’s present and the kind of professional who has agency over her own time. So I quit. I began freelancing, and one client led to another until it naturally evolved into a business. That business became Krupp Group.
MB: What was your first company before Krupp Group?
CK: My first company was called Big Production. It was pure press office and earned media all day long. My partner decided to pivot to design, and I took our clients and re-started as Krupp Group. At the time, I told the first person I hired, “It’s just you and me. When you’re ready for a real agency job, I’ll help you get one.” She stayed with me for nine years, and by the time she left, we had a 20-person team. That journey taught me so much about scaling organically and trusting the process.
MB: What makes you strong in client services?
CK: Intuition. I can read people quickly. Retail trained me to pay attention to what people really want, even when they don’t say it out loud. When I’m in a meeting, I can sense the underlying need behind a client’s words. My team might hear the brief one way, but I’ll pick up on something deeper, and nine times out of ten, that’s what the client meant. It’s less about pleasing and more about understanding and delivering what will actually move the needle for them.
MB: How has PR changed most in the last few years?
CK: In every possible way. The traditional earned-media model doesn’t stand alone anymore. Affiliate marketing is essential. The influencer landscape has matured and now often requires paid investment. We live in a pay-to-play world, and PR now sits at the intersection of communications, marketing, and brand partnerships. What used to be three different departments is now one integrated function. We’ve had to evolve from pure storytellers to strategic marketers who understand conversion, performance, and analytics.
MB: Do you ever turn away clients?
CK: I do. If a client doesn’t have affiliate capability or a budget for influencer and VIP programs, it’s usually a misalignment. We can set realistic expectations, but the ecosystem has to support results. I’d rather be honest than take on work that can’t succeed.
MB: What’s been your biggest business mistake?
CK: Putting my name on the door. When your name is on the company, clients always want you in the room, and that can make it hard to scale. It’s flattering but limiting. My other companies don’t have my name attached because I’ve learned that lesson. I want the brand to stand on its own and empower my team to lead confidently without me.
MB: And your most costly people lesson?
CK: Waiting too long to let someone go. I’m an optimist, and I want to believe in people’s potential. But over time I’ve learned that it’s actually kinder to be decisive. You can part ways respectfully and still honor the person. Every time I’ve delayed a hard decision, I’ve regretted the delay, not the decision itself.
MB: What’s your stance on culture and hybrid work today?
CK: We’re in the office three days a week. Five feels antiquated, and zero feels disconnected. You lose mentorship, creativity, and that spontaneous collaboration that happens when people are physically together. The magic of this industry is in relationships, and relationships don’t thrive in isolation. In-person time builds loyalty, trust, and a shared sense of purpose.
MB: How do you handle candidates who want to set their own in-office schedule?
CK: I respect it, but it means our environment isn’t the right fit. We’re collaborative by design. We’re building something together, and that requires showing up, literally and figuratively.
MB: How do you manage multiple companies and a full life?
CK: I have a ton of energy, it’s just who I am. My dad’s 85 and still has the same drive, so I guess it’s genetic. But energy without structure is chaos. I’ve learned to direct it with intention: clear ownership, strong partners, documented operations, and the discipline to stay close to the work that matters most.
MB: Who are you, in a sentence?
CK: I’m Cindy Krupp, an entrepreneur, communicator, and builder. I founded Krupp Group, Studio Beauty, and 28 Row, all centered on helping brands grow through storytelling and connection.
MB: What advice would you give someone starting a PR or communications business today?
CK: Be relentlessly adaptable. Don’t get attached to one model or one definition of PR. The work will continue to change every year, and that’s the fun of it. Invest in understanding data, relationships, and content strategy. Integrate affiliate programs early. Budget realistically for influencer and VIP. And most of all, keep refining your craft—the storytelling, the writing, the instincts. That’s what never goes out of style.
MB: At 21, did you picture this career?
CK: Not even close. I knew I wanted to be around creativity, fashion, art, and storytelling, but I didn’t know how that would take shape. Entrepreneurship found me. Looking back, it was the perfect fit because it lets me stay close to creative people and ideas every single day.
Find Cindy on Linkedin! And visit the Krupp Group website!
As for us, follow @namedrop.pod on Instagram & LinkedIn and@molbakes on Instagram for all future episodes and insights.
