This week in PR (1 December)
It happened this week
- Simon Neville: #ConsumerCorner: Have we reached the end of the road for Black Friday? (28 November)
‘There was a short period during the pandemic when online retailers enjoyed a Black Friday boost in sales on big ticket items like new TVs, sofas and fridges as the middle classes built up savings because they couldn’t spend their cash in bars or on holidays. Black Friday in 2020 was a raging success and the last time retailers did put in some effort.’ - Paul Stollery: OpenAI board’s lack of PR experience nearly cost $80 billion (24 November)
‘In business, your most valuable assets – your staff – walk out the door every day. If they’d all joined Altman, Microsoft would have, in effect, acquired OpenAI for free. OpenAI didn’t give any thought to its PR, and it nearly cost it its company.’
Profession and ethics (inc misinformation)
I've said it before, but you know I like to repeat myself. @Rhian_Moore was an absolutely excellent choice. Well done, @SteveShepSmith and @CIPR_Global. https://t.co/x2ouBXRJFg
— Jason MacKenzie (@jasonmackenzie) November 27, 2023
- Kat Harrison-Dibbits: Talking about big issues in the age of culture wars (28 November)
‘Nothing gets people’s backs up faster than organisations whose stances on issues such as fair pay or gay rights seem performative rather than authentic.’
- Lynn Group: Misinformation in Pharma’s Digital Age: Risks and Opportunities (29 November)
‘False narratives about drug efficacy, safety concerns, or fabricated claims can harm the reputation of pharmaceutical companies. But most importantly, can compromise patient care and health outcomes.’ - Stefan Rollnick: We need a better definition for ‘misinformation’. Here’s why (27 November)
‘Anywhere someone intentionally peddles a misleading narrative, often implicit and constructed using a mix of cherry picked elements of fact combined with fabrications, that is adversarial in nature against an at-risk group or institution, and most importantly, creates a risk of harm, they are engaging in disinformation.’
Purpose, climate and ESG
SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA
- CIPR ESG Panel: What is COP 28 and why it matters: a quick guide for PR and communication professionals (30 November)
‘The timing for this COP, however, is better than last year’s COP27 in Egypt. Last year the event clashed with the US midterms and the World Cup; COP28 should have a clearer media landscape and is already better attended.’
- Richard Rigby: Rising to the challenge at COP28: Aviation’s uphill struggle for decarbonisation (28 November)
‘The industry’s flight path towards decarbonisation is largely charted by the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Yet, with a mere 0.1% of airline fuel consumption derived from SAF, environmental critics argue that the 2050 target is pie in the sky.’
- Sophie Morello: Purpose on Payday November 2023 (27 November)
‘Thousands of people from around the world, including politicians and policy makers, scientists, NGO and business representatives, activists and academics, will be making their way to Dubai this week.’
Consulting, skills and careers
So a little bit embarrassing – but this happened today. What a group to join….. https://t.co/szi1FW7qXc
— Jim Donaldson (@jdonaldson1) November 29, 2023
- Hector Santiesteban: How Chris Norton Connects Storytelling with PR Strategy [podcast] (28 November)
‘I did a degree in public relations with a year’s placement as an internal communication person. I then worked in consumer PR in London during the dot.com boom. Clients wanted to throw their money into digital. I was really interested in word-of-mouth marketing.’ - Son Pham: Your gen-Z staff need a helping hand – here’s how to offer it (27 November)
‘Sir Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology and health at the University of Manchester, has found that gen Z is different to previous generations of workers. They are questioning the value systems of the previous generations and wanting to work for organisations that actively prioritise workers’ wellbeing, he says.’
Gender, diversity, health and wellbeing
Public and third sectors
- Darren Caveney: The unawards 2023 – your guide to the big day (29 November)
‘The UnAwards is my own way of giving a little bit back to an industry which has been very good to me. I take huge pride and pleasure in being able to take a decent chunk of time out each year, away from the day-to-day consultancy work, to organise the UnAwards and to help fly a flag – in my own small way – for our communications community.’
Politics, public affairs and public sphere
- Lena Brandstrom: Rent hikes causing a brain drain in the capital (30 November)
‘Failure to attract and retain diverse, well-rounded, skilled people for all types of work undermines the rich mix of abilities needed to make the city (not to mention the workplace) functional and prosperous.’ - Louise O’Halloran: Will Sunak’s net zero wedge work? (24 November)
‘Trailing Labour by over 20 points in the polls, Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are desperately looking for wedge issues to gain ground on the opposition ahead of a General Election next year. From immigration and the Rwanda deal to HS2, rights to protest and the ‘war on woke’, the Party is looking for grounds to differentiate itself from Keir Starmer’s centrist positioning.’ - Alastair McCapra: Lobbying legislation in the UK Now is the time for transparency and trust (24 November)
‘The ghost of lobbying scandals past was raised when David Cameron was brought back into the cabinet and given a seat in the House of Lords. Despite the headlines, Cameron’s action in promoting Greensill to his former (and current) colleagues didn’t break any laws, because our laws are not well-crafted to match the realities of modern government.’
Brands, content, community and creativity
- Sian Gaskell: Champions of content: Q&A with Sophie Glaser, marketing director at Tradelink (28 November)
‘In general, AI is the biggest efficiency driver now. I think every content producer and marketing department should be getting heavily involved, because it will make you much faster and more competitive.’ - Famous Campaigns: NatWest release Christmas board game to educate Brits on financial scams (28 November)
‘The game play features prevalent scams including phishing, fake emails, impersonation scams, crypto refund swindles, get rich quick schemes and purchase scams.’
Research, data, measurement and evaluation
- Morgan McLintic and Ian Litner: How to measure PR with Richard Bagnall [podcast] (30 November)
‘The pace of development and change at the moment is hugely exciting. The industry has been on a journey in its use of technology. The impact of AI is going to be huge.’
Crisis, risk and reputation
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- Amanda Coleman: Supporting those affected by disaster (28 November)
‘Every crisis communication plan should consider wellbeing both of the communication team and of the staff. Internal communication needs to include information and support. It is not a second place to dealing with the media or social media, and is incredibly important.’
- Amanda Coleman: Supporting those affected by disaster (28 November)
Internal communication
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA
- Jenni Field: The risk of ignoring the employee experience (30 November)
‘For most organisations a risk register exists to make sure everyone knows what could impact the organisation and how to mitigate them. One risk that can often be neglected is insider risk.’
- Dev Mistry: My IC career
(24 November)
‘The Covid-19 pandemic changed the business landscape – especially for internal comms. Not only were we more important, but people really understood the value we could offer a business.’ - Rachel Miller: Podcast: How to learn about internal communication (24 November)
‘We need to continuously learn about organisations and people – and what makes them tick so we can give the right advice and guidance.’
- Leyla Hart-Svensson: The Internal Comms Review: What employees want from employers (23 November)
‘Work is so much more than a job for GenZ. This cohort is also seeking social and intellectual fulfilment, with 76% selecting ‘your ability to meet like-minded people’ as a key consideration, much higher compared to other generational cohorts.’ - Katie Macaulay with Emily Hecker: How to build a one-person IC powerhouse [podcast] (22 November)
‘Anyone who’s already explored my book has probably seen that when I was 26, I took on my first role leading internal communication as a team of one. And that wasn’t the role that I thought I was taking out at the time. Like many communication professionals, I said yes to a job description that had a few line items about internal communication, but it was very much a jumble of just generic communication activities.’
Media, digital and technology
- Stephen Waddington: New book: AI tools for public relations (30 November)
‘#PRstack: AI tools for marketing, media, and public relations features insights from 20 practitioners and vendors on the latest AI technologies and tools and their practical application to help public relations practitioners work smarter and more effectively.’
- Ben Smith with Adam Clyne: Are social budgets now moving beyond PR firms again? [podcast] (30 November)
‘Social and PR are kindred spirits; they operate in the same universe but there are a lot of differences between them. We never take on a PR brief: we are specialists in social.’
- Borja Iglesias: Shaping the narrative: Journalists dominate the European tech influence landscape (30 November)
‘Amidst the pervasive issue of disinformation and the relentless spread of fake news, it is evident that people are increasingly looking to reputable news media. Journalists serve as beacons of objectivity within a swiftly evolving technology sector, providing a critical and trusted link to accurate and dependable information.’ - Lottie Bulmer: “Can I just speak to a real person, please?” – the rebrand of the chatbot (30 November)
‘Perhaps as 2024 continues, and AI’s rebrand becomes more streamlined, the lines will blur between how we treat other humans and how we speak to chatbots.’
Academic, education and training
- Sian Rees: PR misses out on talent by not promoting itself and failing to support new starters, claims new report (27 November)
‘A new study commissioned by the PRCA has highlighted a significant need for better promotion of public relations as a profession to young people if the industry is to benefit from the best and brightest global graduates joining its ranks.’
