This week in PR (1 November)

News in brief

• Purdah: Advice to civil servants during an election campaign: ‘the key principle to keep in mind is that we should do everything possible to avoid any activity that could call our political impartiality into question and to ensure that public resources are not used for party-political purposes.’
• Ruth Davidson: Following criticism of her taking a role with Tulchan Communications whilst serving as an MSP (noted here last week), Ruth Davidson has reversed her decision (BBC News).
• Roland Rudd: ‘People’s Vote staff walk out over sacking of senior figures’ (The Guardian)
• Fake news: ‘Undercover reporter reveals life in a Polish troll farm’ (The Guardian)
• Applications are now open in the Taylor Bennett Foundation winter training programme. Sponsored by FTI Consulting, the ten weeks are split between London and Brussels. The scheme is open to black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) graduates.

Academic and education

• Sarah Alonze: Educating the next generation of PR superstars (30 October)
  ‘It’s refreshing that the PR industry welcomes a diverse range of academic backgrounds (backgrounds that complement one another nonetheless). In the decade I have worked within the PR industry, I’ve worked with graduates from all degree backgrounds, including comms and PR.’

Purpose and professionalism

I’ve downloaded the last 7 years’ worth of my @CIPR_UK CPD history ahead of the website changeover … make sure you do too as it won’t transfer over! https://t.co/c436IvKcAb

— Sarah Roberts (@sarahrroberts) October 27, 2019

• Rob Smith: Morality and public relations: Is everyone entitled to PR support? (30 October)
  ‘One of the founders of Bell Pottinger, Lord Bell, who passed away in August this year, famously adhered to the ‘cab rank’ principle employed by barristers – that everyone is entitled to a defence and you queue for the next one to come along.’
• Robert Phillips: Re-Purpose: From Chief Communications Officers to Chief Community Organisers (no date)
  ‘Embedded in Trust Me, PR is Dead thinking was/ is the belief that Chief Communications Officers should be re-purposed as Chief Community Organisers.’
• Si Francis: PR needs a renewed focus on ethics, diversity and impact (27 October)
  ‘As Chair or Vice Chair of the PRCA Council, I will propose ethics, diversity and standards are the focus of the Council’s work.’

Consulting and careers

• Claire Lamb: The integration imperative (31 October)
  ‘If the entire business buys-in to marketing strategy and takes collective ownership of campaign theme and messages, it’s likely to result in quality content that can be repurposed for every channel and stage of the funnel. This is key to making your ideas and budget work harder so you can truly reap the benefits of your investment.’

Public and third sectors

UPDATE
There's been a huge 340 entries into the #UnAwards19
What a treasure trove of learning
Thanks to the sponsors for making it possible. pic.twitter.com/xPBMeOMgJF

— @comms2point0 (@comms2point0) October 31, 2019

• Dan Slee: FACEBOOK COMMENTS: Here’s the advice you need if you’re a public sector Facebook page admin wondering how to reply to a comment (30 October)
  ‘Don’t argue with an idiot. It’s something I’ve blogged about before. Don’t have a slanging match with someone.’

• Paul Sutton with Josh Littlejohn MBE: Can social media help tackle homelessness? [podcast] (30 October)
  ‘How might a cashless society affect those who rely on cash and the generosity of others?’

Politics and public affairs

This is the right thing to do for democracy in America and all over the world.

What say you, @Facebook? https://t.co/dRgipKHzUG

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 30, 2019

Wellbeing, gender and diversity

We have voluntarily published our 2019 #GenderPayGapReport and equally believe everyone should do the same to be transparent and close the gap for #genderequality !

We are proud to say we don’t have a gender pay gap at just +0.9%.

View the report here: https://t.co/SXfCot42Mv pic.twitter.com/s7fPylcmzO

— Lansons (@LansonsLatest) October 30, 2019

Measurement and evaluation

AI, tools and automation

New week, new branding and new office.. We have a new home at 79 Hatton Garden and we love it! ❤️@ResponseSource @Access_Intellig pic.twitter.com/8GpscDUHrl

— Vuelio (@Vuelio) October 29, 2019

• Ben Smith: PRmoment podcast with David Benigson, CEO of Signal AI (28 October)
  ‘If PR and communications professionals are the advisers on reputation, how can we arm them through this technology to derive better insights to think about how that reputation should be managed?’
• Stephen Waddington: PRtech market growing up: Q&A with Access Intelligence CEO Joanna Arnold (28 October)
  ‘We know from our customers that they want to be able to improve how effective their activity is by understanding who is influential to their brand, topic or audience then how to best engage and secure impact.’

Brands, storytelling and influence

https://twitter.com/stuartbruce/status/1189892782179209216

• Roger Hart: England Rugby’s provocative V formation against the All Blacks Haka was the right response! (27 October)
  ‘The way opposition teams respond to the Haka has always generated debate in the press, but the key is that the way you respond is a reflection of who you are as a team and what your “own story” is about.’
• Scott Guthrie: Unconscious bias in influencer marketing (30 October)
  ‘Does unconscious bias in influencer marketing matter? Does it matter if we’re not representative of the audiences we’re trying to engage with and ultimately influence?’
• Phoebe-Jane Boyd: Ethics, pivot tables and avoiding the terminator: 6 lessons from the Influencer Marketing Show (28 October)
  ‘Authenticity is still what pays off for influencers, despite all the new technologies, virtual avatars and metrics being mooted at this year’s show.’

Internal communication

• Amanda Sheps: Literally & metaphorically detached (29 October)
  ‘The report provides a very rich set of data that allows internal communicators to look at how different channels serve remote, hard-to-reach employees in a wide range of organisations and job roles.’

Media and digital

• Gini Dietrich: What the New Google BERT Update Means for Communicators (31 October)
  ‘If your communications strategy has evolved to create for humans first, robots second, you will continue to be rewarded.’
• Simon Marshall: Social media faux pas (30 October)
  ‘It’s called social media, not broadcast. If you don’t comment, you won’t get the reach you want. Please don’t share one piece of content on the hour every hour ad infinitum. Who’s even reading it?’
• Chris Lee: PR and SEO Debate: Links, Content and Getting the Basics Right (no date)
  ‘Link building is where PR can really add value due to its background in running creative campaigns that generates widespread coverage.’
• Arianne Smart: The Intersection of PR and SEO (27 October)
  ‘Earlier this week, I attended the PR Moment’s seminar on ‘the intersection of PR and SEO’. Here are just some of the key points that I took away.’
• Tessa Curtis: Why PR’s may need to widen their pitch (26 October)
  ‘It may no longer be enough to pitch an exclusive or, even an interesting story – without also demonstrating its scope for audience engagement.’

#prstudent #bestPRblogs

• Emma Rogers (Solent): Regulations to save lives (31 October)
  ‘If there were strict laws and regulations, cyberbullying can be prevented and hopefully this horrific figure can be dramatically decreased.’
• Sarah Morrow (Ulster): Sainsbury’s Eco-Move This October: Consider Your Fireworks Banned (31 October)
  ‘Here’s why I’m proud of local supermarket Sainsbury’s and their choice to dodge the public menace that fireworks have become.’
• Siobhan McKerr (Ulster): How To Avoid Assignment Stress (30 October)
  ‘As soon as I know I have an assignment due I like to open up a word document, write the title and start a plan for the assignment.’
• Emma Street (Lincoln): Guide to a successful reading week (30 October)
  ‘The lure of working in reading week is that it’s easy to quit when you’re working from home. When you have the option of watching netflix, going out or working – it’s easier to fall for the desire to leave the work.’
• Abi Kitcher (Solent): Halloween Campaigns that address scarier issues than witches and ghouls… (30 October)
  ‘It is that time of year again where pumpkin picking and toffee apples are all over our social media channels. Who has the best fancy dress and best pumpkin carving? Most importantly… who has the best Halloween campaign?’
• Hannah Chambers (Ulster): #WaPoDeathNotices – Where Do We Draw The Line Between Spin and Fake News? (28 October)
  ‘The Washington Post landed themselves in some hot water with the public over a headline that read ‘Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, austere religious scholar at helm of Islamic State, dies at 48.’