This week in PR (10 March)
It happened this week
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Purpose, climate and ESG
https://twitter.com/PRCA_HQ/status/1632667557441286145
- Ian Morris: Greenwash is a rising risk – but silence is not the answer (9 March)
‘In the Autumn, Coca-Cola was named by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as one of the worst offenders for increasing its use of virgin, non-recycled plastic, just weeks before the COP27 summit – sponsored by Coca-Cola.’ - Chris Tucker: Another Risk To Add To The Risk Register: Greenwashing (5 March)
‘The ‘E’ in ESG has probably attracted the most attention so far but the ‘S’ and the ‘G’ are quickly rising up the agenda too. To be fair to HSBC in their ESG Review, they cover all aspects in great detail.’ - Claire Foster: Balancing Act (no date)
‘We have something to celebrate this International Women’s Day. Across the FTSE 350, 40 per cent of board roles are held by women.’
Consulting, skills and careers
- David Williams: Setbacks Are Bumps In The Road, But They Aren’t The End Of The Road (6 March)
‘As tempting as it may be to flee at the first hint of difficulty, it is better for your personal growth and development if you acquire the habit of confronting it full on.’ - Elizabeth Bananuka: Pros We Love: Shamina Peerboccus, Associate Director, Tyto (no date)
‘Over the years I underestimated the power of having a sense of purpose. I had to work my way out of some insecurities and let go of a lot of my fears to allow myself to have hopes and dreams. I start every project with the big picture in mind and this is a game-changer!’ - Jessica Pardoe: Are PR Perks All They’re Cracked Up To Be? (6 March)
‘I chatted to two anonymous people who were given unlimited holidays and it didn’t work for them. Both now have moved to businesses that have a set amount, and find it much better.’
Gender, diversity and wellbeing
- Holly Ryan: Girls just wanna have funds (8 March)
‘Though work is still needed to shape the financial services world to meet the needs of women, much has changed in the last 20 years.’ - Frankie Oliver with Jo-ann Robertson, Sanjani Shah and Jo Carr: When will PR crack gender equality? [podcast] (8 March)
‘At Hope & Glory we have all our policies on our website. That’s everything from fertility to conception to the menopause.’ - Sarah Pinch: IWD 2023: Equity (8 March)
‘The Equal Pay Act has existed in various guises for two generations but despite this we still don’t have genuine gender pay equality. International Women’s Day is important, it celebrates women, which is wonderful, but it is also important for us to regroup and realise that inequality towards us still persists.’
- Bella Smith: IWD 2023: Embracing Equity through collective activism (8 March)
‘The Women’s Health Strategy sets out clear ambitions: a call for increased investment, funding, education and recognition of the impact of specific health issues affecting women is essential but not yet achieved.’
- Suzie Langridge: Embracing Equity in the Workplace (7 March)
‘Women experience bias in relation to their gender and then further bias due to a number of other factors including but not limited to race, disability and sexual orientation.’ - Advita Patel: Five communication pitfalls to avoid during International Women’s Day (5 March)
‘Please avoid turning your channels ‘pink’ – it can come across as tokenistic, especially if there’s no context.’
https://twitter.com/sharonodea/status/1633758158911856642
Public and third sectors
On my way to #London to work with 20 other councils and the amazing @darrencaveney, @frannycoll, @InterimBoy and @Futuredawn on shaping our own council’s narrative. For me #Reading has a great story to tell so I’m looking forward to this! pic.twitter.com/n6apVEMX3B
— Louisa Dean (@LouisaDean23) March 8, 2023
- Dan Slee: COVID-19: Three years on, will we remember the pandemic? (7 March)
‘What was the pandemic to public sector people? Long days with Teams calls with no end in sight. Struggling to home school while running a job. Burn out and missing relatives.’
Politics, public affairs and public sphere
- Thomas Sharpe: The Labour Party and Carried Interest – why does it matter? (9 March)
‘The Labour Party is trying desperately to appear pro-business. In a speech to the CBI in November, Starmer said that Labour Party was “not just a pro-business party but a party that is proud of being pro-business.” So why the attack on private equity?’ - David Scane: Sunak’s migrant boat law – slogans or solution? (7 March)
‘If the new legislation is enacted, the Home Secretary will have a “duty to remove” those who arrive via channel crossings, which would take precedence in law over the right to claim asylum.’ - Bella Wallersteiner: The Great Unretirement (3 March)
‘It is widely accepted by both politicians and economists that rising economic inactivity amongst the over 50s presents serious challenges to the UK economy, as labour shortages exacerbate inflation and threaten economic growth.’
Brands, content, community and creativity
- Stella Bayles with Joe Belliotti and Rebecca Jolly: How Music Grows Brands [podcast] (6 March)
‘In our chat we cover how music can be measured in a brand strategy; we also look at how brand strategy containing music can help reputation.’
Research, data, measurement and evaluation
Internal communication
- Liam Fitzpatrick: Three types of change (7 March)
‘The bulk of communications aim to make something different in some way. But, there is a lot of confusion about change and the role of communications.’
Media, digital and technology
- Molly Gretton: So long, farewell, Arm Holdings… (9 March)
‘Arm Holdings, a British technology company that designs semiconductors, recently announced its decision to list on the NASDAQ stock exchange in the United States, despite its status as one of the most successful UK-founded technology companies.’ - Emma Drake Insight: 3 things stopping you from starting a podcast [podcast] (9 March)
‘For me a podcast was a way of getting years of experience out of my head and into bite-sized chunks which I can share with people.’
- Stephen Waddington: Hacking AI in PR: using AI tools to write a press release (8 March)
‘The explosion of AI tools means that it’s daunting to know whether there is practical benefit to your organisation. The amount of information in the market is overwhelming and vendors typically oversell solutions.’
- Irina Hule: Take a deep dive into the social media trends of 2023 (7 March)
‘The clear winner of recent social media wars is TikTok, with many other platforms observing and copying the success of the Chinese-based social network. Instagram and Facebook are notable examples, with Twitter announcing a similar feature in the pipeline.’ - Ann Wright: Radio interviews: an insiders guide (3 March)
‘If you’re given the option and you have the time, it’s always best to go into the studio in person. There’s nothing quite like being able to eyeball the presenter to get a more dynamic and natural conversation.’
#prstudent #CreatorAwards23
To be considered for inclusion in this section, all you need to do is to create some original social media content, tag it with #prstudent and share it with your network.
- Hannah Mark (Leeds Beckett): Acknowledging remarkable women and their achievements this past year (9 March)
‘The Women of Iran have endured years of rape, torture, and imprisonment. But they have since fought for their rights and their daughter’s futures. They are protesting against the government’s repression and demanding their freedom.’ - Olivia Singam (Birmingham City): Hands-on experience in PR (9 March)
‘During my second week I sat in meetings with clients so that I could get a sense of what a professional setting looks like. I also wrote press releases and I was set tasks that helped to educate me in areas of PR I had never heard before such as purpose led PR.’ - Lydia Cooper (Leeds Beckett): The Best of PR and Marketing on Race Week (Bahrain GP) (5 March)
‘Formula One’s Instagram account posted a cartoon, short-form video explaining how F1 works. This was brilliant content because it is a quick and easy way for people to understand how the racing works. It invites and intrigues new fans into the sport.’ - Natasha Darrah (Leeds Beckett): Lose your sense of fashion, and do it in style (3 March)
‘How can we lessen our impact on a budget? Extending the lifespan of garments by shopping on pre-loved clothing sites such as Thrift+, Vinted and Depop can have several positive effects – not only are you doing your bit to reduce the environmental impact of your wardrobe, but you’ll find yourself with a wardrobe brimming with one-of-a-kind gems.’
