This week in PR (10 May)
Business and finance
- Bob Huxford: IPOs are on the way (9 May)
‘London has had a tough couple of years. However, markets are cyclical, and money inevitably finds its way back to where the value is. Valuations are improving in the UK. The FTSE 100 is currently trading at an all-time high and the FTSE All Share and AIM All Share indices are up 16% and 17% respectively from their October 2023 nadirs.’
Consulting, skills and careers
- Vicki Marinker: Olivia Lawson, natural networker [podcast] (10 May)
’23 years ago I started at the BBC, learning about production. I loved the environment, but did not see myself as a creative. But I gained my first experience of internal comms and communicating change. I loved learning the craft of internal comms.’ - Jessica Pardoe: Networking Events 101— The Key To Make Them Work Harder (7 May)
‘Successful networking is not just about having an extroverted personality. It is about going in with the right approach.’
- Alex Malouf: Are you in or out? PR agencies and their approach to Saudi (7 May)
‘I’m surprised that so much communications work for the Kingdom is still being done from Dubai. Being on the ground here isn’t just exciting given the pace of change, it’s a basic necessity for any communicator on the agency side who has Saudi clients.’
- CIPR Education and Skills group: Career chats: Charlotte Dimond (3 May)
‘Education has always been and will always be a big part of my life. I’m proud to work with Sheffield Hallam University as an Associate Lecturer, something I’ve done for 15 years and I’m currently in the second year of a PhD with Leeds Beckett University.’
Politics, public affairs and public sphere
- Gareth Jones: When will Labour reveal its policies on pensions? (9 May)
‘The transition from defined benefit schemes to defined contribution schemes among businesses is well advanced. Auto enrolment has been a success, but the basic problem is that most people are not saving enough for retirement.’ - Philip Rutnam: The great aviation debate: can we do it better? (9 May)
‘Aviation is hard to decarbonise, but it’s also emotionally charged in a way that (let’s face it) grazing cattle or sheep are not – even though agriculture is actually responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions and far fewer jobs than aviation.’ - Harry Shackleton: Unlocking Urban Potential: The Vital Role of Cities in the UK Landscape (9 May)
‘There is something intrinsically human about cities. How a large group of people coming together not only represents safety and security, but innovation and possibility.’ - Celia Richardson: The culture warriors have come for the National Trust. This is how we take them on – and win (9 May)
‘Independent research has shown that as attacks on the National Trust have increased, so has public trust in it. Donations have risen. Vocal supporters have emerged from all walks of life. Our polling shows the trust is held in equally high esteem by Labour and Tory voters. Unlike most institutions, our members have democratic voting rights. Since the attacks ramped up, voter turnout for our AGM is breaking records each year.’
- Ben Smith with Alastrair McCapra: Why does the UK have a lobbying register that excludes 96% of lobbyists? [podcast] (7 May)
‘There’s an important reputational issue at stake. If we’re able to clean up lobbying, it will help the sector as a whole.’ - George Thomas: Riding the wave of devolution (7 May)
‘Voters in local political contests are increasingly factoring in the strength of individual candidates rather than blindly following a particular party.
- David Olajide: Influencing Perspectives: Exploring the Overton Window’s Impact on Public Relations (no date)
‘Grasping the relationship between the Overton window and PR is important; it’s crucial for navigating the complex landscape of public discourse. This understanding is a necessity for PR professionals in their work.’
Brands and content
- Paul McCaffrey: #ConsumerCorner: Is Madonna the Queen of Pop, or just a lot of clever marketing? (7 May)
‘She definitely deserves her mantle as the Queen of Pop, but I would argue that, at 65, she is also the Queen of Marketing.’
Research, data, measurement and evaluation
Crisis, risk and reputation
- Ben Smith with Rafi Mendelsohn: How to use defensive communications to counter brand disinformation [podcast] (7 May)
‘The planning and preparation [for a crisis] has become so much harder – because misinformation and disinformation is being used against brands using fake accounts on social media.’ - Adam Tuckwell and Jon Wilcox with Andy Barr: Crisis at Co-op Live: A PR Hub Podcast Special (8 May)
‘This is not a PR fail; this is an operations fail. It looked good on paper for the Co-op, but it’s gone wrong from the start.’
Internal communication
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA
- Dan Holden with Frank Dias: How internal communicators can use AI (8 May)
‘The integration of AI covers every department, so it’s important to build awareness, understanding, and knowledge linked to ‘what’s in it for the employee across each area’ and the journey the business wants to take them on, as well as where the business is headed. This is an opportunity to collaborate with relevant senior leaders, support services, and operations teams, such as HR, Training, and IT, to map out the future-focused employee experience for the business.’ - Cat Barnard, Dom Walters and Jen Sproul: Ethics, internal communication and 21st century business with Roger Steare [podcast] (8 May)
‘Codes of conduct are not a guarantee you’re going to do the right thing. They’re not the same as ethics – the way we think about how to lead a good life in the service of others.’
Media, digital and technology
- Dan Slee: BIG LIST: In 2024, there are now 14,106 marketing tools that use AI (8 May)
‘There’s a list of almost 80 tools that use AI that are PR-specific. This includes mainstream platforms such as Cision, Veulio and pr.com’s press release tool.’
