This week in PR (11 October)

News in brief

Officially the best hoarding in #Leeds – nice work @Channel4 – can’t wait for you to join us pic.twitter.com/LwKy3UKe9y

— Louise Vaughan (@Louise_Vaughan) October 7, 2019

• Greggs was announced as ‘brand of the year’ at the Marketing Week awards 2019
• There’s an in-depth profile of Francis Ingham in Communicate magazine as the PRCA celebrates its 50th anniversary with the claim to be the world’s largest public relations professional association.
• ‘PRCA moves to merge with CIPR’. It may not be new news, but it’s certainly a story. At the very least, it’s a question that will continue to be asked.
• Mental Health awareness: research for the PRCA suggests that almost nine out of ten practitioners struggle with mental wellbeing.

Academic and education

Another definition of public relations, from @ipraofficial – but no mention of persuasion or competitive advantage. It reinforces the way the industry already thinks of itself, but is this any more likely to be credible outside the industry than the existing definitions? https://t.co/xPDyYBkG52

— Conor McGrath (@ConorMcGrathPR) October 10, 2019

• Rich Leigh: Introducing Radioactive University – subscribe to our free video PR masterclasses (9 October)
  ‘I’m going to create a series of how-to guides for the modern PR person (crossing over into multiple marketing disciplines now as it does), and releasing them for free over the coming weeks and months.’

Purpose and professionalism

• Ella Minty: Why Energy Companies Need Public Relations (10 October)
  ‘What the energy industry needs now is highly skilled practitioners – not in the art of spin, astroturfing, white and greenwashing and so on – who understand what energy is all about, who understand the complexity of the environments energy companies operate in, and who can break down the difficulties of the energy trilemma: security, sustainability and affordability.’

• Laura Sutherland: Being brave and demonstrating professionalism in PR (10 October)
  ‘I’ve been prompted once again, to tell you [to]  take responsibility and stand tall. Not only to be more professional and take pride in your own development, but also to carry on questioning and standing up for what is right, even if it seems tough!’
• Andy Green: Should the CIPR and PRCA merge? Is there a need for a single voice for the Public Relations and Communications industries? (9 October)
  ‘Being the only person who currently sits on both the CIPR and PRCA Councils, armed with an under-the-skin insight of both bodies here is my initial take on the question, ‘Should the CIPR and PRCA merge?’’
• Laura Skaife-Knight: From comms officer to deputy CEO – my story (8 October)
  ‘I had an ambition to be a Director of Communications in the NHS. I didn’t set out to be a Deputy CEO – but events and circumstances over the last few years have led me here.’
• Emma McCallum: Extinction Rebellion must practice what it preaches – and understand that effective PR goes far beyond column inches (8 October)
  ‘As Extinction Rebellion matures, it must hone its PR operation – certain aspects of its protest activity, additions which to some may seem a small part of a much bigger picture – have been ill-advised.’

Consulting and careers

• Victoria Tomlinson: Will your social media profile help you win non-executive director roles? (8 October)
  ‘So here I want to write the grown-up’s guide to using social media, explain some of the protocols and give a few pointers on finding your own tone of voice and how you use that online.’
• Ben Smith: Fenella Grey, chair at Porter Novelli London, on the PRmoment podcast (7 October)
  ‘Our strategy now is to go back to our roots and become the defining global purpose communications consultancy. Porter Novelli was founded 45 years ago to tackle some of society’s biggest issues.’
• Fiona Goldsworthy: Top ten tips for global communicators (no date)
  ‘What kind of agency model will deliver the best results? We have asked our Brands2Life Global partners to share their thoughts and below is a starter for ten when considering your global communications programme.’

Politics and public affairs

Fascinating evening of discussions around politics, brexit, and the general state of the world down at @PRCA_UK for the intimate launch of @iain_w_anderson’s new book ‘F**k Business’. Image via @andygreencre8iv pic.twitter.com/YcjcN1QgrD

— Matt Silver (@MattSilverPR) October 9, 2019

Crisis and reputation

• • • Charlie Pownall: Why deepfakes should be on the reputational radar (9 October)
      ‘Concern is widespread that artificially generated ‘deepfake’ videos pose a major potential problem for those targeted, be they companies, CEOs, celebrities, academics and commentators, or politicians.’
    • Lindsey Hill: How brands can stay grounded whilst ‘flight shame’ takes off (8 October)
      ‘We’re seeing some of the biggest protests in history across the globe and consumers have had enough – coming together all because of two words: climate change.’
    • Stuart Bruce: Crisis communications – academics and practitioners learning and sharing global best practice (7 October)
      ‘Crisis6 is primarily a conference for PR and communications academics, but there were a few practitioners there and some academics who also practice and consult. It is disappointing that more public relations professionals don’t take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and research available from the many universities that research and teach PR and communications.’

Wellbeing, gender and diversity

• • • Emma Bridger: Just be kind – how a little kindness goes a long way for Aspergers People (4 October)
      ‘There are 700,000 autistic people in the UK and I live with two of them: my husband Ted and my eldest son Harry, who is 15 – they are both Aspergers. I decided to ask them about their experiences at school and work, and what we can do to support them.’

AI and automation

• • • Katie de Cozar: Sex robots are officially a thing. But what can they teach us about the future of AI? (no date)
      ‘Yes, robots can successfully carry out simple human communication – think about the success and uptake of chatbots in the customer service space – but to deeply understand and connect with people on an emotional level? Not possible.’

Internal communication

Thank you, @SocialChorus! Without your support, we wouldn’t have the chance to hear from arguably the world’s biggest @duranduran fan here in Birmingham. @ciprinside @chuckgose #ChangingTheConvo #Legend #InternalComms #DuranDuran pic.twitter.com/1IIrcxTrLh

— Sarah Parker (@SarahParkerPR) October 8, 2019

• • • Matt Batten: What I learnt at yesterday’s CIPR Inside conference (9 October)
      ‘There was so much good content that trying to narrow it down has been difficult. In no particular order, here are my top takeaways.’
    • Martin Flegg: Changing The Conversation – What was the point? (10 October)
      ‘Way back in January 2019 I suggested to the committee that our theme for this year’s conference should be about trying to shift the conversation away from some of the things we’ve been discussing as internal communicators for years.’
    • Ian Harris: Strategic measurement – Sarah-Jane Wakefield, Standard Chartered (7 October)
      ‘If you want to be a trusted strategic advisor and want to be listened to, then you need to be able to influence and challenge your senior stakeholders. To do that effectively, you need proof points, feedback, data, evidence – some form of measurement.’
    • Adam Driver: Five mistakes to avoid when entering comms awards (6 October)
      ‘I’ve noticed a few mistakes that – I feel – should be avoided to give your entry the best chance of success. Some may seem obvious to comms folk, but you’d be surprised – “do as I say, not as I do…”’

Media and digital

It’s taken six hours, but I have finally received the first PR email pitching an article on what the Coleen Rooney / Rebekah Vardy fall-out can teach businesses about team trust

— Rachel Cunliffe (@RMCunliffe) October 9, 2019

• • • Paul Sutton with Trevor Young: How to use content marketing for PR [podcast] (8 October)
      ‘I felt the whole conversation around content and content marketing was being hijacked by the inbound marketing fraternity.’
    • Laura Joint: The New Marriage between Paid and PR (4 October)
      ‘There tends to be a lot of guesswork involved in PR because, while you can get a rough idea of how many people view a website a month or the circulation of a magazine, you don’t know for sure how many people will actually read your story.’
    • Matthew Gwyther: Social Justice in Tech: Tech, power and the disruptors. What is to be done? [podcast] (no date)
      ‘If you read Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations he will tell you that businesses will try to create monopolies. You have got to control that.’
    • Darryl Sparey: Does social media activity have an impact on Search Engine rankings? (4 October)
      ‘Wars have been waged online between social media and SEO experts on the impact of social media activity on search engine ranking positions for much of the last 8 or so years.’

#prstudent #bestPRblogs

• • Emma Rogers (Solent): Choosing a dissertation topic | Top tip Thursday (10 October)
    ‘Over the last three weeks I have certainly been stressing about choosing a topic, and the perfect topic to study for the next 8 months.’
  • Charlotte Price (Sunderland): If you’re not okay, we’re with you every step of the way (10 October)
    ‘I’ve suffered with my mental health for many years. Depression and anxiety has had a hold on my life in the past, leaving me feeling so lost like a small fish in a big pond that is society.’
  • Rosalie Edge (Ulster): Always take the scenic route… (10 October)
    ‘Last year, I promised myself that I would start blogging, but I just didn’t get round to it. I suppose I did sometimes make excuses, like not having enough time or not wanting to come across as narcissistic, but it all boiled down to my own lack of self-confidence in my ability to take the plunge and just do it.’
  • Fionnuala Hegarty (Ulster): A Series of Unfortunate Events ft. Meghan Markle (9 October)
    ‘Tabloids take advantage of her background, race and personality to relentlessly bully her, sharing inaccurate information and feral commentary, disregarding all human costs.’
  • Nóirín O’Neill (Ulster): A quick guide to Public Relations Tweetchats (8 October)
    ‘Tweetchats are so much fun. You can connect with #PR people from academia and professional practice who are based all around the world. These PR tweeps share their ideas and expertise freely! This is important if you are a new #PRStudent seeking to understand Public Relations.’
  • Niamh Murray (Ulster): Digital Detox (7 October)
    ‘I didn’t miss seeing selfies, coffee art or food. I didn’t miss seeing how people were at the gym, how drunk they were getting on Saturday and how much they were dying on Sunday.’
  • Hannah Chambers (Ulster): “I Am Looking For A Professional Marketer – Not a Bikini Model” – In Defence of the Austin Bikini Shamed Job Applicant. (5 October)
    ‘I think it’s ok for companies to scan a candidates social media and I think it’s almost expected nowadays. However I don’t think it’s ok for a company to call out a candidate on their Instagram page, especially for the way she dresses.