This week in PR (16 December)

It happened this week

Profession

We have a BIG incentive to #GetChartered in 2023. More to come next year, but @CIPR_Global members should really consider getting accredited next year. https://t.co/rdeWVc6bDQ

— Steve Shepperson-Smith (@SteveShepSmith) December 13, 2022

• Iretomiwa Akintunde-Johnson and Blossom Deji-Folutile: Understanding the public relations market in Africa (13 December)
  ‘20 million Africans have migrated from the continent since 2010 according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. 11 million have headed for Europe, five million to the Middle East and three million to North America. The brain drain of young people from the continent will impact the future of the economy and burgeoning professions and creative industries such as marketing and public relations.’
• Chris Tucker: Are we well placed to be the so-called “ethical guardian”? (12 December)
  ‘To me, [Jacquie] L’Etang’s paper always serves to put us in our place, reminding us that it is still possible to practise PR without being a member of a professional body let alone sign up to any kind of ethical code. Many PR practitioners have had no ethical training of any kind at all, and in many respects this goes to the heart of the reputational challenge the industry faces as it embarks on a process of professionalisation.’

Purpose, climate and ESG

• Maja Pawinska Sims: Podcast: Andy Pharoah On Mars & Sustainability (15 December)
  ‘I steward sustainability on the leadership team. I see my role as making sure we’re having the right discussions, setting the right targets and putting in the right resources to achieve them. We’re tackling issues of climate; we’re also tackling issues of poverty and water.’
• Tim Le Couilliard: The World COP – why a win on nature needs to be coming home (15 December)
  ‘While some will be glued to a significant sporting tournament underway in Qatar, the world’s climate change community are engaged in another kick-about. Focused on halting and reversing biodiversity loss, this COP15 summit is dedicated to nature protection.’

Consulting, skills and careers

https://twitter.com/drewb/status/1602992980171919360

• Emma Drake: Top Ten Tools for efficiency and time saving [podcast] (15 December)
  ‘Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience, these tools are must-haves in 2023.’
• Ben Smith: The PR Review of 2022: with Warren Johnson on the PRmoment Podcast (14 December)
  ‘We had a record year – again. Highest ever head count; highest ever fee income; highest ever margins.’

Public and third sectors

• Jade Parker: My first year in local government, what a whirlwind it has been (12 December)
  ‘One of my favourite pieces of work is to highlight all the wonderful work my colleagues do every day to support the borough through our internal communications campaign, My Job Matters.’

Politics, public affairs and public sphere

All @CIPR_CEO wants for Christmas is…

Lobbying reform! #L4LG pic.twitter.com/Viv4bvx2fE

— Jon Gerlis (@JRGerlis) December 13, 2022

• Charley Sambridge: Fighting food waste during the cost-of-living crisis (15 December)
  ‘As part of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, the Government has committed to halving the UK’s per capita food waste by 2030.’
• Rebecca Roberts: Why new voter id legislation risks disenfranchising a generation (15 December)
  ‘Under new government rules, the Elections Act 2022, voters across the country will now be required to show photographic identification before they are handed their ballot paper. Much of the rhetoric around the decision has centred around the risk of fraud, however, very little evidence has supported that it’s an issue for the UK voting system.’

• Imogen Shaw: Energy companies in a pressure cooker environment (15 December)
  ‘The regulatory environment has suddenly become more complicated for renewable energy generation companies and this poses challenges both in terms of their engagement with politicians and policymakers, but also in terms of their communications to investors.’
• Mike Peacock: Big bang 2.0 or more of a whimper? (12 December)
  ‘Truss was fixated on tax cuts but most economists say the key to higher productivity is “supply-side reforms” – a term that covers everything from investment in digital and physical infrastructure, and education/skills, to smart deregulation, removing trade barriers and easing planning laws.’
• Chris White: Government unleashes big reforms to the City, but how soon will they make a difference? (13 December)
  ‘The UK’s financial services sector makes up a little under 10% of the economy, and recent data has made troubling reading for the government.’

Brands, content, community and creativity

https://twitter.com/stuartbruce/status/1603312854270181377

• Son Pham: Why we never talk enough about ourselves — and brands should know it (12 December)
  ‘Spotify has done a great job to leverage its internal data and tap into human truths to succeed in a viral campaign. This year, you can see if you are The Adventurer, The Specialist, The Early Adopter, The Deep Diver, The Devotee or The Time Traveler.’
• Stella Bayles with Amar Singh: Brands and fans in sport & entertainment in 2023 [podcast] (no date)
  ‘At Budweiser we had an always-on publishing strategy related to creating content around week-in week-out flow of Premier League and La Liga matches and that was being activated all around the world and coordinated centrally by me. But then all that stopped with Covid.’

Internal communication

• Dan Holden: Welcome to Rebecca Williams, Internal and Change Communications Consultant as our latest Candid Conversation guest. (13 December)
  ‘[What I love about working in internal comms is] making a difference to people– those doing the do, every day in their jobs. Connecting them to their organisation’s purpose and helping to create cultures that enable people to thrive. Making sure people feel valued for the contribution they make really spurs me on.’
• Calm Edged Rebels: How to rehumanize leaders [podcast] (9 December)
  ‘Does purpose and meaning rehumanize leaders? Every time I hear the term I think it’s a bit harsh. Just like any of us, leaders are human.’
  

Media, digital and technology

It was an honour collaborating with @dubaimediainc to hold the Communication in the Metaverse master class. PR Futurist Stuart Bruce opened the eyes of participants to the incredible potential of the metaverse and cemented their journeys towards the digital-only future. pic.twitter.com/fjhJW9UBiA

— ThePRAcademyMENA (@TPRAcademyMENA) December 14, 2022

• Dan Slee: TIME TOK: The best length for a TikTok video and predictions for 2023 (15 December)
  ‘Back in 2020 when I carried out the research the optimum length was a trim 16 seconds. Going through the UK numbers again… it’s 36.3 seconds.’

• Jack Grasby: Five ways to instantly up your social media game (15 December)
  ‘According to recent statistics, more than half the world is now on social media. That’s 4.7 billion people – or 59 percent of the human population – holding an account on one of the various channels now available to us.’
• Steve Baker and Louise Parker: Creativity with Mark Rofe [podcast] (13 December)
  ‘I would describe myself as an internet prankster that’s fallen into digital PR and is able to use that to sell Christmas trees on the internet. The digital PR side is the one that interests me most.’
• Molly Gretton: Microsoft acquires 4% stake in the London Stock Exchange (13 December)
  ‘The 10-year deal includes a contractual agreement in which the LSEG must spend a minimum of £2.3bn over the next decade on a digital makeover using Microsoft’s internet cloud technology, including its Azure data storage product, its Teams communication tools, and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its products.’

Academic, education and training

#prstudent #CreatorAwards23

This section is open to any UK-based public relations student (or indeed, any UK-based student seeking a career in public relations). It’s currently dominated by Sunderland students: others are welcome too. Tag your shareable content with #prstudent and I’ll consider it for inclusion here.

• Rachel Williams (Sunderland): How could BookTok improve how it does PR? (14 December)
  ‘Bloomsbury, as one of the largest publishing houses, can be quite select with who receives their [advance reader copies] and do not send them to those with less than 10,000 followers.’

• Chloe Rose (Sunderland): Football’s not coming home… but he is (13 December)
  ‘Domestic violence incidents increase by a shocking 38% whenever England lose a football match, any major tournament for many brings with it the fear of what might happen if (or in this case when) a team loses a game.’

• Destiny Hollern (Sunderland): Gaming in Numbers: facts and stats of an industry (12 December)
  ‘As a practitioner, it is important to know the engagement that a platform can bring as you can then promote your key messages to a wide audience. It is also important to follow trends so you can understand what the current market wants.’

• Amie Cairns (Leeds Beckett):

@amiercairns PRODUCTIVE was feeling slightly under the weather today but the gym always makes me feel healthier and happier and topping it off with a relaxing night in &lt3  #prstudent #publicrelations #leeds #leedsstudent #marketing #pr #publicrelationsagency #fyp ♬ CUFF IT – Beyoncé