This week in PR (16 February)

News in brief

• The PRCA has published its diversity and inclusion guidelines with cross-industry support.
• Diversity in PR campaigner Cornelius Alexander has been awarded the Sir Stephen Tallents Medal by CIPR President Sarah Hall for outstanding contribution to public relations.
• The CIPR has updated ten skills guides as part of a new capability framework to help with career development.
• A full week of negative headlines means that Oxfam is facing an existential crisis. But there’s some unease about why events from 2011 only made news in 2018, and the use being made of this for political purposes.
• Unilever has threatened to withdraw its advertising from social media sites that ‘create division in society and promote anger and hate’ according to news reports.
• Internet pioneer and Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow has died. Read his obituary in the Guardian by Jack Schofield.
• Tickets to the Sir Stephen Tallents Memorial Lecture by David Weinberger on 14 March have been reduced to £15 plus VAT (£6 plus VAT for students).

Calendar

Our calendar of events is now on a separate page.

Thought leaders: Pick of the posts

These are the editor’s pick of posts about public relations this week. Recommendations are welcome to editor@prplace.com or @pr_place

• Max Tatton-Brown: Agencies as a foundation for entrepreneurs (16 February)
  ‘The difference between intelligence and awareness is action. Public relations educates you to not only identify those patterns, but to always have the other eye on the opportunity they represent.’
• John Brown: Should you outsource your community management? [vlog] (16 February)
  ‘It’s your relationship with the public. You need to own it.’
• Chloe Greenwod: National Apprenticeship Week 2018 #NAW2018 – How doing an apprenticeship #WorksForMe (15 February)
  ‘In less than four years at Engage Comms, I’ve been promoted to the level that I would have been at by this stage if I had gone to university.’
• Alan VanderMolen: Elon Musk & PR’s Existential Moment (13 February)
  ‘Anything that drives positive or negative engagement for a company or brand is PR.’
• Paul Blanchard: David Yelland interview [podcast] (15 February)
  ‘The PR business is more interesting and more satisfying to me than the media ever was.’
• Sarah Samee: For all the lovers out there; well, actually, for the haters (14 February)
  ‘There was a point in my career when I fell completely out of love with PR. ‘
• Laura Sutherland: #Girlboss is a must read for go-getters (14 February)
  ‘The hashtag #Girlboss used to annoy me as it seemed a little childish, but now I’ve read the book, I get it.’
• Stephen Welch: Counterfactual futures (14 February)
  ‘I’d like to propose a counterfactual future for Internal Communication. A future where Internal Communication is so good that employees will pay to receive it.’
• Stephen Waddington: PESO explained for marketing and PR (14 February)
  ‘The value of the PESO framework as a planning tool for marketing and public relations, lies in the integration of different forms of media.’
• Scott Guthrie: Influencer marketing disclosure: An interview with Hashtag Ad founder Rupa Shah (no date)
  ‘Rupa Shah founded Hashtag Ad, a regulatory consultancy that provides training and support on the advertising rules related to influencer marketing.’
• Robert Minton-Taylor: International Public Relations Association’s Ethics Are Questionable (11 February)
  ‘Given the continuing debate about how ethical the public relations profession is, the decision by IPRA to endorse such a conference is perplexing to say the least.’
• Hel Reynolds: All the kit that should be in the modern communicator’s bag – for under £150 (10 February)
  ‘Here’s my guide to the 13 things you need with you at all times.’
• Amanda Coleman: When incidents happen (10 February)
  ‘As professional communicators we have to be ready to meet a crisis no matter when, where or how it happens.’
• Rachel Miller and Jo Hooper: Which job is right for you (9 February)
  ‘Here’s how to learn about the IC industry and companies to help your job hunt.’
• Sarah Hall: Celebrating seventy years of the CIPR with a view to the future (9 February)
  ‘At this time of political turbulence and as we move towards Brexit, one Charter principle in particular has resonance: “To promote public understanding of the contribution of effective public relations in encouraging ethical communication.”

#prstudent #bestPRblogs

Here’s a very useful resource for final year PR students and graduates:

• PR Careers: 2018: 150 PR internships and graduate schemes

Here’s a reminder of the importance of blogging to students by a public relations graduate.

• Rebecca Henderson: Meet the Professionals 2018 at Solent University (12 February)
  ‘For students looking to get into the PR industry a blog is great way to showcase your writing skills, your experience and show future employers some of your personality.’

And here’s our pick of the best posts by those studying public relations and/or aspiring to work in PR. Note the ‘modern romance’ theme this week from Ulster students.

• Jessica Pardoe (Liverpool John Moores): What Happens When You Don’t Think a Campaign Through? (16 February)
  ‘This example highlights the sheer importance of always risk analysing and testing your campaign ideas – before they go out to the public.’
• Cara Cowan (Ulster): Part Two: The Social Influencer: Back Stage (15 February)
  ‘It may appear to be the dream job…I mean how hard could it be getting paid to take selfies?’
• Orlagh Shanks (Liverpool John Moores): So You Think You’re Cut Out for a Career in PR? (15 February)
  ‘A lot of people see what I post and think I’m having the life of Riley. They think ‘I could do her job. I could attend events, travel around London, drink prosecco and entertain influencers. Easy.’ But that’s not PR.’
• Lisa Corrigan (Ulster): Rules of Engagement: What they don’t tell you in the bridal magazines (13 February)
  ‘This expectation us girls have of the perfect day from magazines and films is unrealistic. Anything worth having isn’t easy, just like a university degree.’
• Hannah O’Connor (Ulster): Netflix and Chill – Is this form of dating for our generation? (12 February)
  ‘In my opinion going for a ‘Netflix and Chill’ isn’t really a form of proper romantic dating.’
• Katya Hamilton-Smith (LCC/UAL 1): Did we know enough of the truth to vote in the Brexit referendum? (12 February)
  ‘I wrote a paper on the effects of political promotion on democracy last year and looked back at the referendum on 23rd June 2016 when Britain decided to leave the European Union.’
• Celine Ward (Ulster): The success of Wonder Woman & Gal Gadot (9 February)
  ‘From soldier to Hollywood, Gadot has gone far. Hollywood just can’t get enough of this leading lady.’