This week in PR (16 March)

News in brief

• The Scottish Lobbying Register came into force on 12 March
• Commonwealth Communicators Organisation is a new, invitation-only members’ body led by Mark Ramsdale (formerly of the PRCA) and chaired by the PRCA’s Francis Ingham.
• The CIPR has welcomed seven new chartered practitioners: Kate Ashton, Holly Bremner, Simon Butt-Bethlendy, Philip Dewhurst, Padraig McKeon, Sarah Riley, Grant Thoms.
• The Cluetrain Manifesto authors (Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, David Weinberger) have been presented with the CIPR President’s medal. Here’s Weinberger’s thank you talk. ‘It’s good for people to have open access to open information.’
• The popular PR Examples website, now owned by Taylor Herring, has had a refresh.
• Here’s a summary of the study published in Science showing that lies spread faster than the truth online.

Calendar

Our calendar of events now appears 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 [email protected] or @pr_place

Thanks to Rich Leigh, Rachel Miller, Darryl Sparey and Heather Yaxley for pointing me to some included in these lists.

Business / profession

• Amanda Coleman: A question of ethics (15 March)
  ‘I have been very supportive of the work of both the CIPR and the PRCA in this area but we can and should do more.’
• Stuart Bruce: New research on corporate communications in an integrated world (14 March)
  ‘My fellow panelist Kevin Ruck, co-founder of PR Academy, made a similar point when he talked about digital and social being distracting ‘noise’. The real issue is strategy and measurement.’
• Darryl Sparey: AI, robotics and healthcare: It’s all about augmentation, not replacement (14 March)
  ‘If I can draw a theme from yesterday’s excellent Wired Health event held at the very impressive Francis Crick Institute, it’s that AI, robotics and digital technology are not here to replace people in healthcare provision.’
• Alan VanderMolen: 5 Things I Heard on My PR Road Trip (13 March)
  ‘What we should do is have the ‘juniors’ design the agency and client organisations and functions of today, while us ‘bosses’ simply implement.’

Careers and skills

• Louise Thompson: 2018 is the year to build your communications leadership portfolio (15 March)
  ‘Top of the leadership to do list for me this year is building a bridge between good communications practice and developing organisational character/culture.’
• Paddy Blewer: Why a pure post soviet specialism is a risky career move, but geopolitical volatility today does not mean the end of the love affair with Russia (13 March)
  ‘I’ve been working around post soviet capital and industrial markets since 1997 – on and off. I’ve lost three jobs that I loved to geopolitical and macro economic events that are particular to the post soviet region.’

Campaigns and creativity

• Ben Smith: The PRmoment podcast with Frank PR founder Graham Goodkind (12 March)
  ‘When you understand what makes a tabloid news story, that helps in PR because you understand what makes a story. That plays out well for a career in consumer PR where you’re trying to appeal to as many consumers as possible.’

Gender and diversity

• Jo-Ann Robertson: It’s we… not he or she (12 March)
  ‘Every single day I’m going to try and do something that matters for another woman in my life. At work, at home, for my friends. Something that makes their day a little easier, a little better, and gives them the support they specifically need.’

Internal comms

• Kevin Ruck: EuroComm18 Podcasts: Kevin Ruck on how to foster authentic employee voice for inclusive organisations [podcast] (no date)
  ‘It’s less about whether your organisation gives employees an opportunity, than about what happens when employees have a say.’
• Ciara O’Keeffe: How a Career in Internal Communications Qualified me for a US Rock Star Visa (13 March)
  ‘Having spent many years working in large corporates I had made the switch to start-ups and decided that improving my network in the heart of start-up land could provide me with opportunities in the future.’
• Holly Hodges: Blogger spotlight: Rachel Miller All Things IC (12 March)
  ‘My work has taught me the most powerful influencers an organisation has are its people. Peer-to-peer communication from employees can transform a company from the inside out.’
• Rosie Park: Harness the power of your employees to build brand advocacy (9 March)
  ‘If you’re a good employer what have you got to hide? Lead from the front, relinquish control and provide support.’

Media and digital

• Dan Slee: NEW TACK: We’re polite and human as hell, and we’re not going to take it any more… a new approach to online snark (16 March)
  ‘Over time I’ve seen a new approach. It’s a very human approach that draws a clear line in the sand. It calls people out when they are wrong and uses facts and humour.’
• Stephen Waddington: How to do influencer marketing (14 March)
  ‘Influencer marketing has become a strategic priority for organisations in the past 18 months. It’s proving to be a highly effective form of marketing but it is still in its infancy.’
• Chris Lee: How to create a content calendar (13 March)
  ‘Creating the content and sharing it on social media is the fun part but putting in the hard yards creating a content calendar up front is absolutely core to a successful content marketing strategy.’
• Sarah Hall: It’s Not Lack Of Investment That Will Kill Off Regional Media But Public Relations (13 March)
  ‘The widespread adoption of the Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned (PESO) model by practitioners has blurred the lines… building an argument for Earned regional media relations has become increasingly hard to do.’
• Scott Guthrie: How to write an influencer agreement [19 point checklist] (no date)
  ‘Here is a list of 19 items to consider when drawing up an agreement with an influencer.’
• Ste Davies: The best books on influence and persuasion (no date)
  ‘Influence is a trait you have whereas persuasion is an action you take. Regardless of their differences, they both ultimately aim for the same outcome.’

New and forthcoming publications

Bolton, R, Stacks, D and Mizrachi, E (editors) (2018) The New Era of the CCO: The Essential Role of Communication in a Volatile World, Business Expert Press

Cronin, A (2018) Public Relations Capitalism: Promotional Culture, Publics and Commercial Democracy, Palgrave Macmillan

Edwards, L (2018) Understanding Public Relations, Sage

Falkheimer, J and Heide, M (2018) Strategic Communication: An introduction, Routledge

#prstudent #bestPRblogs

Here are two useful resource for PR students:

• PR Careers: 2018: 150 PR internships and graduate schemes
• Stephen Waddington: Updated: public relations dissertation topics

And here’s our pick of the best posts by those studying public relations and/or aspiring to work in PR.

Once a student, now an influencer-advertiser

• Katya Hamilton (LCC/UAL): Top tips for getting an internship in PR (14 March)
  ‘Today’s email culture can be difficult to navigate. Do you start with “hi”, “hello” or “dear”? Do you finish with “yours sincerely”, “kind regards” or “best wishes”?’
• Jason Ashford (Ulster): Really hammering home the importance of measurement (14 March)
  ‘Only through measurement that you can make sure that these targeted, personalised messages are landing where they’re supposed to.’
• Jonny Allen (Ulster): Big Brother is watching you… (12 March)
  ‘The question is – how did Netflix fail at something that Spotify managed to do so well?’
• Hannah Martin (Ulster): Three weeks of social media rehab (12 March)
  ‘The memories you gain from real life experiences are long-lasting, even when they aren’t documented on social media.’
• Jessica Pardoe (Liverpool John Moores): Why Bad Employee Relations are Bad for your PR (11 March)
  ‘I myself worked for a company for almost 4 years which was the epitome of a bad employer and it certainly put a few things in to perspective when I moved on and in to a job which treats me with respect.’
• Micaela Sowerby (Bournemouth): Backstage at the BRIT Awards 2018 (9 March)
  ‘The BRITs is held at the O2 Arena, and to truly help you understand what a big event it is, with press facilities and a red carpet, we catered to over 300 UK and international press.’