This week in PR (16 October)

News in brief

• The Government Communication Service‘s COVID-19 Communications Advisory Panel Report was published this week. In the introduction, Alex Aiken says it has ‘displayed the fundamental significance of our profession in responding to crises, with communication being a central and fundamental pillar of the national response, and communication professionals demonstrating their value in helping leaders engage with internal and external audiences.’
• The USC Annenberg Relevance Report 2021, also published this week, examines the impact on the future of public relations of the ‘chaotic’ events of 2020. The essays range across activism, technology, disinformation, influence and challenging sectors (sport, automotive, retail, news media).

Events

Please check our PR Calendar and continue sending us links to your planned events.

Covid-19 and comms

When you think you look fine but Microsoft Teams tells you you’re wearing the same shade of foundation as Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/B7jvaeze9U

— Kate Jarman (@KateBurkeNHS) October 14, 2020

• Holly Ashford: Top PR Trends: Covid Communications (13 October)
  ‘Even the UK government took the influencer strategy, paying social media influencers to promote the Test and Trace programme. A number of stars from the reality show Love Island were paid to create posts promoting the service, accompanied by hashtags #gettested and #letsgetback.’
• Deb Sharatt: Coronavirus: As communicators, what have we learnt? (12 October)
  ‘The true ‘crisis’ for communications is not covid-19 for most PR practitioners (though it is an issue that must be managed) it is the changes to society that it has brought.’

https://twitter.com/Helen_Breese/status/1316737143629377536

Professional associations

• Mike Klein: ADVANCING THE PROFESSION: Will defeat in Australia finally put some walk into IABC’s talk? (14 October)
  ‘2020 has not been particularly kind to IABC. Job losses and corporate cuts in contribution to employee membership dues have hit IABC’s long-stretched finances hard and set the stage for a significant fall in membership.’

• Andy Green: The CIPR is at a crossroads and why it needs to change (14 October)
  ‘Personally, I believe the Institute has got its student recruitment strategy fundamentally wrong. It needs to offer free membership as part of a long-term recruitment/relationship strategy.’

Consulting, teams and careers

https://twitter.com/ClaireSimpsonPR/status/1315998915033026560

• Simon Whitehead with Danny Rogers: Growth In A Time Of Disruption [podcast] (14 October)
  ‘My impression is that PR is outperforming other marketing disciplines [during Covid]. Advertising has declined pretty rapidly over this crisis; PR has declined less rapidly. But it’s a mixed picture: if you’re a brand promotional agency, you’ll have had a tough time. The part of the PR sector that’s almost been booming is corporate and public affairs.’
• Chris Blackwood with Ben Smith: Turning the table [podcast] (14 October)
  ‘For the vast majority of my career I’ve worked in publishing. Haymarket/PR Week taught me how to do B2B publishing – and events, which is where B2B publishers make most of their money.’
• Adam Driver: Brutal, but brilliant: getting Chartered (13 October)
  ‘What a day. A few weeks ago, I took part in one of the online CIPR Chartered assessment days. It was one of the toughest professional days in my career, and also the most rewarding.’

Wellbeing, gender and diversity

EIGHT DAYS LEFT PEOPLE until our #DiversityInPR event. It’s on 20th October and it will be recorded so you can watch back if you can’t attend the whole thing. The topics are powerful and thought-provoking, you can’t miss it: https://t.co/uWOagFRVu0 #PR #Comms pic.twitter.com/EwYI1LclP5

— A Leader Like Me (@ALeaderLikeMe) October 12, 2020

• • Caroline Green: The enhanced need for mental health first aiding in a remote workforce (9 October)
    ‘By the end of the year, we’ll have six team members trained up as mental health first aiders. To reflect the changing working patterns of our team we’re ensuring that at least two of those people are remote workers.’
  • Amanda Coleman: A kind word (10 October)
    ‘To anyone who thinks they are invincible please realise that you are not. Anyone can struggle with their mental health. It is just down to the circumstances that you face. In a crisis it is essential to remember to address the psychological and not just physical issues.’

 

Public and third sectors

We have hundreds of trees at HQ but this is one of my favourites, especially at this time of year. Taken in the remembrance garden today. pic.twitter.com/iDXuqrmPs0

— Melissa O'Gorman (@melissaogcomms) October 14, 2020

• Darren Caveney: Big news – the unawards (14 October)
  ‘The 7th annual UnAwards are being pushed into 2021. And there’s an exciting plan to make them even bigger and better than ever before.’
• Laura Sutherland: Laura chats to Lorna Branton about NHS comms during COVID-19 [podcast] (13 October)
  ‘When you work in-house in the public sector, there are some things that have to be done; they’re important in that they have to be done. But there are other things that you work on that are crucial – and they have to be done absolutely to the best of your ability.’
• Dan Slee: LEARNING LIST: A checklist on what you need to know in case of University accommodation block lockdown (9 October)
  ‘Chances are, if you have a University in your area you’ll be coming face-to-face with locking down a hall of residence or a block of flats.’

Politics, public affairs and public sphere

PERSONAL NEWS: Thrilled to say I’m joining https://t.co/atB9oC9gMx as director of advocacy in February. Spent too long reporting failure – it’s time for some people-powered policy drawn from frontline wisdom. We must learn to value where we agree to tackle issues like social care

— Francis Elliott (@elliotttimes) October 13, 2020

• Marie Le Conte: Think Tanks at a Crossroad: Adapt or Be Replaced (15 October)
  ‘It could even be argued that the work think tanks provide is needed in the public sphere now more than ever, after years of misinformation and clashes between blindly ideological politicians. Having had enough of experts for a while, is Britain now ready for a return to evidence-based policymaking?’

• Danny Rogers: Allegra Stratton has a tough task to present Boris Johnson as presidential (11 October)
  ‘The big question however, is whether these ‘presidential’ media events will actually improve the Government’s communications, which have been much criticised since the pandemic struck.’

Brands, storytelling, and influence

If there was suddenly a law where you had to become an influencer, and it can't be what you currently do for a living, what would you be an influencer in?

— Mark Pinsent (@markpinsent) October 13, 2020

• Scott Guthrie with Jennifer Quigley-Jones: Transparency as competitive advantage within influencer marketing [podcast] (15 October)
  ‘There’s a lot of influencer marketing fatigue, and a feeling it’s not for B2B. But two billion people watch YouTube around the world. There are so many niches you can go into.’

Internal communication

Today was my final @ciprinside AGM as Chair and committee member. It’s been an absolute privilege working with such a wonderful people over the years. Congrats to @martinflegg who will be the new Chair in 2021, @HiDebbieWest as VC, @holddani as treasurer & @MVM94 as secretary! pic.twitter.com/mlsg0DQaPJ

— Advita (@Advita_p) October 13, 2020

• Rachel Miller: What podcasts exist for Comms and PR pros? (12 October)
  ‘We are spoilt for choice when it comes to podcasts about Comms and PR. There are lots of Internal Comms and PR podcasts to choose from and many new ones launching at the moment. I spotted the Institute of Internal Communication is planning to launch one this month.’
• Emer Beirne with Jody Lewis: “Because of COVID-19, the profile of IC is higher than it has been for many years” (12 October)
  ‘Because of COVID-19, the profile of internal communication, I believe, is higher than it has been for many years – and I mean consistently, across sectors, across different organisations. So, let’s take advantage of that opportunity. Let’s show what we can do. Let’s represent our audiences. Let’s move internal comms on to where it needs to get to – and let’s drop the ‘internal’ bit of it.’

• Martin Flegg: Power of the collective (10 October)
  ‘There is large gap in PR and internal communication, a disconnect which exists between theory and practice, much more so than in other professions. Proficiency and ability in PR, and by definition internal communications, is not viewed as being a blend of these two essential ingredients. It is heavily skewed towards practice and that practice is now, for better or worse, being heavily influenced and directed by digital technology.’
• Jo Bland: What do you want to be when you grow up? (9 October)
  ‘The pace in internal communications was lively with no day the same, I was negotiator, problem solver, channel manager, project manager, strategist, working with the permanent secretary, leadership teams around the organisation and political leaders.’

Technology, media and digital

#Netflix is set to massively expand its #London office space as the #US #streaming giant doubles down on its commitment to the #UK. @CityAM https://t.co/8NU1G4NTAR

— Simpatico PR (@simpaticopr) October 12, 2020

• Gini Dietrich: The PESO Model: Bringing it All Together with Thought Leadership (15 October)
  ‘The last piece of an integrated PESO Model program, before you get to measurement, is authority—or thought leadership. If you do all of this work as outlined, it will be inevitable that you’ll build authority for your organization and its executives. But you also have to create some of it on your own.’

• Chloe Pope: The technology dilemma – can we really trust technology (no date)
  ‘The Social Dilemma flicks between documentary and drama, and the drama paints a picture of the impact social media platforms are having on us as individuals, and the damage it is doing to our society.’
• Paul Sutton with Chase Buckle: Latest Trends in the Digital Consumer [podcast] (14 October)
  ‘Younger people are not ditching Facebook. Our data makes it very clear that Facebook is the top app for younger age groups outside of China.’

• Belle Lawrence: Serious Social: T is for… [podcast] (no date)
  ‘In the UK [TikTok] really started to come into its own in March when we went into lockdown – and that trend isn’t slowing down.’

Good take here on the challenges of #PR 101 in 2020s world of diminishing media opportunity accelerated by #COVID19 @DarrylSparey @HardNumbers who will be a guest speaker at #PRIIConf20 @PRII_ie https://t.co/A8WbRmfnqY via @therealprmoment

— Padraig McKeon (@PadraigMcKeon) October 13, 2020

#prstudent #bestPRblogs

We’re keen to showcase bloggers and content creators among current public relations students. First, we need to find you. The best way is to share your post using the #prstudent hashtag.

• Eloise Newman (Solent): Goldsmiths Carrots: How Ethical Was This Artwork? (15 October)
  ‘After reading this story, it made me question the ethics of an art installation of this nature, particularly given the issues surrounding food deprivation.’
• Alicia Fox (Ulster): The impact of Covid-19 on hospitality, events and entertainment. Where does that leave us now? (15 October)
  ‘As someone who works in hospitality and events I can’t see a return of anything resembling a gala or black-tie dinner any time soon. The only thing to look towards is possibly the internet?’

• Lucy Mullan (Ulster): The Social dilemma – why am I scrolling more than I’m sleeping? (14 October)
  ‘Our phones have become an extension of us, an additional limb; tethered to us at all times. You would be shocked if you looked at the amount of times you pick up your phone on a daily basis. Mine exceeds 200 nearly everyday.’
• Kayleigh Tinney (Ulster): World Mental Health Day: Which brands did it best? (13 October)
  ‘At the core of every company is people, real people who have likely struggled at some point in their life with poor mental health.’

• Kerry Bradley (Ulster): When reality TV star meets reality (11 October)
  ‘Trump is very aware of the power of images in the media and the message they send to the American public.’
• Daisy Dunn (Leeds Beckett): Why we should stand with musicians (8 October)
  ‘The attitude towards the arts is one that needs to change, and fast. In 2018 The UK music industry alone contributed £5.2 billion to the UK economy and was recorded to employ over 190,000 individuals.’