This week in PR (21 June)
About the author
Richard Bailey Hon FCIPR is editor of PR Academy's PR Place Insights. He has taught and assessed undergraduate, postgraduate and professional students.
Profession and ethics
- Farzana Baduel: The Future of Public Relations in a Changing World (no date)
‘The proliferation of misinformation and disinformation poses significant challenges for PR professionals. The rapid spread of false information, amplified by social media, has eroded public trust in traditional and new media alike. The rise of the “post-truth” era, where emotional appeal often outweighs factual accuracy, has further complicated our task. PR practitioners must now act as vigilant guardians of truth, employing robust fact-checking and verification processes to maintain credibility.’
Purpose, climate and ESG
SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA
- Sophie Morello: Will the UK be a climate leader on 5 July? (18 June)
‘Before the election campaign kicked off there was concern that momentum behind the UK’s net zero ambition was easing up – both Conservatives and Labour previously rowed back on green investment pledges. So how is the commitment to net zero holding up now?’
Consulting, skills and careers
- Siobhan Holt, John Harrington and Evie Barrett with Danny Rogers: Why did Burson launch early? [podcast] (19 June)
‘The official launch of Burson formed from BCW and H&K happened early, though the formal completion is still on 1 July. Cannes may have played a part.’ - Ben Smith: James Wright, Havas PR Global Chairman on the PRmoment Podcast (17 June)
‘I took on the global chairmanship in 2018 and then was able to create a new global PR network in Havas Red in 2019 – and here we are five years on and the business is thriving.’ - Maja Pawinska Sims: Don’t Cry Wolf Winds Up As Founder Starts New Venture (14 June)
‘[John] Brown, along with Don’t Cry Wolf managing director Sara Collinge, who joined the firm soon after it was set up, have created a new venture, Feral Spirit. Their aim is to act as senior consultants rather than under an agency model.’
- Stephanie Mullins-Wiles: Intergenerational collaboration can give the PR industry a boost (14 June)
‘PR agencies and in-house teams will need to figure out ways to forge meaningful intergenerational collaboration for the benefit of both individual employees and the future success of their organisations.’ - Sarah Leembruggen: Look beyond the pound signs to retain your best people (14 June)
‘Although salary is often the headline figure, increasing numbers of employees report that pay is only the starting point and when looking for a new job, many seek to work for employers whose values align with their own.’
Gender, diversity, health and wellbeing
Public and third sectors
- Catherine Farrell: When is there an I in team? (17 June)
‘This is very much my personal experience of navigating my way through a restructure, but I hope it is helpful to anyone else working their own way through change in their organisation. Batten down the hatches and hang on tight, it might be a rocky ride, but soon you will be sailing in clear blue waters, and possibly a much larger crew on board than before.’
Politics, public affairs and public sphere
- Robyn Evans: Sun sets on Sunak as polls predict historic Conservative defeat (20 June)
‘Three major opinion polls published yesterday have predicted that the Conservatives are heading for an electoral wipeout, putting Labour on course for a historic majority.’ - Daniel Hearne: Tokking political campaigning to the next level: How Labour and the Conservatives are using TikTok for election campaigning (20 June)
‘Seeing politicians on TikTok may raise some questions with its users. The social platform has found itself under the scrutiny of governments across the world. The UK government banned TikTok from government-issued devices last year. Crucially, these limitations do not stop parties from creating accounts and publishing content on TikTok.’ - Paul Hender: Communications Technology and Influence in Elections (18 June)
‘In the UK, the General Election on the 4th July was supposed to be the country’s first TikTok election. I would argue that this is not how it is panning out.’ - Tanya Joseph: The Conservatives resign themselves to defeat; Reeves leads the charge (17 June)
‘The Conservatives have two attack lines that we should expect to dominate the remaining weeks. They continue to assert that Labour will increase taxes (claims repeatedly rebutted by Labour) and that voting Conservative is the only way to avoid giving “former Corbyn supporter” Sir Keir Starmer a “super majority”. It is a strategy to dissuade disgruntled Conservative voters from voting for Reform UK.’ - Ben Walker: The Future of the Conservative Party (no date)
‘The Tories are being subjected to a political ‘pincer movement’, seeping votes to Labour and the Liberal Democrats on the centre, whilst also losing a similar amount of support to Nigel Farage’s rejuvenated Reform UK on the right.’ - Joe Cooper: A taxing debate as Labour continues to face questions over funding for its plans for government (18 June)
‘Though Starmer has ruled out a return to austerity, the underlying numbers nonetheless point to a series of challenging decisions: enact these spending cuts and take the political consequences that come with it or take the hit and introduce some targeted tax increases while making the case to the public about why the state of public finance necessitate it.’ - Dan Slee: GEN ELEC ’24: It’s not a TikTok election it’s a sharables and meme election (15 June)
‘Since the election was called Labour’s 77,632 ads are outscoring the Conservatives three to one. They are huge numbers.’
Research, data, measurement and evaluation
Brands, content and creativity
- Sarah Browning: Writer’s block: 5 great ways to power through (19 June)
‘Ask your colleagues, professional network, family or friends what they would like to hear about. They may surprise you with things you haven’t previously considered. My blog series about the way effective communication solves business problems was partially developed in this way. I had a few ideas for topics myself, then asked in online forums about the challenges people were facing. An added bonus of this approach is that you know you already have an audience that is interested in your topic.’
Crisis, risk and reputation
Internal communication
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA
- Jennifer Sproul: IC Index 2024: Reflections (20 June)
‘Organisational engagement, cooperation, collaboration, creativity, transformation, innovation and ultimately, long-term sustainability, are all contingent on trust. As our research shows, trust is a linchpin of organisational effectiveness that drives advocacy.’ - Jenny Field: The importance of cultivating a growth mindset in your organisation – and how to do it (18 June)
‘If I was asked to pick the one thing you can do to make your organisation more successful, focusing on mindset would be it. I believe it is the main challenge most organisations have, and getting it right makes a huge difference to your future success.’
- Jarrod Williams: A look back at IOIC Festival 2024 (18 June)
‘Strategic adaptability emerged as another critical theme during our discussion. As communicators, our ability to provide strategic counsel to senior leaders hinges on our capacity to swiftly adapt to evolving organisational priorities and external dynamics.’
Media, digital and technology
- Charlotte Stoel: The Impact of AI in Journalism (20 June)
‘Reuters uses two GenAI tools: one summarises press releases quickly so journalists can review them faster for Reuters alerts, and the other is a headline helper – suggesting headlines, critiquing them, and offering many options for journalists to be inspired from.’
Academic, education and training