This week in PR (23 June)
It happened this week
Insights from our media analysis of the @Cannes_Lions International Festival of Creativity PR Awards are in, revealing a clear disparity, with ad agencies securing the majority of wins compared to PR agencies. pic.twitter.com/YmVq6O6Bwk
— CARMA (@CARMA) June 22, 2023
Profession
Countering disinformation has always been part of the work of governments. In the digital age it’s even more important. This fact sheet explains the work of teams in the UK Government to understand disinformation narratives and take appropriate action. https://t.co/l6m8JSNUWH
— Alex Stuart Aiken (@AlexanderAiken) June 20, 2023
- Simon Monger: Courage in communication – the quest for excellence (22 June)
‘IABC has been setting a standard of excellence since 1970, and is the only global association connecting communication professionals with the people and insights they need to drive results. But how do you define what communications excellence is? What does it look like? How can we all strive for excellence?’
Purpose, climate and ESG
- Arun Sudhaman: Richard Edelman: “Clients Are Really Nervous About Politics” (23 June)
‘”You have to know who your core constituency is. The tradeoff between attention and risk is something we have to be quite explicit about as communicators.”‘ - Mark Goyder: Memo to the chair: unhappy about ticking those ESG boxes? Then lead from the front (19 June)
‘Whenever a chair or her board feels that they are being drawn into box-ticking, it is worth remembering William Blake’s ‘I must create a system or be enslaved by another man’s.’
Consulting, skills and careers
- Emma Drake: Empathy and Integrity: Keys to Successful Communication [podcast] (22 June)
‘Our technical skills will only get us so far. To truly excel in the busy comms environment we need those softer skills that can make all the difference.’
- David Olajide: The Century of the Self: Insights for PRs today (19 June)
‘This series serves as a reminder to today’s PR practitioners of the power we hold in influencing public perception. Bernays’ approach laid the foundation for today’s data-driven audience-targeting strategies. We must ensure that we use our skills responsibly for our clients.’
- Ben Smith: The “In Hindsight” Series: With The Academy’s co-founder Mitch Kaye [podcast] (16 June)
‘I’ve been working for 25 years. Everyone has an ego of some sort. When I look back at my time so far some of my worst decisions have been ego-led. It can be accepting a job when you’re ‘headhunted’ early on in your career. We start to believe our own hype if our ego isn’t in control.’ - Calm Edged Rebels: Knowing your negotiating style [podcast] (16 June)
‘Is it cultural? Is our discomfort with negotiation because we’re from the UK?’
Gender, diversity and wellbeing
We’re immensely proud to announce that Anna Younger, Group Head of Innovation and Creativity, has been named as one of Management Today’s 35 Women Under 35 for 2023.
Congratulations to Anna from all of us at Instinctif. Read the full details here:https://t.co/J6Mg4Ni2cE
— Instinctif Partners (@InstinctifPtnrs) June 22, 2023
Public and third sectors
- Alex Waddington and Darren Caveney: How to be effective on social media – 5 things we learned from a data deep dive (21 June)
‘A recent comms review and social media deep dive audit brief provided us the opportunity to apply powerful data mining and analysis to help a local council build a fuller and more accurate picture of how it was using social media to deliver on strategy and priorities.’ - Elin Price: From insider influencing to public campaigning (21 June)
‘We didn’t really know what to expect from our first consumer campaign but the results have been highly motivating. By the end of the campaign we helped save £20 million off energy bills and reduced carbon emissions by 37,000 tonnes – the carbon saving equivalent to 119,290 people flying from London to New York or the production of 21.3 million quarter pounder beef burgers.’ - Helen Dunne: On Her Majesty’s Service (June)
‘Shortly after his appointment as chief executive of Government Communication in October 2021, Simon Baugh spoke to his peers at Buckingham Palace about Bridges, the funeral plans for members of the Royal family, and specifically Operation London Bridge, the plan that would unfurl following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.’ - Dan Slee: SURVEY RESULTS: Overworked, understaffed and working with print less. That’s the public sector in 2023 (20 June)
‘It doesn’t surprise me 93 per cent of people in the survey said that a lack of time was a problem. Austerity cut teams. Technology ramped up the demand. COVID made people burn out.’
- Anne Nicholls: Comms on a dime. How to create powerful campaigns on diddley squat. (17 June)
‘Putting together an eye-catching communications campaign with a miniscule budget is a tough ask. But that’s the reality for many people who work with charities, public sector organisations and other not-for-profits. For many of us a budget of £15,000 sounds hugely generous, whilst some are expected to run campaigns on goodwill alone.’
Politics, public affairs and public sphere
The fantasticabulous @CIPR_Global’s @Rachael_Clamp and London Playbooks @RosaFPrince at tonight’s summer reception of the “lobbyists lobby” @CIPR_PA
Fly the flag for transparent lobbying and join the register: https://t.co/fxbV5FciDN pic.twitter.com/Uf62VznMhj
— Stephen Canning (@EssexCanning) June 21, 2023
- Tom Hayes: “If the policy isn’t hurting, it isn’t working” – Sunak and Hunt’s Major moment (22 June)
‘So, with the Prime Minister’s five priorities looking increasingly out of reach, it begs the question as to what Labour’s alternative plan looks like. Thankfully they too have five priorities, with sustained economic growth at the heart of it. On the face of it, Labour’s plan is not a million miles away from the government’s.’
- Phil Briscoe: “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!” (22 June)
‘Germany’s Volocopter is aiming to be the first company to offer commercial flights in Europe, in time for the Paris Olympics in summer 2024. Their initial VoloCity two-seater model will only carry one passenger and have a range of 35km, but it will be silent, emission-free and failure-proof, powered by a circle of 18 identical electric motors.’
- David Scane: Covid Inquiry Week 2: Cameron government’s emergency planning in the spotlight (20 June)
‘The headline acts on Monday and Tuesday were former Prime Minister David Cameron, former Chancellor George Osborne and Sir Oliver Letwin, who had responsibility for emergency planning during the coalition government.’
- Marc Woolfson: In Conversation with Steve Richards (16 June)
‘Anyone seeking to engage with Government on legislation over the coming months may struggle unless it falls within the remit of Sunak’s five priorities.’
- Jon Gerlis: Lobbying: The never-ending scandal must stop (16 June)
‘The CIPR has long been calling for a change in laws governing lobbying because, while the public may not distinguish between types of lobbyists, the law does.’ - Stuart Thomson: How To Deliver Effective Public Affairs In A Small Team {podcast] (18 June)
‘The first aspect of political engagement to recognise is that it’s a highly competitive space. So making any argument that resonates with your audience has to be the top priority. How you make yourself stand out helps with the challenge of being listened to.’
Brands, content, community and creativity
- Lucy Horsman: Champions of content: Q&A with Doug Drinkwater: director of strategy at HotTopics (20 June)
‘In terms of content marketing, some technology and cybersecurity brands have excelled in this space for some time, having recognised that content can be a way of sharing expertise and building trust with their audience, their prospective buyers.’
Research, data, measurement and evaluation
- Sam Knowles: How can we avoid the Curse of Knowledge? With Steven Pinker, Harvard professor of psychology [podcast] (21 June)
‘Data can change your view of the world and of human destiny. Seeing graphs of measures of human wellbeing over time, seeing violence, child mortality, child abuse and domestic violence going down, this was mind blowing. It overturns the impression of the world you get through journalism.’
Crisis, risk and reputation
We have issued our apology to all residents of Sheffield, and beyond, for our actions during the street trees dispute.
Please see it here: https://t.co/kzzROg1TV3 pic.twitter.com/KBnLSrx5Uj
— Sheffield City Council (@SheffCouncil) June 20, 2023
- Andy Barr: Is Boris Johnson The Ultimate Campaign In Crisis Communications? A Timeline Of Boris Johnson Scandals (20 June)
‘Anyone who has read through the above list of scandals (and these are just the more significant ones and not an exhaustive list) would have to say Johnson appears to have, at the very least, a disregard for the general rules of life.’
- Amanda Coleman: 10 Crisis Communication Myths (17 June)
‘Communication is a strand of the operational response. The information that is gathered about what people think about the issue and the response can help in developing the future approaches. And communication can help to minimise the impact of a crisis. Communicators should be a key advisor at the top table when the crisis response is being developed.’ - Mark Harris: Crisis Management Plans; Proactive and Agile, not Prescriptive and Rigid (19 June)
‘Proactive risk management and a robust, yet agile crisis response and crisis management, must always be supported by a communications team with a well-thought-through crisis communications plan. All elements of your proactive and agile crisis management system must be trained and rehearsed regularly.’ - Ian Morris: Putting internal communications at the centre of your crisis communications plan (16 June)
‘The CBI has demonstrated that people can be turned around if a genuine commitment to change is exhibited. While initially slow in its response, its decision to appoint an independent respected law firm, Fox Williams, to conduct a comprehensive review, and subsequently publish its findings in full, was good practice.’
Internal communication
Media, digital and technology
- Jed Blackhouse: The SEC Newgate AI Weekly (22 June)
‘Must-read of the week for me, however, is the FT’s insightful piece on how financial services and asset management firms are working to push regulation and corporate accountability of AI.’ - Simon Billington: Apple’s mixed reality at least gives us a place in the future (no date)
‘There’s a demand for immersive technology in this new world of competitive storytelling. The battle is intensifying. This product will allow stories to be told in ways not possible before. Where Apple leads, others follow.’ - Stephen Waddington: Understanding the impact of AI on public relations (19 June)
‘Public relations does not have a good track record when adopting new technology. It was slow to adapt to the internet, search engine optimisation, and social media. The early signs are that history may be repeating itself. Less than a fifth of practitioners are upskilling.’Looks like Elon’s realised he has a PR problem https://t.co/tqpZ2XfhJu
— Drew Benvie (@drewb) June 11, 2023
Academic, education and training
