This week in PR (30 June)

It happened this week

When there is no one to collect the award! Thank you @lucyportercomic for excellent hosting tonight @CIPR_Awards #CIPREXCEL pic.twitter.com/SN909aI3eI

— Jenni Field (@mrsjennifield) June 28, 2023

• Awards: Here’s the full list of 2023 CIPR Excellence Awards winners
• Job cuts: The world’s largest PR firm Edelman has announced plans to cut 240 roles globally (a 4% workforce reduction). Source: PR Week

Profession

"This story shows a lack of understanding of PR's strategic function and fails to recognise the many responsibilities that come with serving the needs of the community and driving positive change."@CIPR_CEO on our letter to the Belfast Telegraph:https://t.co/VeWY6l9OpX pic.twitter.com/2dRxegCA60

— Chartered Institute of Public Relations (@CIPR_Global) June 26, 2023

Purpose, climate and ESG

Embracing such a shared national ethos, is what helped shaped Anthropy’s 2022 agenda and now it can go beyond to inspire a more positive nation, where we have a belief in how we should treat each other and what #society means to us. ‘How dare we not?’#People #Place pic.twitter.com/jasztR2IIu

— Anthropy (@AnthropyUK) June 29, 2023

• Andrew Adie: Does it matter that Larry Fink is abandoning ESG? (27 June)
  ‘Blackrock, which has placed ESG and ‘stakeholder capitalism’ at the heart of its investment strategy and brand (with Larry Fink’s annual CEO letter becoming a manifesto for the ESG investing movement), has recently found itself in the cross-hairs of political debate in the US and elsewhere.’

Consulting, skills and careers

• Chris Norton: How to Integrate Your Marketing and Public Relations Efforts (29 June)
  ‘While their objectives may differ, marketing and PR serve the larger goal of achieving organizational success. Whether it’s increasing revenue, building brand reputation, or fostering positive relationships, the integration of marketing and PR creates a comprehensive approach that ensures the achievement of these goals.’
• Emma Drake: Turning Customer Problems Into Campaign Ideas [podcast] (29 June)
  ‘The first step in this process is collating any customer insights you have. Once you’ve identified where that problem is and that it’s something you can fix, we can convert it into a game-changing campaign.’’
• Ben Smith: The “In Hindsight” Series: Ready 10 founder David Fraser [podcast] (28 June)
  ‘In order to grow we needed to adapt our positioning as a digital PR specialist. Since we broadened our positioning in 2019 we’ve won McDonald’s, Brewdog, Flora and various others.’’
• Arun Sudhaman: Cannes: Change Required As PR Industry Continues Battle For Recognition & Influence (26 June)
  ‘The continued absence of PR firms when it comes to leading idea creation for PR Lions winners remains a cause for concern, just as it has done every year since the category launched in 2009.’
• David Broome: Comms could be squeezed out of its own profession as corporate affairs soars (23 June)
  ‘Multinationals have suddenly decided to expand corporate affairs’ scope so that reputation can be managed holistically and from a single point of orchestration through a new executive role – in effect, “chief reputation officer”.’

Gender, diversity, health and wellbeing

• Matteo Bellani: Advocacy is All Year, Not Just in June (29 June)
  ‘Over Pride Month MHP conducted a series of interviews with individuals working in LGBTQ+ healthcare; we present four key takeaways on organising health campaigns centred around LGBTQ+ people.’

Public and third sectors

The one thing I’ll say before I clap eyes on the NHS workforce plan is that we still must – we urgently must – look after the workforce we have now. Without them, without retaining them, no plan for the future is going to be enough. Retention matters. I hope it’s in there.

— Kate Jarman (@KateBurkeNHS) June 30, 2023

• Dan Slee: LONG READ: Local news is moving to email and here’s what public sector comms needs to know (24 June)
  ‘In 2023, newspapers are firmly navigating away from social media. They’re stung by being exposed by the whims of the algorithm shifting their audience.’

Politics, public affairs and public sphere

• Stuart Thomson: Have the politicians left the room? (27 June)
  ‘The reality is that politicians often do not do much, if any, heavy policy lifting. In detailed policy discussions, you need to be speaking to the civil servants, the policy officials. They deal with the details.’

• Sabine Tyldesley: Trade Tuesday: UK’s foreign and trade policy is at a crossroads as we head into election season (27 June)
  ‘About 16 months from a general election, the Labour Party in particular is looking to make its pitch on how the UK should be seen on the world stage.’

• Sara Epifanio: Turbulent Times Ahead: Spain at the helm of the European Union amidst general election (26 June)
  ‘One of their most pressing tasks is to finalise negotiations on the Artificial Intelligence Act. Meant to address one of the most complex and decisive issues for the future, the Act has already given rise to heated debates on transparency.’

Brands, content, community and creativity

• Jodie Simpson: How to Conduct a Competitor Content Analysis (29 June)
  ‘The analysis should involve assessing how your content differs from competitors and identifying any gaps, weaknesses, strengths and opportunities.’
• Jess O’Donohoe: Why PR should relish our best supporting actor role at Cannes (27 June)
  ‘The spotlight was well and truly on AI this year, with an overwhelming sense that it will have a lasting effect on our future and industry.’
• Allison Carter: Advertising firms dominate in the PR category at Cannes. Here’s why. (27 June)
  ‘Here lies the issue. PR and communications are frequently reluctant to plan and measure in ways that link to organisational value.’

• Mischief PR: Cannes Lions 2023: What We Learnt So You Don’t Have To (27 June)
  ‘Audiences are seeking genuine connections with brands, and as always, campaigns that tell relatable stories and evoke emotions have a stronger impact.’
• Arun Sudhaman with Warren Johnson: Cannes Podcast: The Case Against Creative Supremacy (23 June)
  ‘I think people have become too obsessed with the idea creation credit. Most campaigns are ensemble casts anyway.’

Crisis, risk and reputation

• Sheena Thomson: Innovation, responsibility, risk culture and crisis preparedness. A personal perspective. (30 June)
  ‘Cultivating a healthy risk culture is a strength in an organisation as employees are the first line of defence in mitigating risks.’
• Amanda Coleman: 10 minutes with Adam Driver

  (28 June)
  ‘SEO and content marketing are not usually things that seem relevant when considering crisis communication. But in the latest edition of #10minuteswith Amanda speaks to Adam Driver about this very thing.’

Behaviour and influence

Internal communication

• Sia Papageorgiou: How to take a data-driven approach to internal communication (26 June)
  ‘If you want to be a strategic internal communication professional, you need to act like one. That means enhancing your numerical literacy and incorporating data-driven insights into your work.’

Media, digital and technology

We used to have this in our @BIGPartnership office until recently. I had something similar @Edinburgh_CC. They are words we try to avoid in news releases etc because they're over-used or meaningless (sometimes both). Did we miss anything? pic.twitter.com/mxz28drXI0

— Stewart Argo (@sargo) June 28, 2023

Yes another AI tweet…. I wanted to share our recently developed AI policy for @pragencyone and it is now available on our website. Let us know what we have missed. Link in comments.

In line with our innovative culture, we have always recognised the potential of technology to…

— James Crawford FPRCA (@jamescrawford) June 29, 2023

• Matt Redley: The SEC Newgate AI Weekly (29 June)
  ‘OpenAI (the developer of ChatGPT) will open its first office outside of the USA in London.’
• Charlotte Stoel: Responsible AI: Why everyone in tech comms should be part of the conversation (28 June)
  ‘Whilst AI innovation continues at pace, and regulation struggles to keep up, the need to harness the power of AI responsibly and ethically is a priority for us all.’
• David Sykes: The UK’s changing news consumption habits are a PR opportunity (26 June)
  ‘The subscription model works for some, with profits for The Times and Sunday Times doubling as it reached 438,000 digital-only subscribers. Meanwhile, The Telegraph now has 586,867 paying readers and The Guardian has over 1 million recurring digital supporters.’

Academic, education and training

Its not every day you find out you're a Professor, but that day is today for me. Thank you @dundeeuni. Humbled is a hackneyed phrase now, but that's truly how I feel. pic.twitter.com/7sOTKoQzsS

— Susan Kinnear (@DrSusanKinnear) June 28, 2023