This week in PR (4 March)

This Week

PR firms ditch Russian clients under duress making tomorrow's @FT cover:
FTI added that it's in process of reviewing all current connections with non-sanctioned Russian entities “and, where it is appropriate to withdraw from those matters, we will do so"https://t.co/fZiipsdWG1 pic.twitter.com/5rOhKlP8lc

— Drew Benvie (@drewb) March 2, 2022

• The PRCA has called on members to sever all ties with the Russian government and with those on the sanctions list; and the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) has suspended the Russian PR trade body AKOS from membership indefinitely and with immediate effect (PRovoke Media). The CIPR has backed the Global Alliance statement:‘we encourage all public relations and communication professionals – wherever they are based – to carefully consider the ethical aspect of continuing to represent clients who are aligned with the Russian authorities or who are equivocal in condemning the current military action.’ Meanwhile, IPRA has asserted its stance of political neutrality.

Ukraine

PR agency friends: the people of Ukraine are desperate for pro bono comms support to get their messages out and combat misinformation. Can you help? @Ingers1975 @PRCA_HQ is co-ordinating industry efforts, so please get in touch direct. #StandWithUkraine

— Maja Pawinska Sims (@SparklyPinchy) February 26, 2022

• Matthew Ford: Ukraine fights to stem social media disinformation (3 March)
  ‘Telegram is a hybrid instant messaging service, founded by a Russian entrepreneur, with hundreds of millions of users, particularly in Eastern Europe. Messages on the platform are end-to-end encrypted, making censorship particularly difficult.’

• Paul Holmes: Analysis: A Turning Point In The Disinformation War? (2 March)
  ‘The story of modern disinformation as a weapon of war is inextricably entangled with the story of Russia and Ukraine.’

• Nataliya Popovych: From Ukraine With Love (2 March)
  ‘On the sixth day of this brutal war against Ukraine, our team is alive. We are now scattered in different locations; some colleagues are in Kyiv and its vicinity, some moved to Western Ukraine and some have crossed the border to safety.’
• Kimberley-Marie Sklinar: How to talk about and support Ukraine – by a British-Ukrainian (28 February)
  ‘I may not be able to help my family and friends in Ukraine physically, so the least I can do is advocate for their voices, educate, spread the word and use my skills as a professional communicator. I, like many others, feel so helpless.’
• Amanda Coleman: More than words (28 February)
  ‘In recent days it has not felt right to focus on the communication lessons or to talk about how effective Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been in his communication so far. Why? Well, this for me is about lives and not communication. Zelenskyy is not focused on improving his image but on fighting for the survival of an independent Ukraine and for his citizens.’
• Sheena Thomson: The Ukraine/Russia crisis – a cause for reflection and review (26 February)
  ‘Much has been reported and written about state-sponsored cyber-attacks, which is a modern non-lethal method of warfare. Heightened cyber vigilance and re-enforcing organisational cyber-security measures at this time is therefore essential.’

Industry / profession

At Wadds Inc. we’re exploring longitudinal labour trends in the public relations and communications market in the UK following the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’re using the LinkedIn dataset to identify and track monthly fluctuations. There appear to be three drivers at play.

— Stephen Waddington (@wadds) March 2, 2022

Purpose and ESG

• Andrew Adie: Plastics treaty brings environmental unity and calls for reparation (3 March)
  ‘Around 200 countries have agreed to negotiate a UN treaty that will create a legally-binding framework to cut plastic use and plastic pollution by creating a circular economy around plastic.’
• Sophie Morello: Purpose on Payday (25 February)
  ‘As a result of the Russian invasion and the sanctions now being imposed by other countries, there will be renewed attention from media and activists on the investors and partners that businesses have and we are already seeing evidence of increased levels of scrutiny, with BP being one of the first large-cap listed businesses to have its links with Russia questioned.’

Consulting, teams and careers

• Laura Kolb: Being a parent at CCgroup (no date)
  ‘As a carer and a mother, the juggling act never ends, but having a company which encourages and accepts me for who I am – all of me – makes it so much easier.’
• Alex Bigg: MHP Mischief is now an independent agency (2 March)
  ‘The best agencies in our industry are all independent. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. They attract talent and clients who believe in earning reputations, building robust arguments and sparking conversations. This is a fundamentally different mindset and approach to other marketing disciplines, and while we can work together beautifully, we believe communications should lead.’

• Koray Camgöz: Insight: The four-day working week in PR might not be as far-fetched as you think (2 March)
  ‘I switched to a four-day working week under a previous employer shortly after the birth of my first son. A precedent had been set by returning mothers who’d been granted a four-day working week with no reductions in pay. I believed the same principle should be applied to men and so I submitted a detailed proposal of how and why it would work.’

• Ben Smith with Louise Turner: The implications of The Edelman Trust Barometer 2022 for communicators [podcast] (1 March)
  ‘From our UK deep dive we’ve seen that trust is really low. There’s a record gap in trust between high income and low income groups.’
• Trevor Young: Introducing ‘The Credible Authority Method’: Empower, Enhance, Extend & Extract (27 February)
  ‘In this article, I lay out my ‘4Es’ framework for building a credible personal brand in a way that’s strategic, sustainable and respectful, with the goal of helping you grow visibility and influence so you can create more impact in the marketplace.’

Gender, diversity and wellbeing

It’s important to @priyabates and me that women who are underrepresented in their workplace have a safe space to go and get support. We’ve now opened up our community space, for no cost, for those who need some respite. It’s a space to recharge, connect and learn. https://t.co/sEhM4fJY4M

— Advita (@Advita_p) March 1, 2022

Public and third sectors

• Lewis Williams: How the GCS Internship shaped my future (25 February)
  ‘A fulfilling part of my internship was not being made to feel like ‘the intern’. I got to see and take part in what happens behind the scenes within a strategic communications team.’

Politics, public affairs and public sphere 

• Paul Richards: How to be an effective aide (3 March)
  ‘The art of being a successful assistant or aide is to be 15 minutes ahead of the person you work for, all the time. As long as your boss has the right piece of paper in the right room at the right time, then you’ve done your job.’
• Arjun Upadhyay: Navigating the NSIA: which way for M&A? (2 March)
  ‘The National Security and Investment Act has established a new investment screening policy on national security grounds that has the potential to significantly impact mergers and acquisitions in the UK.’
• Stuart Thomson: The Environment, Reputation and Politics (2 March)
  ‘If organisations do not act or over promise and under deliver, then government will step in to take action. No amount of communicating can overcome a failure to deliver against a known problem.’
• Rebecca Coleman: Planning reform – at its Eleventh hour? (28 February)
  ‘A staunch critic of housing targets, Green Belt development and everything in between, the new Housing Minister (the 11th since 2010) has been by all accounts a surprise pick to take over from incumbent Chris Pincher MP.’

Planning, measurement and evaluation

• Immediate Future: Proving the value of social to your boardroom (no date)
  ‘Through our experience on social, we’ve identified that the key to successful measurement is three D’s: data, dialogue, direction.’

Internal communication

https://twitter.com/iojosy/status/1499467146069520386

• Jenni Field: How a manifesto can help achieve alignment with your strategic narrative (3 March)
  ‘There are various ways you can create a manifesto for strategic alignment, but there are some important things to remember.’
• Emma Bridger: Want to know where to start to improve employee engagement? Look no further (1 March)
  ‘AI is a powerful tool to use within engagement: whether using it as a framework for engagement per se, or using it to look at aspects of engagement such as promoting wellbeing at work, or authentically recognizing employees. Its power is in the fact that it encourages participants to talk about, and share, real life experiences and stories: looking at what has already worked in the past or is working today.’
• Claire Hall: Why winning your employees’ trust is more important than ever (1 March)
  ‘As well as identifying businesses as the most trusted organisations going into 2022, Edelman found that 60% of people choose a place to work based on their shared beliefs and values. There really has been no better time to win the trust of your employees.’
• Kenon Man: Three things that leaders don’t mention (28 February)
  ‘I’m quickly discovering internal comms is a key discipline to manage and develop and I’m surprised how little discussion there is around its importance in leadership. There is a mountain of information on engaging with external audiences, yet internal communications tend to be secondary or even an afterthought.’

Media, digital and technology

• Scott Guthrie: Sedge Beswick, MD of SEEN Connects talks social shopping [podcast] (2 March)
  ‘NFTs give the opportunity for creators to be seen as artists, and ultimately to get paid for their skillset.’
• MHP + Mischief: Media Network: Cost of living set to dominate domestic news agenda for 2022 (no date)
  ‘Journalists want to get back to meeting in person again. Zoom calls are fine for 20-minute interviews and briefings but nothing beats an honest conversation in person.’

• Elvina Soogun: FinTech in Poland: Don’t wear your best dress in the dark (part 1) (Clone) (no date)
  ‘According to research by Deloitte, the FinTech market in Europe is worth about €2.2 billion, of which almost €860 million stems from Poland. The country shines in the field of contactless payment and financial platforms.’

#prstudent #CreatorAwards22

• • Katie Coyne (Salford):

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Katie Coyne (@prwithkatiecoyne)

• • Jasmine Denike (UAL/LCC): 

@jazzdenike who else watched the sotu? #minivlog #sotu #londonvlog #londonlife #prstudent #ual #ualstudent #uktiktok #london #gradstudent #prgirl #fyp #vlog  I Wanted to Leave – SYML

• Sarah Cockett (Leeds Beckett): Success is More Than a Name; the rise (and fall?) of the celebrity beauty brand. (2 March)
  ‘In order to be successful, a brand needs to have a strong purpose, a story or a unique selling point, otherwise what separates them from everyone else? Take Rihanna’s name away from ‘Fenty’ and it’s still a great brand with great products.’

• Elena Niculescu (Solent): War so close to my home (1 March)
  ‘My father listened to the news on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty through his days in the army in 1980 and at home until 1989, because tv programming was only occupied by communist propaganda.’
• Bethany Gough (Solent): My favourite recent PR campaign (1 March)
  ‘The #SupportIsEverything campaign is driven by the goal of providing every woman the chance to find a supportive, flattering and comfortable sport bra in which she can participate in physical activity whilst wearing. It is research driven, with their researching suggesting “over 90% of women have been reported to be wearing the wrong size sports bra”.’
• Ellie Jones (Liverpool John Moores): Easy way to enjoy your own company (26 February)
  ‘As you probably know if you follow me on social media, I am currently placement searching as I want to move with my job and Manchester is one of my options. It is time to move on from Liverpool for a short while.’