This week in PR (4 October)
News in brief
PRWeek UK shakes up editorial leadership team. Huge congratulations to @dannyrogers2001, @John_Harring and @rob_mckinlay | PR Week https://t.co/t8P2qC3MYz via @prweekuknews
— Ian Griggs (@ProseFactory) October 3, 2019
- Disinformation. ‘For a small fee, companies can pay Russian operatives to boost their image or smear their competitors, employing some of the same tactics used by the Kremlin to disrupt the 2016 U.S. presidential election.’ Disinformation for Hire: How Russian PR Firms Plant Stories for Companies in U.K. News Outlets, Social Media, Fortune magazine.
- Matt Harrington has been elevated to global president of Edelman, the first time the role has passed outside the founding family. Richard Edelman retains the role of CEO. (Holmes Report)
- The prince, privacy and the press: ‘It’s easier not to think about the human fallout of a juicy story, just as it’s easier not to think about the relationship between a plastic-wrapped pork chop and a live pig, but that doesn’t magic it away,’ Gaby Hinsliff writes in The Guardian
- We’ve reached 50% of school leavers going into higher education, a target set twenty years ago.
Academic and education
PR practitioners and academics join together on Wednesday’s 2000 (UK time) to engage in discussions about #PowerAndIfluence hosted by @EllaMinty If you missed last night, check out the twitter moment https://t.co/Bv0Uexjxbj and read @ConorMcGrathPR latest book.
— Dr Joyce Costello (@DrJoyceC) October 3, 2019
- Steve Dunne: A PR Apprenticeship? I Couldn’t Have Done it Without You! (no date)
‘I was joining [British Telecom] as an apprentice press officer and I will always be grateful for the opportunity that a formal apprenticeship provided me.’ - Orlagh Shanks: #FridayFive: Five Truths About First Year of University (27 September)
‘Going straight to university after school baffles me. We’re all basically forced to make our ultimate career choice at the age of 18. How are any of us meant to know what we want to do for the rest of our lives at this young an age?’
Ethics and professionalism
So this happened today – @CIPR_UK Fellowship @UKHouseofLords. Absolutely delighted and honoured. Thank you to everyone #CIPR but a special thank you to @wadds @Mrs_Wadds @MandyPearse @peterholt99 for believing in me. Forever appreciated. pic.twitter.com/gROeg2hyot
— PRKSheehan (@PRKezza) September 27, 2019
Consulting and careers
- Stephen Waddington: The future of PR: an interview with Maja Pawinska Sims (3 October)
‘In my view the industry needs to stop the pointless agonising over perceptions and labels. It’s clear that agencies are doing extraordinary work every day that matters to brands, organisations and people.’ - Andrew Bruce Smith: Why your strategy probably isn’t a good strategy (or a strategy at all) (2 October)
‘Bad strategy fails to recognize or define the challenge. When you cannot define the challenge, you cannot evaluate a strategy or improve it.’
Public sector
- Mandy Pearse: Join the CIPR LPS committee (30 September)
‘We are looking to strengthen our committee so we can cover the whole of the UK, represent the range of public services, be more diverse and bring in people working in the earlier stages of their career.’
Politics and public affairs
Interesting hire by Publicis’ corporate (and political) comms arm https://t.co/h9gxkF7bV0
— Danny Rogers (@dannyrogers2001) October 2, 2019
- Dominic Pollard: PR and Brexit: How not to manage external communications (3 October)
‘Putting aside one’s personal views on Brexit (as much as is possible), it is hard to dispute that the whole event has been something of a PR disaster.’ - Richard Rawlins: How Boris is bossing the comms agenda (2 October)
‘Love him or loathe him (and I suspect if you’re reading this, the latter), Boris and his modern Machiavelli, Dominic Cummings, have a clear and in my opinion successful communications strategy.’
Campaigns and creativity
- Claire Bridges: Hey there creative genius! (1 October)
‘With each year after early childhood, creativity basically gets drummed out of us.’
Crisis and reputation
- Paul Sutton with Kate Hartley: How to handle misinformation in a crisis [podcast] (1 October)
‘You have to be the source of truth in a crisis. We’re pretty far away from that at the moment.’
Measurement and evaluation
#PR people should all read this gem from @glenn_oneil https://t.co/3C8D1aiQaJ
— Tom Watson (@Watson950) October 3, 2019
Brands and influence
- Ryan Reddick: ‘Who actually loves authentic content?’ Brands need to understand their value exchange (30 September)
‘Alongside ‘disruptive’, ‘authentic’ has become a nonsense husk of a word that means nothing and everything to us in our comfy communications and marketing circles.’
Internal communication
- Adam Driver: “IC you baby…” (28 September)
‘As the lines continue to (rightly) blur between internal and external comms, communicators in various sectors and industries are getting more time at the c-suite, board or any other table.’ - Debbie Aurelius: Changing the Conversation About Communication with Advita Patel [podcast] (27 September)
‘‘I did struggle to find examples of internal podcasts. It would be good to have a case study.’ - Lee Smith: Raising a glass to Gatehouse (27 September)
‘After nearly three decades in the communication business, including the last 13 years developing and growing Gatehouse, I’ve decided to hang up my internal comms boots and try my hand at something quite different…’
Media and digital
- Dan Slee: FACING FACEBOOK: Nine practical steps to dealing with day-to-day shouting online (3 October)
‘Use the mute button on Twitter or the same functionality on Facebook. They don’t know you’re not listening to them but your insulated against potential abuse.’
#prstudent #bestPRblogs
- Siobhan McKerr (Ulster): 5 Daily Habits You Should Add To Your Morning To Stay Motivated (3 October)
‘Having just begun my final year at university I have been trying to encourage myself to be as motivated as possible in order to help me get through the year and stay on top of things.’ - Hannah Chambers (Ulster): Yesterday Free Costa Coffee, Today Free Skechers Trainers – Why are Brands Adopting These Types of PR Campaigns? (2 October)
‘Why do brands gift free product to influencers in return for posts’? Well here’s the answer: To create a buzz, to get people talking about the brand and make people want to buy into it.’ - Sarah Morrow (Ulster): Does Anybody At #PFW19 have a €170 Fine For Cardi? (2 October)
‘I’m not sure about your financial situation, but I certainly couldn’t afford a min. €170 fine every time I’ve had to run down to my local EuroSpar for some milk. – The word oppression springs to my mind.’ - Emily Spackman McGee (Ulster): Following in Dad’s footsteps – how did I end up here? (1 October)
‘I hadn’t heard of anyone doing a degree in PR and didn’t really think such a thing existed so I was leaning towards French and International Business at Queen’s. Then, as I was browsing through the Ulster open day schedule, I noticed the CMPR and CAM talks and was instantly intrigued.’ - Charlotte Price (Sunderland): A Reflection: 2019 So Far (30 September)
‘This degree to me, meant everything because it was for the girl who was once shy, who once has no confidence or belief in herself and that never once for a second believed she was capable of achieving her dreams.’ - Niamh Murray (Ulster): But what really happened? (28 September)
‘I don’t know if I just never really noticed or wasn’t aware of them, but have you noticed that conspiracy theories have become really popular recently? There’s documentaries, forums, websites and a LOT of YouTube videos about them.’