This week in PR (5 July)
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
- Lateefah Jean-Baptiste: Interview | West advocates for “speak up” culture in PR to move forward in ethics (3 July)
‘PR is consistently disadvantaged in its ability to safeguard brand and corporate reputation due to our exclusion from the inner circles of decision-making. In many cases, management deliberately keeps us in the dark, withholding crucial information necessary for us to provide informed guidance.’
- Jess Jones: PR takeovers are all the rage as private equity piles in (3 July)
‘The value of global PR M&A deal activity has surged to $14.25bn so far this year, up from $2.25bn in 2023,’
Consulting, skills and careers
- Ben Smith: 20 years of Splendid: Alec Samways, CEO and founder of Splendid, on the PRmoment Podcast (4 July)
‘It’s way more competitive than when we started out, but there are opportunities. Standards are higher; there’s more strategy, the creative is better.’ - Carrie-Ann Wade: Behind the Bob – the one with Darren Caveney [podcast] (3 July)
‘Comms 2.0 is a highlight for me; I’m proud of what we’ve been able to achieve. What I like to do is fly a flag for other people; we’re not good at doing it for ourselves.’
Gender, diversity, health and wellbeing
- Anne Cantelo: The Bigotry that is Still Openly Embraced (3 July)
‘What is the economic impact of age discrimination? Older people, often with significant spending power, are completely overlooked in advertising by the young people managing it.’
Public and third sectors
Politics, public affairs and public sphere
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- Tom Carnegie: Sixty four years since the first televised debate, appearance still matters (4 July)
‘It was on an Autumn night in 1960 when Americans sat down in their living rooms to watch the first-ever televised US presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy.’ - Michael Sheen: Zeno Thinks: The “TikTok election” isn’t happening – and here’s why (4 July)
‘We commissioned a pulse survey yesterday among potential voters aged 18-24 to understand whether they will be voting – and what might be influencing them.’
- Louisa Cervero: Is it really the Sun Wot Won It? The impact of media endorsements on elections (4 July)
‘The most remarkable endorsements have been The Sunday Times and The Sun. Despite their right-wing history and editorial stances, they’ve both endorsed Starmer in this election. This is arguably a proof point for Labour’s successful move towards broader appeal – but also a reflection of national frustrations with the Conservatives.’
- Tom Carnegie: Sixty four years since the first televised debate, appearance still matters (4 July)
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- Jennifer Gerber: A clear cultural shift: how Labour will govern differently (3 July)
‘There will be very little bandwidth for anything other than their stated priorities as well as very limited fiscal headroom. For those looking to engage with Labour, the challenge will be to use smart and nuanced ways in, where policy aligns with priorities, and companies can demonstrate their role in both growing the economy and shaping the fairer society Labour want to see.’
- Jennifer Gerber: A clear cultural shift: how Labour will govern differently (3 July)
Research, data, measurement and evaluation
- Raina Lazarova: A Message from the new AMEC Chair
(27 June)
‘AMEC’s mission is to be recognised as the leading business community for PR and communication. It is also to create a better understanding of the benefits of communication measurement and evaluation and its importance for organisational success.’
Crisis, risk and reputation
- Neville Hobson: When Ethics and Values Became Mere Words at the Post Office (4 July)
‘This scandal revealed a profound failure of ethical leadership within the Post Office. Had strong ethical principles been in place and adhered to, much of the crisis could have been prevented or mitigated. Instead, the organisation’s approach demonstrated a disregard for long-term reputational consequences.’
- Sandra Macleod: The power of reputation: A case study on global transformation (28 June)
‘This case study exemplifies the critical role of integrated reputation measurement in supporting organisational transformation and leadership.’
Internal communication
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA
- Dan Holden with Shalini Gupta: New IoIC research helps internal communicators learn about trust (4 July)
‘The IC Index reminds us that trust, transparency, and a genuine human connection are at the heart of effective communication. Trust is also the foundation of effective internal communication, and we know that it’s a key driver of employee advocacy, which is good for business.’
Media, digital and technology
- Chris Norton and Will Ockenden: How Can Marketers Learn From the 2024 Elections? Stuart Bruce [podcast] (2 July)
‘Twelve months ago everyone was talking about AI; now everyone is doing AI. We would love to quantify the productivity saving.’ - Madeleine Arnold-Richards: Will the real Madeline Arnold-Richards please stand up? (1 July)
‘As communication professionals, we’re accustomed to writing good briefs. We know that a successful output—whether a creative campaign concept or a well-crafted press release—can be traced back to an excellent brief. So why are we floundering when it comes to writing prompts for AI?’