This week in PR (7 June)
Profession and ethics
- Maja Pawinska Sims: Former PRCA Director Steve Miller Joins CIPR (3 June)
‘In the newly-created role of corporate affiliate consultant – similar to the membership and commercial leadership role he previously held at both the PRCA and umbrella trade body ICCO – Miller will be focusing on growing the number of UK PR agencies who are CIPR members.’
Purpose, climate and ESG
SUSTAINABILITY COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA
- Diana Marszalek: UN Secretary-General António Guterres Calls On PR Agencies To Drop Big Oil (5 June)
‘UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday blasted PR agencies for its work with Big Oil, calling on firms “to stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction.”
Consulting, skills and careers
- Ben Smith: The “PR Birthday” Series: CEO Geroge Coleman celebrates five years of Current Global on the PRmoment podcast (3 June)
‘Current Global was launched in April 2019 as a merger of two agencies in the Interpublic group. The brief: if you had a blank sheet of paper, how would you create a modern communications agency? Last year was our most award-winning year ever.’
Gender, diversity, health and wellbeing
- David Olajide: The Power of Diversity in the Workplace: A Catalyst for Innovation and Success (no date)
‘When we embrace a diverse workforce, we tap into a collective wellspring of knowledge, creativity, and lived experiences that enrich our decision-making and communication strategies.’
Public and third sectors
- Louisa Dean: Elections – a 7-point comms checklist to guide your approach (3 June)
‘Make sure comms is on the project team for the elections. You want to hear about what will be happening on the night and ensure that the Returning Officer is aware of the media attendance. We had to change the normal layout of the count venue because of the number of media who wanted to attend. I wasn’t particularly popular when I first shared that I needed the count venue re-arranged but we made it work.’
- Dan Slee: CAMPAIGN TIP: How to plan ahead to combat the trolls (2 June)
‘Often, I find that the Police are the most on the front foot of all against trolls. NHS people are the most reticent.’
Politics, public affairs and public sphere
- Tim Rogers: After a vote of ‘No Confidence’ – what now for Wales’ First Minister? (6 June)
‘Labour’s control of the 60 seat Senedd has been finely balanced. While it is the largest single party with 30 seats, the opposition parties together, have the same. Crucially, in a rare moment, the opposition all came together to support the motion of No Confidence which was brought by the Conservatives.’ - Mark Glover: Is Scotland ready for change? (5 June)
‘Most of the electorate in Scotland are keen to see an end to the Conservative government, and Labour’s message of a vote for them being the only definite way of achieving this seems to be cutting though with the hundreds of people I have spoken to on the campaign trail across Scotland.’ - Seonaid Strachan and Jacob Harris: ‘Genny Lec’ social strategy: memes to an end? (5 June)
‘Our view is that 2024 is already shaping up to be the “meme election”. Memes work because they deliver a message with humour and relatability, often at a hyper-local or community level. This is a key consideration for comms teams looking to move beyond traditional political and policy chat and reach broader audiences.’
- Vincent Carroll Battaglino: Farage returns (again) (4 June)
‘My contacts in some outer London boroughs tell me Reform is harming the Conservatives a good deal more than Labour is.’
- Nick Barron: Labour and Reform battle for the Super Distruster vote (4 June)
‘Super Distrusters are a cluster of voters identified by Cambridge University’s Political Psychology Lab, through our work on the long-running MHP Polarisation Tracker. They are defined by their belief that the UK is heading in the wrong direction fast and that this is the fault of an incompetent and malign elite class, who operate as a single system to oppress and exploit them.’
- Giles Kenningham: I have plotted to win election debates. Ahead of tonight’s clash, here’s what Starmer and Sunak need to know (4 June)
‘Labour wants a forgettable night. The Tories need to electrify this election and change the conversation. They will throw the kitchen sink at it. How can you judge who wins? Watch out for who dumps the proverbial dead cat (handy diversion) on the table the next day.’ - Stuart Thomson and Scott Goodstein: Political Campaigns Need to Be Proactive Against Deepfakes This Election Season (4 June)
‘Political campaigns cannot stop the advancement of technology, instead they should embrace the new reality of modern campaigns and how dirty tricks have also evolved. Nonetheless, there are steps that every political campaigns (and concerned citizens) can take to minimise the chances of being thrown off course and being duped by a deepfake.’
- Jonathan Blake: Why TV debates matter – and could change the course of the election (4 June)
‘Ever since Gordon Brown agreed to share a stage with David Cameron and Nick Clegg in the run-up to the 2010 General Election, TV debates have been a fixture of the UK’s electoral cycle. But opinion is split on whether the then Labour Prime Minister ushered in a new era of scrutiny and accountability, or burdened his successors in Number 10 with a risky, time consuming ritual they would rather do without.’
- Tanya Joseph: Sunak targets the grey vote; Labour falters (3 June)
‘While critics have characterised Sunak’s campaign strategy as being inspired by The Producers (the film in which two Hollywood producers deliberately try to produce a flop), it is probably more the case that his approach is informed by a very narrow reading of the Conservative Party’s private polls. These indicate that the over-70s are more likely to vote for him and, given that there are more older people in the population and they are more likely to vote than other age groups, it is not entirely foolish to find policies which appeal to them.’ - Leo Watson: Your country needs you: National service hits the headlines as politicians hit the streets (31 May)
‘The key to a successful national service programme, fit the for 21st century, are the two words: ‘voluntary’ and ‘non-military’. - Imogen Shaw: The road ahead: Finally an update on Great British Energy (31 May)
‘The idea of Great British Energy polls well with the voting public, and we can likely expect it to become more prominent in Labour’s campaign strategy as we get closer to the election. If Labour wins, we will find out just how impactful having a state-owned energy company could be for the UK energy sector.’
Research, data, measurement and evaluation
Brands, content and creativity
- Paul MacKenzie-Cummins: How to become a (genuine) thought leader (31 May)
‘Unless you really understand your customers and can offer them either full or partial solutions to their challenges in a way that differs to what is already out there, don’t waste your time creating new content that they will never be interested in consuming.’
Crisis, risk and reputation
- Kate Hartley and Tamara Littleton: United Airlines Passenger Removal [podcast] (5 June)
‘This is a crisis that’s got everything: a terrible response from the brand, spoof Twitter accounts, employees leaking internal emails; it’s got the lot.’
Behaviour and influence
Internal communication
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION DIPLOMA
- Keith Riley-Jones: How to create an engaging virtual awards film (3 June)
‘Reward and recognition programmes are not (and should not be) ‘one size fits all’. They should reflect the culture of your organisation and, in a post-pandemic environment where people are still nervous about gathering, be able to flex and change as required.’
Media, digital and technology
- Ethan Mollick: Doing Stuff with AI: Opinionated Midyear Edition (6 June)
‘To learn to do serious stuff with AI, choose a Large Language Model and just use it to do serious stuff – get advice, summarize meetings, generate ideas, write, produce reports, fill out forms, discuss strategy – whatever you do at work, ask the AI to help.’ - Borja Iglesias: LinkedIn comes of age: Why this platform is the B2B marketers’ non-negotiable (6 June)
‘To commemorate 21 years of LinkedIn and the start of a new financial year for many, here are some surprising stats (there are at least 21 data points!) and five key reasons to convince your boss this network is the one to invest in.’ - Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson: FIR #409: Just Another Fad [podcast] (5 June)
‘If you look at the introduction of the web; if you look at the introduction of social media – communications as an industry, as a profession, was late to both of those. They were dismissed in the early days. It would be equally easy to shrug [AI] off the same way. But look where we ended up with the web; look where we ended up with social media. Pay attention now; don’t wait until we’re playing catch-up.’
