global discussion. local perspectives.
In the run up to Easter, here’s a chicken and egg conundrum for PR careers. Should we start out as generalists before specialising or vice versa? Does the navel gazing within PR (as noted in the interesting “Endless Fight” post and comment discussion preceding this one) – and a focus on being recognised as a profession – argue that the function is a specialism seeking exclusivity, even isolation and protection of a territory which may...
By Sean Williams Who owns corporate messaging? This is navel gazing of the first order, and the fact that I’m writing this post is testament to how we can start arguments with all the seriousness of Lindsay Lohan’s newest brace of public shenanigans. Judy Gombita’s recent Social sniff test post skewers the idea that “everyone is an employee brand” advocate; its associated comments by some smart thinkers covers some, but not all, of this ground....
Some weighty conversations with subject experts: Debating employee engagement in a healthy corporate culture versus an amplified trend to “suggest” a program of socializing, whereby “employee brands” or “advocates” post marketing messages on their personal accounts (similar to native advertising). The communicative, socialized organization In December 2012, in my Access Byte column, I detailed what constituted a “communicative organization” (i.e., ones with a robust yet fluid structure), both externally and internally. I quoted Dave Gray,...
Social capital is the lifeblood of public relations with our ability to interact with others, build relationships, and develop a shared understanding at the heart of what we do. Always has been and always will be. Every new practitioner who enters the occupation, brings with them their existing connections and they rapidly learn the importance of linking, bridging and bonding. Our social capital is of value personally and professionally to us, and to our employers...
Where does public relations fit into the organization? How should we update our practices to meet the needs of today and tomorrow? What are our responsibilities to the organizations we serve—and how can we communicate with, and address concerns of, stakeholders? By Bob Geller The above questions were some of the topics covered in a session I attended in New York in late February 2014, the Director Roundtable on Stakeholder Expectations and the 21st Century...
This topic remains as relevant today as when the following insight into the public relations department of 1948 was written by Conger Reynolds, public relations director at the Standard Oil Company (Indiana), in the book, Your Public Relations. This is chapter five – to read other chapters in our series of posts, use this link to the book’s contents list. In 1948, according to the University of Iowa, Conger Reynolds received the Award of the...
Ketchum Europe director and CIPR president shares insights from a co-creation project exploring the benefits of professional blogging By Stephen Waddington Blogging is 20 years old this year. By now it was predicted blogging would threaten mainstream media and become the dominant form of media in its own right. It clearly hasn’t but it hasn’t gone away, either. During the early weeks in February 2014, I sought out the opinion of respected and long-time bloggers...
PR Conversations founder, Toni Muzi Falconi is taking part in a fascinating ‘Director Roundtable‘ event being held in collaboration with the NYU school of continuing and professional studies on 28 February. The other speakers are: Richard Edelman, president and CEO, Edelman James Grunig, Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland Emilio Galli Zugaro, Head of Group Communications, Allianz This event looking at Stakeholder Expectations and the 21st Century Board builds on the book: Global Stakeholder Relationships Governance:...
Final installment of a three-part global public relations narrative and adventure, from agency Australia to in-house Germany By Katie Sheppet Communication contacts and networks In part I and part II, I related communication contacts and groupings I was privy to at Allianz. In this final chapter I’m sharing external networking and mentor relationships that were going on behind the scenes. Prior to my departure, I had Edelman support from Grant Smith, general manager of Edelman...
Part II of a three-part global public relations narrative and adventure, from agency Australia to in-house Germany By Katie Sheppet Allianz’s corporate communications structure and how and where I fit in I indicated in part I how my acclimatisation included scheduled appointments for meetings and lunch dates with different members of the communications team. I was quickly brought up to speed on how Allianz SE’s Group Communications team was structured into three main units: external...