Posted on Current PR Conversations PR Axis

Relations with customers and prospects

In serialising chapters from the 1948 book Your Public Relations since October 2013, I have been struck by the relevance of the authors’ thinking and practice, often in total contrast to arguments that PR today is more strategic than in the past. The ten chapters featured so far seem to counter the progressive perspective of PR’s history. The next chapter, discussed in this post, however, is different and feels remarkably old-fashioned in many respects. Its...

Posted on PR Techster

Look under the hood at how PR Conversations "performed" in 2013

What, not another “year in review” post?! So you may be groaning and thinking, and I’m sympathetic with your reluctance to get dished yet again reheated bits of the recent past…. But please bear with me: This is intended to be more of an introspection than a retrospective. As the resident Techster, I’m inviting you faithful readers, to share a look with me under the hood of PR Conversations. As I’m not a number-crunching geek I...

Posted on PR Techster

School's out for social media – a PR report card

As many of us take a break for Summer, it seems a good time to produce a PR report card for its performance in social media this term. Let’s look at the four As, where I’m afraid most PR practitioners would do well to score a B- at best. Attendance: Undoubtedly, PR practitioners have taken to social media in droves over the past couple of years. The late majority has arrived in terms of those...

Posted on Classic PR Conversations PRoust Questionnaire

PRoust Questionnaire: Sean Williams

  The PRoust Questionnaire provides a quick insight into a public relations practitioner’s interests and point of view, as well as his or her professional beliefs and values.  If you are not familiar with the original 19th-century Proust Questionnaire, please see details at the end of this post. PRoust Questionnaire answers from Sean Williams: 1. What is your most striking characteristic as a PR practitioner? My analytical, academic and rather intellectual approach to internal communication...

Posted on PR Axis

PR use of statistics on trial – where’s your evidence?

Guest post by Nigel Hawkes. Healthcare reform is controversial, as both the US and the UK have found. In Britain, a chorus of protest has been generated by a Bill to reform the National Health Service. Some of the most powerful interventions have come from the Royal Colleges – highly-esteemed bodies that exist to promote and improve the practice of different medical specialties. I’ve been struck not by the positions taken, which are strongly opposed...

Posted on PR Techster

Nurturing Knowledge – a job for PR

‘Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge’ – Wikipedia’s blackout protest statement is a reminder of the value and reliance placed on repositories of online information.  How many of us turn to Google, Wikipedia, digital dictionaries, social media or online news sources routinely when we want to know something?  The English-speaking student population is apparently distraught that its primary place for ‘cut and paste’ assignments is offline for a day.  The Digital Natives haven’t been so...

Posted on PR Mediums

What do digital immigrants really know about social media? Part II

This second part of a conversation about the role of social media in PR moves on to reflect on the practices of organisations and their representatives in this ever changing terrain. Heather Yaxley and Judy Gombita share their views and offer some cautionary advice. Judy Gombita The previous post referenced the Pew Internet “Generations Online” report; this time let’s look at the Edelman Trust Barometer 2011. From the Edelman January 25, 2011, news release, “Skepticism...

Posted on PR Nexus Seasoned Posts

Why don't PR Awards walk the talk on evaluation?

The Barcelona Declaration of Measurement Principles for public relations have been discussed and even endorsed by professional bodies and industry publications around the world – but there’s little evidence of “walking the talk” if you look at the Award programmes they run. In particular, use of AVE is neither prohibited nor penalised whilst a lack of clear, measurable objectives (ideally based on research) as noted in a post by Sean Williams, compounds the limitations of...

Posted on PR Axis

Barcelona 1 – Evaluation 0?

This month saw another cross-border event, with the agreement and publication of the "Barcelona Declaration of Research Principles" at the 2nd European Summit on Measurement. Five global bodies and 200 delegates from 33 countries all voted overwhelmingly to adopt a set of basic principles.