Posted on PR Techster

Public relations needs more than digital natives

Whether you call it digital PR, online PR, or social media (SM) relations – public relations practitioners are being told they must enter this “brave new world”, embrace the “revolution” and engage with “new influencers” at every turn.  With a religious fervour, the gurus and advocates are now on overdrive in promoting technological solutions to assist organisations in monitoring, managing and evaluating every aspect of their public relations.  If your organisation, brand, campaign, or significant...

Posted on PR Axis

Public relations should embrace not deny its marketing links

Many people think that PR is a subset of marketing – they are wrong [See this classic: ToughSledding post/comments if you don’t agree].  But so are those working in PR who seek to put great distance between what they do and marketing.  The denial of the close relationship with marketing which is necessary in most organisations (including the not for profit and public sectors) fails to recognise the reality of the majority of PR practice. ...

Posted on Classic PR Conversations PR Mediums Seasoned Posts

The big question: What is PR?

In May 2008, Catherine Arrow produced a useful edited publication: What is PR? which brought together a range of posts from PR Conversation touching on the “big question” that seems to be of eternal interest to practitioners, academics and of course, students.  Toni Muzi Falconi commenting on two recent events recommends re-reading this document.  He writes: The Bled Symposium this year was not up to the excellent standards that I am accustomed to expect from its organizers.  But this...

Posted on PR Axis

PR crisis case studies in real time

Open any public relations textbook and the section on crisis management will include examples of how organisations have demonstrated "best" or "worst" practice. And, it's not just the textbooks, as recent incidents have seen plenty of advice from PR "experts" through online and social media.

Posted on Seasoned Posts

Public Relations, Capitalism and Democracy – Public Relations and Development: two provoKations from my excellent students

I have just concluded my course on global relations and intercultural communication at NYU in New York. The intense interaction with 10 highly committed graduate students –two Russian, three American, one Brazilian, one Colombian, one British, one Singaporean– allowed me the opportunity to review some of my less resilient stereotypes and learn much more from them than each of them individually from me. That is the beauty of communication -even in the non symmetric environment...

Posted on Seasoned Posts

#PRC2010 Trends impacting Public Relations world

This is the time of year when many of us are reflecting about the future, trying to figure out how our profession, our companies, our clients, our societies will be influenced by tendencies and trends. Often this happens because we’re preparing our plans for next year and want to seek opportunities generated by external context; but also because we want to anticipate what is going to impact on our profession. PR Conversations readers are invited...