In conversation with ICCO's new Regional President – Europe, Juergen Gangoly

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In December 2016 ICCO announced the appointment of 5 Regional Presidents, who represent the recently formed Regional Groups covering Europe, Americas, Middle East, Africa and Asia. 

We chat to ICCO’s new Regional President for Europe, Juergen Gangoly, about his new role in the organisation, and his thoughts about the state of the European PR market.

1. You have recently been appointed ICCO’s Regional President for Europe. What does this mean to you, both on a personal and professional level?

To be elected by the European members of ICCO and to represent them in the region is a big honour, but also loaded with lots of visions, expectations and – of course – work. So far, during almost 10 years as an ICCO board member, I could contribute to the development of ICCO and also learn a lot. I am very grateful for all these experiences, cooperation and personal friendship within ICCO. Over all, that’s a good foundation to jointly further grow ICCO and to strengthen the representation of the PR industry on regional and international level.

2. What are your main priorities as ICCO’s Regional President – Europe?

A quite ambitious working program has been developed. Together with the board members and other colleagues in our member organisation, we strive to further grow our successful existing events, projects and our membership base. Further on we plan to develop new projects in areas such as training & education, business ethics, quality standards and guidelines. To make Europe’s PR industry better heard and to set-up regular contacts with governmental and public institutions in Europe is an important task for the years to come. And last, but not least: cross-border business facilitation, new member services and a cross-border expert and agency database are on the wish-list of our members and on our agenda.

3. What is your take on the state of the public relations industry in Europe?

Decision-making structures, the economy and our societies in general are changing rapidly at the moment – and it’s more and more all about professional and efficient communications. Good for us! The PR industry should and could be the innovative front runner of all communications disciplines. We have the experience and qualifications to contribute to society and to the business success of our clients at the same time. The PR industry can heavily benefit from the actual developments in technology and public media reception, but we must put even more focus on measurable results, creativity and quality in execution, business ethics and talent development.

4. Why did you get into communications?

Originally educated as inter-cultural trainer and youth social worker, I started in and with professional PR to communicate NGO projects and educational programs almost 25 years ago. For me, it’s always been about having the opportunity to better explain complex issues and to contribute to society. To help clients from all sorts of backgrounds and to influence – or even change – public views and behaviours fascinated me from minute one in public relations – and it still does.

5. In ten years’ time, what do you think will be the biggest change in the global communications industry?

Anybody who pretends to be able to look that far in the future has not arrived in the present yet. Change, ever faster change, will be the only constant driver of the PR industry for the foreseeable years to come. Our biggest challenges will probably be the continuous losing of established partners in traditional media and public institutions. They will be replaced by new forms of content generation, other influencers, new – hopefully – democratic structures and modern, more participative forms of decision-making. All this will definitely make professional and strategic communications faster, more personal, more technical, more efficient, but also far more complex. Overall, a great business and working area for experts and for the real “communications architects” in PR.

Conducting research with your own customers

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Article by Kevin Smith, author at OnePoll

 

So you have a customer base and you’d like to conduct an online survey to find out their thoughts on a number of topics. But where do you start? Below are our top tips on how to successfully poll your own customers.

1 : Understand your end goal

As with any research project, understanding your overall aims and objectives for the research should be your first priority. Are you using the research to gauge ongoing customer satisfaction, or as a one off project? Do you want some form of written responses, or purely statistical? If the survey is ongoing, how often would you want to pull the data down? These sorts of questions will affect how you structure your survey and the style of questioning.

2 : Don’t rely on survey templates

There are a wealth of options online whereby you can download or use standard questionnaires. These can be somewhat dangerous as they encourage a lazy and standardised approach. If you are investing time and money into insight amongst your customers or clients, you should fully immerse yourself into understanding exactly what questions you want to ask and what options should be included in those questions. Start with a blank canvas and your results will thank you for it.

3 : Brand it up

The beauty of polling your own database is that ‘you’ are in control of the look and feel of the survey. With this in mind, be sure to include elements in your survey that your contacts will be familiar with. Incorporate your brand identity and this will ensure your respondents will feel at ease answering the survey and trust where their data is going. If you can, include your brand name in the survey url as an additional touch. Keep these design elements consistent too if you are emailing a link to your database with the survey url.

Brand It Up
4 : Engage using variation

Any experienced researcher will tell you how important it is to ensure you keep your respondents engaged during a survey, but this is even more important when surveying your own contacts. Whereas we have a panel of our own that are used to answering surveys, your panel will not fill out surveys on a weekly basis. Therefore, be sure to offer the respondents good variation with question types, question wording and engaging media such as images and videos. The more ‘pretty’ the survey looks, the more likely the respondent will complete the job.

Don’t forget too to add in questions that you may want to cut the data by at the end. For example, if you want to cut by gender or age, be sure to add those into the survey questions.  

5 : Include an opening statement

When respondents start a survey, it’s vitally important to ensure they understand what the survey is about, why it is being conducted, what will happen with the results, how long it will take and (where applicable) what reward or prize they are entitled to. This paints a picture for the respondent and brings them on board with your aims and objectives. The more invested the respondent is, the better quality data they will provide for you. If they understand how long the survey will take from the start, they will more likely continue to the end.

Don’t forget freetext
6 : Don’t forget freetext

As with the nature of online quantitative research, we can become somewhat obsessed with stats and figures. The real secret to a strong piece of research is to gather not only percentages, but also written responses from the respondents. For example, if you know that 5% didn’t do something, why not ask ‘why?’ and have them write a little explanation. You can then go over this data post study and dig a little deeper to understand the thoughts and opinions behind those answers.

7 : Offer a reward or potential incentive

Fortunately here at OnePoll, we have a tried and tested incentive scheme for our panelists that ensures we gain excellent response rates and a high standard of data. For respondents that aren’t used to being part of an incentivised panel, it is worth considering offering them something in return for their time spent responding to your survey. This could be freebies, discounts on products or an entry into a prize draw. You can then gather contact details during the survey (with their consent) and announce the winner post research.

8 : Keep the survey concise

Don’t be fooled with this being low down on our list, as keeping a survey short and snappy is perhaps our most important piece of advice. Whilst you will want to take this opportunity to ask as many questions as possible, try and remain as focused as possible. Avoid asking any questions that won’t be completely useful to you. Ideally, the survey shouldn’t last longer than 10-15 minutes for the respondent to complete. Any more than this and there is a high chance respondents will drop out. And again, be sure to let the respondents know how long the survey will likely take at the very start of the survey.

9 : Don’t neglect effective survey distribution

We often hear clients talk about how big their database is and how they expect to receive thousands of responses to their survey – however, at this point you need to be realistic. A cold database that isn’t used to answering surveys will likely see under 5% response rate, perhaps even as low as 1-2%. With this in mind, make sure you share your survey a number of times via e-mail and other means you have. Anywhere from your website, social media, shop receipts, leaflets…the list goes on. Don’t give up and keep pushing until you’re happy you’ve got as many responses as you can.

10 : Give the data the time it deserves

You’ve done it! You’ve received thousands of responses to your beloved survey and you’re excited about what the stats will reveal. This is where you can get creative with the results. Cut the data as many ways as you possibly can to reveal interesting insights and comparisons. Our MRS accredited research team can help here in terms of how best to analyse your data. In addition, if you’re preparing the results for a big meeting or sales pitch, think about visualising your data with reports, animations, or infographics.

For more information visit: http://www.onepoll.com/

Clean business is good business: corporate governance in a digital age

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Article by Claudia Gioia, ‎President & CEO, Hill+Knowlton Latin America

Over the past decade, corporate governance has been the subject of increasing attention and scrutiny, leading to a growing demand for transparency, social responsibility, and higher ethical governance standards.

Corporate governance, which refers to the policies and practices leaders use to manage themselves and fulfill their responsibilities to investors, employees, and other stakeholders, has widespread impact. It affects and dictates the internal functioning and morale of a company, and it also projects externally to the public.

In today’s business environment, having a social media presence is a must for companies. Without one, a company is competitively limited and seen as both archaic and out of touch. Moreover, it allows companies to communicate not only externally, but also internally with employees. Social media then becomes an extension of communication strategy by allowing enhanced transparency and increased interaction between companies, their stakeholders, employees, and the public.

As such, social media can be a powerful tool to enhance reputation, create opportunities, and promote a business, but it also opens a wide lens into the inner workings of a corporation and its leadership. Traditional media exposure and increasing “citizens’ policing” by those globally connected also give way to a new set of more rigorous ethical and transparency standards, revolutionising principles of corporate governance.

In some regions, such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Northern Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, certain tendencies in corporate governance have emerged.

Corporate governance expert Dr. Richard LeBlanc explains there are several major trends that can be applicable across borders.

These trends include:

1. Ensuring social independence between boards of directors and management.

2. Imposing limits on directors’ term lengths, as well as ensuring organizations are diverse.

3. Choosing directors strictly based on capabilities, skills, and expertise.

4. Implementing audit committees at all levels to lower risk of corruption.

5. Increasing and improving cybersecurity, including the internal management of information, preventing hackings, and providing a secure platform for the board of directors.

In addition to the above trends in corporate governance, it is also critical there be regulation of leadership, as certain leadership models are more conducive to corruption. Susan Frank Divers, senior advisor, LRN Corporation, explains that “it is not enough to create documents with behaviour codes or impose trainings on a company, an introspective analysis must be done.

Leadership models and management corporate structures based on control and secrecy eventually lead to bad corporate conduct.” Additionally, it is a very costly mistake for leaders to ignore the concerns and recommendations of their employees. In today’s digital communications age, a company without transparency is destined to fail.

It is important to highlight the role of the media in stalling corruption and continuing to provide a space for transparency and compliance. The media, and especially social media, provides visibility to the inner workings of companies, often exposing irregularities and instances of corruption. In addition to providing a platform for each individual to do their part, the media helps uncover and follow corruption stories. It has also contributed to making institutions adopt more rigorous and ethical transparency and corporate governance standards.

In this new global information environment, companies that turn away from the policies of honesty and transparency lose credibility and competitive advantages. Let us hope that public criticism, social vigilance, and sanctions by governments and private institutions, as well as ethical leadership programs, will continue to push companies to adopt practices with social conscience and integrity.

 

References:SOCIAL MEDIA: NEW CHALLENGES FOR CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Deepak Kumar & Prerna Singh International Journal of Research (IJR) Vol-1, Issue-4, May 2014
http://www.academia.edu/8076073/SOCIAL_MEDIA_NEW_CHALLENGES_FOR_CORPORATE_GOVERNANCE

Issues & Crisis Communications Capacity Building is not on your To-Do List in 2017? Here is why it should be

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Article by Samer Costantini*

 

Very few would argue against the statement that 2016 has been quite an eventful year when it comes to news. Heck, some might even consider “eventful” as a gross understatement. 

Around the first week of January, and in my annual ‘happy new year’ row-call to friends and family, I asked what some of my friends think 2017 is going to be like. Mind you, those “friends” that I approached advise presidents and heads of states for a living; so their words carry some merit.  Every one of them agreed that 2017 would be about one word: Anticipation.

As a communications professional and adviser, anticipation does not fit well in my neighborhood. We, PR practitioners, prefer facts; and we like them hard and rock-solid. It is either a YES or a NO. Anticipation, on the other hands, is like squeezing a ‘maybe’ in between. In the PR world, there are many examples to why answering with a maybe is not one should be provided to media or stakeholders. Maybe means I am not sure. ‘Maybe’ means I do not have the facts. And not having all the facts automatically puts any communications professionals who is worth his money, in auto-crisis mode.

So, why is 2017 all about anticipating answers?

First, global geopolitics. The 2016 US elections is a no-brainer (no pun intended). One of the most colorful elections that affected individuals, communities, business and even countries around the world. The current US president, unlike his predecessors, does not shy away from naming individuals and/or organizations on his twitter. His tweets against a few named carmakers, for example, got stock prices plummeting and CEOs rethinking their go-to-market plans. In 2017, and along with his Twitter account, the world will be in anticipation for the new US president’s 100 day plan.

In 2016, the world also witnessed the first European country voting for a breakup from the EU. Not just any European country, but a nation that is one of the big five, a member of the G 20 and occupies one of the five permanent seats in Security Council.

The immediate effects of Brexit were felt across London, the UK and the the world’s financial markets. Many businesses that operate in London still have to deal with the ripples and the aftershocks to playout 2017 on the GBP and the future plans of London-based multinationals.

Brexit clearly shows that wherever politics goes, economy usually follows. And in the Middle East, our never-ending geopolitically troubled region, economic challenges are amplified even further. For example, one may argue that the region has seen the worst of oil prices shock in 2015. Many advisors believe that 2017 will be the year a number of companies will take solid steps to offset the changes in government spending, consumer spending and new policies set in place in 2016. Already a number of companies came public with restructuring, mergers and acquisition plans.

To answer all the questions of who, where, what and why, communication practitioners need not only have the facts, but the story behind them. This takes us to the third reason why 2017 is about anticipating answers.

Today’s information consumers do not want to read press statements with charts and tables. They want to see people giving them the answers. Whether on their mobile phones or tablets via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, today’s information and news seekers have changed the way the game is played. They want the information, the full and complete picture, they want it in a way they can share with their networks of friends and family to understand, and they want it now.

A few years ago, being ready to receive any question, from anyone, at any point of time, and with the expectation that you will provide an answer that holds facts that is easy to understand, narrate and aggregate – that is what fundamentally is being in crisis communication mode.

So, to all communication practitioners out there, gear up and brush up on your right-off-the-bat messages. Understanding the dynamics of issues and crisis communication is not a once-a-year drill or a two-day training workshop. In today’s ever-changing geopolitical and economic climate, in today’s evolving information consumption habits, in today’s rapidly technology disrupting innovations; PR and communications practitioners must embrace crisis communication skills as a daily way of life and must be prepared to roll up their sleeves and wear the crisis communications hat at any hour on any day.

***

*Samer Costantini is a moderator in the “Let’s Talk” Crisis Communications Forum taking place in Dubai this March. He is communication adviser with two decades of experience in corporate communications and public affairs. He served various governmental, international and multinational organizations on global assignments. He can be reached on Twitter at @scdxb  

Issues & Crisis Communications Capacity Building is not on your To-Do List in 2017? Here is why it should be

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Article by Samer Costantini*

 

Very few would argue against the statement that 2016 has been quite an eventful year when it comes to news. Heck, some might even consider “eventful” as a gross understatement. 

Around the first week of January, and in my annual ‘happy new year’ row-call to friends and family, I asked what some of my friends think 2017 is going to be like. Mind you, those “friends” that I approached advise presidents and heads of states for a living; so their words carry some merit.  Every one of them agreed that 2017 would be about one word: Anticipation.

As a communications professional and adviser, anticipation does not fit well in my neighborhood. We, PR practitioners, prefer facts; and we like them hard and rock-solid. It is either a YES or a NO. Anticipation, on the other hands, is like squeezing a ‘maybe’ in between. In the PR world, there are many examples to why answering with a maybe is not one should be provided to media or stakeholders. Maybe means I am not sure. ‘Maybe’ means I do not have the facts. And not having all the facts automatically puts any communications professionals who is worth his money, in auto-crisis mode.

So, why is 2017 all about anticipating answers?

First, global geopolitics. The 2016 US elections is a no-brainer (no pun intended). One of the most colorful elections that affected individuals, communities, business and even countries around the world. The current US president, unlike his predecessors, does not shy away from naming individuals and/or organizations on his twitter. His tweets against a few named carmakers, for example, got stock prices plummeting and CEOs rethinking their go-to-market plans. In 2017, and along with his Twitter account, the world will be in anticipation for the new US president’s 100 day plan.

In 2016, the world also witnessed the first European country voting for a breakup from the EU. Not just any European country, but a nation that is one of the big five, a member of the G 20 and occupies one of the five permanent seats in Security Council.

The immediate effects of Brexit were felt across London, the UK and the the world’s financial markets. Many businesses that operate in London still have to deal with the ripples and the aftershocks to playout 2017 on the GBP and the future plans of London-based multinationals.

Brexit clearly shows that wherever politics goes, economy usually follows. And in the Middle East, our never-ending geopolitically troubled region, economic challenges are amplified even further. For example, one may argue that the region has seen the worst of oil prices shock in 2015. Many advisors believe that 2017 will be the year a number of companies will take solid steps to offset the changes in government spending, consumer spending and new policies set in place in 2016. Already a number of companies came public with restructuring, mergers and acquisition plans.

To answer all the questions of who, where, what and why, communication practitioners need not only have the facts, but the story behind them. This takes us to the third reason why 2017 is about anticipating answers.

Today’s information consumers do not want to read press statements with charts and tables. They want to see people giving them the answers. Whether on their mobile phones or tablets via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, today’s information and news seekers have changed the way the game is played. They want the information, the full and complete picture, they want it in a way they can share with their networks of friends and family to understand, and they want it now.

A few years ago, being ready to receive any question, from anyone, at any point of time, and with the expectation that you will provide an answer that holds facts that is easy to understand, narrate and aggregate – that is what fundamentally is being in crisis communication mode.

So, to all communication practitioners out there, gear up and brush up on your right-off-the-bat messages. Understanding the dynamics of issues and crisis communication is not a once-a-year drill or a two-day training workshop. In today’s ever-changing geopolitical and economic climate, in today’s evolving information consumption habits, in today’s rapidly technology disrupting innovations; PR and communications practitioners must embrace crisis communication skills as a daily way of life and must be prepared to roll up their sleeves and wear the crisis communications hat at any hour on any day.

***

*Samer Costantini is a moderator in the “Let’s Talk” Crisis Communications Forum taking place in Dubai this March. He is communication adviser with two decades of experience in corporate communications and public affairs. He served various governmental, international and multinational organizations on global assignments. He can be reached on Twitter at @scdxb  

The death of the big idea

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Article by Nick Bishop, Head of Corporate, Golin 

President Trump and Nigel Farage do not seem like the type of politicians to love an algorithm. Both are instinctive campaigners seemingly more attuned to Big Emotion than Big Data. Yet the role of data in helping secure victory for the Leave campaign in the EU Referendum and making Donald Trump the most powerful man on the planet has come into question.

And a mythology has emerged in which a little known firm, Cambridge Analytica, has become a key player in these surprise election outcomes. Cambridge Analytica’s methods rely on a combination of psychometric data – acquired from millions of personality tests – and data collated through voluntary surveys and social media. The company’s chief executive, Alexander Nix, is unashamed about the quantity of data it holds; in the US, close to 5000 data points on every individual.

In the case of the US Presidential election, this data was used to target advertising on social channels, strengthening the conviction of Trump voters in the election run-up, while also persuading Clinton supporters to stay at home.

The effectiveness of the campaigns supporting Trump and the Leave campaign have been scrutinised and rubbished by many. Among the many arguments made against Cambridge Analytica is that before they worked for Trump they worked for Ted Cruz, and that Trump annihilated Cruz at the polls.

Irrespective of Cambridge Analytica’s impact, what no one disputes is the importance of data science in changing behaviour and the sheer sophistication of micro-targeting in election campaigns. If we learn nothing else it is that simple demographic segmentation is outdated. The sheer notion that all Millennials, for example, can be grouped and marketed to as a single homogenous group is ridiculous.

In order to be more relevant, we need to think about segmenting audiences by interest or psychological traits, much as Cambridge Analytica have done. Why then is it still the case – eight years after Obama swept to victory with the support of Blue State Digital – that brand communication programmes are often built on nothing more than perceived wisdom?

The reality is that much of this perceived wisdom is wrong. Audiences probably don’t behave in the way we think they do (or they say they do). Their behaviours and the media mix are more complex than ever before and are changing more frequently.

This ability to segment audiences, test messages and predict behaviour heralds the possibility of an end to mass communications. At the least, it increasingly looks like a blunt and imprecise approach. In the consumer products sector, terabytes of consumer data are being used to sharpen production forecasting, identify the most and least profitable products and determine the most efficient routes for distribution operations. They are also being used for micro persuasion – the targeting of disparate groups, based on their beliefs. Business, like politics, is leading the way.

The communications industry often puts the Big Idea ahead of Big Data. The latter likely holds the seeds for a great many big ideas however – and tells you where to plant them.

Successful pitching – "juniors and giraffes"

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Blog post by Adrian Wheeler, FPRCA – accredited PRCA trainer.

Get 20% off all webinars and qualifications throughout January 2017. Click here for more details. 

 

In a pitch, clients look for evidence that they will get on with us. It’s all-important. No-one ever buys anything from someone they don’t like. In professional business services like PR, chemistry is very often the only reliable indicator.

Most clients, like the rest of us, try to rationalise this factor. ‘They speak our language’. ‘They are on the same page’. ‘They’re on our wavelength’. It means they feel happy to see us every other day for the coming year. Making the wrong choice is embarrassing and possibly career-threatening.

We have to come across as real, three-dimensional people in the brief time we are given for our pitch. If we’re charismatic geniuses, no problem. But what if we’re normal?

I suggest that a pitch should be planned and rehearsed like a play. Each ‘actor’ needs a part which they can perform to perfection. This might happen without planning and rehearsal, but it probably won’t: why take the chance? Don’t forget that smart clients ignore the brilliance of our senior people; they concentrate on the ‘juniors’, who they know will be doing the work.

Giraffe

The other kind of chemistry is what’s going on between members of our pitch team. Clients look for some kind of fizz or buzz. They don’t often see it but, when they do, they want it.

Maybe your pitch team displays sparkling interaction anyway. But why leave it to chance? One agency goes as far as scripting the jokes, interventions and teasing which will show their clients they are a creative hothouse. They win a lot of pitches.

An easier method is the ‘giraffe game’. On the way to the pitch, each team-member is given a word to use in their presentation. It has to be a word that would never normally appear in a new business pitch (like giraffe). The challenge is to use the word without the clients interrupting or laughing.

This game produces a kind of suppressed excitement which selection panels find intriguing. What’s going on? There’s obviously pretty good chemistry between these people…

The best-ever example was the word Jan gave to Sue on the way to pitch for IBM. It cannot be mentioned in a family newspaper, but if we meet at a PRCA event I’ll tell you how Sue managed it. She didn’t have to buy a single drink that evening.

Successful pitching – “juniors and giraffes”

/in ,

Blog post by Adrian Wheeler, FPRCA – accredited PRCA trainer.

Get 20% off all webinars and qualifications throughout January 2017. Click here for more details. 

 

In a pitch, clients look for evidence that they will get on with us. It’s all-important. No-one ever buys anything from someone they don’t like. In professional business services like PR, chemistry is very often the only reliable indicator.

Most clients, like the rest of us, try to rationalise this factor. ‘They speak our language’. ‘They are on the same page’. ‘They’re on our wavelength’. It means they feel happy to see us every other day for the coming year. Making the wrong choice is embarrassing and possibly career-threatening.

We have to come across as real, three-dimensional people in the brief time we are given for our pitch. If we’re charismatic geniuses, no problem. But what if we’re normal?

I suggest that a pitch should be planned and rehearsed like a play. Each ‘actor’ needs a part which they can perform to perfection. This might happen without planning and rehearsal, but it probably won’t: why take the chance? Don’t forget that smart clients ignore the brilliance of our senior people; they concentrate on the ‘juniors’, who they know will be doing the work.

Giraffe

The other kind of chemistry is what’s going on between members of our pitch team. Clients look for some kind of fizz or buzz. They don’t often see it but, when they do, they want it.

Maybe your pitch team displays sparkling interaction anyway. But why leave it to chance? One agency goes as far as scripting the jokes, interventions and teasing which will show their clients they are a creative hothouse. They win a lot of pitches.

An easier method is the ‘giraffe game’. On the way to the pitch, each team-member is given a word to use in their presentation. It has to be a word that would never normally appear in a new business pitch (like giraffe). The challenge is to use the word without the clients interrupting or laughing.

This game produces a kind of suppressed excitement which selection panels find intriguing. What’s going on? There’s obviously pretty good chemistry between these people…

The best-ever example was the word Jan gave to Sue on the way to pitch for IBM. It cannot be mentioned in a family newspaper, but if we meet at a PRCA event I’ll tell you how Sue managed it. She didn’t have to buy a single drink that evening.

A land of magical realism

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Article by Gustavo Averbuj, Partner, Regional Director, Latin America & CEO, Ketchum, Argentina for the World PR Report 2016

 

A decade of populist governments in the region (Hugo Chavez & Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, Dilma Rousseff in Brazil, plus the Kirchners in Argentina) created years of strong growth in public affairs – as organisations sought to connect with politicians, governments and other decision-makers. Now the political pendulum has swung back to right-to-centre, pro-market governments, demand for PR in Latin America is shape shifting again.  Today digital work, influencer relations, creative campaigning and new media is centre stage. Crisis management skills are also in demand, particularly in markets with significant political unrest like Venezuela.

The big hit that the Brazilian economy has taken recently has obviously impacted in the rest of Latin America.  Most of our economies now expect only moderate GDP growth in the short term.

Each market in the region is at a different stage of development and evolution. Some are close to what you might see in any global PR marketplace, whilst others lag behind – lacking the agencies that insist on global standards. However most global PR networks have some presence in the region.

Whilst Latin America represents between 8 and 15 % of income for most global Fortune companies, PR budgets are usually less generous than they might be elsewhere. The effect is that, unable to replicate bigger more comprehensive Western campaigns, agencies here have had to find new routes to success via creativity.  This approach has brought dividends at global award shows like the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

Several areas are at different development stages in the region : digital and mobile capacity, our approach to talent acquisition and training (where just a few of us offer global standard capabilities). Our collective investment in sustainability and CSR is high in a region where the majority of kids are poor and the majority of poor are kids.

Another reason for our creative success is that South America is a cradle of magical realism in literature. We are great storytellers. The lust for life here, and our sense of collective ambition means we naturally collaborate and imbue our work with an uncommon emotional intelligence.  We also bring plenty of passion to our profession and our businesses. It’s fun to work here.

There are global agencies , medium sized boutiques and lots of small specialist shops. With advertising experiencing an identity crisis, PR firms are getting a reputation for conjuring up campaign leading ideas that work across all channels.  Indeed we are also seeing some PR firms leading entire campaign execution across paid, earned, shared and owned media.

In Latam, creativity and imagination reign supreme no matter where ideas originate from.

 

Download a free online version of the ICCO/PRWeek World PR Report 2016 here.

Spotlighting ICCO’s new African region president, Bridget von Holdt

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ICCO is pleased to announce that five Regional Presidents have been appointed, who will represent the recently formed Regional Boards covering Europe, Americas, Middle East, Africa and Asia. Bridget von Holdt, Executive Director, Glasshouse Communication Management and nominated candidate of the Public Relations Institute of South Africa (PRISA) board, was recently elected as African region president of ICCO.

Darren Gilbert, media update interviews Bridget von Holdt about her plans in the role, the state of PR in Africa, and the challenges the industry faces.

Congrats on your recent appointment. What does this mean to you, both on a personal and professional level?

Personally, I am passionate about the PR profession and it is rewarding to see how our environment is growing in stature, importance and relevance. I have seen PR grow from a simple press release to a strategic need within management and business leadership. PR has finally come of age and the corporates are realising that stakeholder engagement and reputation management is more than just an event or a media engagement.

Professionally, Glasshouse is positioned as a key role player within the PR environment. This position is an honour and we are happy to be part of the growing global environment.

What will be your main focus as African region president of the ICCO? What needs to be done in the African region?

Africa tends to be the forgotten continent, yet is identified as a focal growth point for so many international companies. We need to increase our voice and collaborate to increase our business footprint.

Use the ICCO platform to position Africa and the agencies represented on the continent as strategic partners, as innovative and, of course, as the experts within the region.

In May 2017, ICCO will host their Board meeting in South Africa – an opportunity for the practitioners to get closer to the international team, to forge relationships and interrogate trends.

As the PR / Communication profession continues to grow, so the value of ICCO needs to grow in evidence. As a region, we need to encourage more of our colleagues to join ICCO take advantage of the benefits.

We also need to take advantage of technology and communicate, share and collaborate more.

What is your take on the state of public relations in Africa?

Africa has grown in leaps and bounds. The world is a global village and with access to information, conferences, collaboration and networking, public relations in Africa is at the same standard as the rest of the world.

The success factor is to deal with a company (a consultant) that has a reputation and that works according to international ethics and standards, and has such as ICCO members.

In your opinion, what is the PR industry getting right? What impresses you most about the industry in Africa?

The need for professionalising the profession worldwide. Benchmarking of campaigns and global insights

Measurement of campaigns based on an international system – Gone are the AVEs and this pleases me no end. Public Relations campaigns cannot be measured on AVEs as this belittles our skills, our expertise and our knowledge.

Conversely, what is the biggest challenge that the PR industry faces in Africa?

We need to stand out [from] the clutter.

Then there is the dominance of global players buying out the independent agencies – I am a great believer in independent agencies who specialise.

More and more consultancies need to make the leap to joining a professional body or organisation to ensure standards and adhere to ethics – this gives clients reassurance that they have selected a reputable company in whose hands they have placed the reputation of their brand.

We need to be pushing international standards – mediocre is not good enough. And ensuring that we then all measure our outputs and expectations in the same way. Benchmarking has become increasing important as we see more of the multinationals operating around the globe.

Finally, we need to move away from the perception that public relations in Africa is about being part of the third world – it is not.

How will you judge your own success as African region president at ICCO? Have you set yourself any non-negotiable goals?

We need to get the conversation going. An increase [is needed] in those participating in the conversation. It’s all about that word: engagement.

We have the ICCO board meeting taking placing in South Africa for the first time in May 2017, which will be linked to the PRISA Conference and PRISM Awards. This already is an achievement. And more so, a great opportunity to meet with mentors and PR practitioners from around the world.

There also need to be a closer relationship with our own PRISA and ICCO, as well as a greater awareness of measurement, of standards, and of ethics.