New PR Professional’s Guide to Measurement launched

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Collaboration between ICCO, AMEC & PRCA

The International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), and the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), have today launched the latest edition of the definitive guide to public relations evaluation.

The new-look guide, entitled ‘The PR Professional’s Guide to Measurement’ launched today at the ICCO Global Summit in Helsinki, after three months of development.

The new easy-to-navigate Guide is available online at http://prguidetomeasurement.org/, and can be accessed on all platforms, including PC, tablet, and smartphone.

The Guide is the third edition, which was first launched in 2013 and then went to second edition in 2015. The Guide features case studies and best practice on PR measurement, top tips and latest global thinking.

The guide’s authors are senior PR experts and measurement experts, who include:

Elise Mitchell, CEO, Mitchell Communications Group; CEO Dentsu Aegis Public Relations Network; Jonathan Hughes, Global CEO, GOLIN; Antoine Harary, Global Managing Director, Edelman Intelligence; Alex Aiken, Executive Director for Government Communications, UK Government (GCS); Richard Bagnall, Chairman of AMEC; Global Strategy Consultant, Prime research; Khali Sakkas, Managing Director, Insights, Isentia, andAMEC Board Director; Fritz Quinn, Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, Asia, American Express; Giles Peddy, Senior Vice President EMEA Operations & UK Managing Director, LEWIS.

Francis Ingham, Chief Executive, ICCO, said:

“The international PR and communications industry faces two key challenges: ethical professionalism, and evaluation.

“Both are at the heart of both the opportunities and the challenges that we face.

“This publication is yet another collaborative piece of work between ICCO, the PRCA, and AMEC as we work together in this area.

“It’s not only interesting and innovative, but also highly practical. So. If you believe as we do that evaluation is vital, read this publication, use it, and indeed feel free to copy it. Imitation is, after all, still the sincerest form of flattery.”

Barry Leggetter, CEO, AMEC, said: “The PR Professional’s Guide to Measurement is an important collaboration with ICCO and the PRCA that puts the AMEC message of the importance of measurement and delivers it to the heart of the international PR community.

“We know we are making real progress in educating PR professionals of the business benefits of using measurement. The new Guide is an important part of that work and we hope AMECmembers will find it helpful too.”


ICCO welcomes new leadership team

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The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) has welcomed a new leadership team. ICCO has appointed Elise Mitchell as its new President, who will be supported by new Vice-President Nitin Mantri.

Elise is recognised as one of the USA’s top strategic communications and public relations professionals. She leads Mitchell Communications Group, which has achieved over 400% growth in the past four years, gaining the position of a Top 50 national PR firm. Elise previously held the role of Vice-President of ICCO, which she held since 2015.

Elise replaces Maxim Behar, who became ICCO President in 2015.

Nitin is CEO and Business Partner at Avian Media and the Co-founder of Chase India, a public policy and regulatory affairs firm. He is also the President of the Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI).

Francis Ingham, ICCO Chief Executive, welcomed the announcement:

“It is a great pleasure to welcome Elise as ICCO’s new President for the next two years; and to welcome Nitin as her successor for the years 2019-2021.

“ICCO is a truly international organisation, representing over 2,500 PR agencies based in 55 countries. That internationalism is reflected in its leadership, with an Executive Committee drawn from eight different countries.

“Each new President decides on their own priorities, and Elise and Nitin will be no exceptions. What unites them all however is their determination always to increase ICCO’s influence, authority, and services to our members.

“I know I speak for the whole of ICCO when I thank Maxim for the unparalleled style, professionalism, and enthusiasm he has shown over the past two years as President. It has been a unique pleasure to have worked with him so closely.”

Elise Mitchell added:

“Maxim has been a tireless advocate for ICCO for many years, but never more so than while serving as President. One of his most important contributions over the past two years has been spearheading a significant expansion of our membership. He has been and will continue to be a great ambassador for the organisation.

“Nitin is a highly regarded leader in our industry. He has made great contributions to ICCO, and will have an even greater impact as Vice-President. I am delighted to serve alongside him.

“I am honoured to serve as President of ICCO and look forward to working with industry leaders globally to advance our profession and help our members innovate, engage, and evolve in a transformational world.”

Maxim Behar said:
“ICCO is now the largest, the most influential, and without doubt the leading global PR organisation. The change is tremendous and during this hard work over the past two years I received fantastic support from Elise and the whole Board. A lot of new projects have begun and numerous new members have joined ICCO. Now we are much stronger and much more convinced that the organisation is on the right track towards huge development.

“Elise Mitchell is a professional with great managerial experience and I am sure under her leadership ICCO will have the same speed of growth and will keep steady its leading role in the world. I am also happy that Nitin Mantri will join the team and will support Elise in leading ICCO to greater successes.”

Nitin Mantri said:

“ICCO over the years has become a powerful international association that is binding the PR fraternity across continents. Maxim has worked with great vigour to realise ICCO’s vision and working with him has been an enriching experience. I congratulate Elise on her new role. With her at helm, I look forward to support her and implement various initiatives to achieve ICCO’s objectives.”

About ICCO:

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) is the voice of public relations consultancies around the world. The ICCO membership comprises national trade associations operating in 54 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Australasia, as well as agencies and networks with an international agenda. Collectively, these associations represent over 2,500 PR firms.

Bahrain to become home for ‘big data’

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Article by Sarah Townsend for arabian Business

Amazon Web Services has unveiled plans to build at least three data centres in the island kingdom, fuelling the cloud computing industry and economic growth.

The UAE scored a coup in July when Amazon bought homegrown e-tailer Souq.com. But Bahrain pipped its Gulf neighbours to the post with news last week that it is to provide a home for the reams of data held by the e-commerce giant.

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the $10bn cloud computing subsidiary of US-listed Amazon, announced plans to build at least three massive data centres in Bahrain by 2019.

The data centres will be AWS’s first in the Middle East and are expected to boost the local economy by creating new jobs and facilitating public and private sector growth.

At a media event in Manama at which an estimated 1,500 delegates were in attendance, AWS said it intends to open three ‘availability zones’ in Bahrain by 2019. AWS has 44 such zones in various locations across the world and each houses at least one data centre.

AWS and its parent Amazon are notoriously private, with strict commercial confidentiality rules in place. Details including the exact number, size, cost and location of the planned centres are top secret. However, with AWS recording $16bn of revenues and 42 percent year-on-year growth in the second quarter of 2017, as well as one million active users of its cloud computing services, the company claims, it is not hard to see the enormous scale of this project.

AWS is understood to have acquired land to build the data centres direct from the Bahrain government, which has a strategy to make better use of rapidly advancing cloud computing technology to boost its economy. If companies can store data in a more secure, cost-effective way, they can better serve their customers and innovate for growth.

Khalid Al Rumaihi, CEO of Bahrain’s inward investment agency Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), explained: “AWS’s commitment to expanding its presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in Bahrain is a major enabler for technology and data-driven business across the GCC.

“The ability to store and share data at speeds the Gulf has never experienced before has the potential to help global corporates, SMEs, entrepreneurs and governments gain competitive advantage at a global level.”

Andy Jassy, AWS’ CEO, added: “As countries in the Middle East look to transform their economies for generations to come, technology will play a major role, and the cloud will be in the middle of that transformation.”

AWS launched in March 2006 with its ‘Simple Storage Service’ for clients. It expanded the business a few months later, enabling customers to rent computing capacity without having to operate their own servers. Since then, both start-ups and multinationals have built their businesses using Amazon’s data centres and back-end infrastructure services. As well as global players such as Adobe, GE, 3M, AOL, Airbnb and Netflix, AWS has worked with several Middle Eastern companies, including FlyDubai, Dubizzle, Fetchr, MBC Group and Careem, and aims to grow its regional client base in the years ahead.

Teresa Carlson, vice-president of worldwide public sector at AWS, told media in Bahrain that a typical data centre houses between 50,000 to 80,000 corporate servers. The three Bahrain availability zones would therefore house close to 300,000 servers at a conservative estimate.

She said demand for cloud data storage is rising every year, driven by the growth of e-commerce, and the region is no different. Middle East e-commerce is expected to double in value to $10bn by 2018 and those operators must find clever and cost-effective ways of storing and utilising the data they compile from their operations. “We don’t think of the cloud as a commodity, but as as something that helps you do what you need to do, better,” Carlson said.

As well as data centres, AWS has 78 global ‘Edge Network’ locations, which are facilities helping to speed up the transmission of data to and from different storage centres around the world. In Bahrain last week, AWS also announced that it would launch its first Edge Network facility in the Middle East, in the UAE in 2018.

However, Bahrain was selected to house the data centres “because of its central location within the Gulf”, according to Carlson. She said the region had represented a “hole” in AWS’s global data centre coverage and that the company had been seeking opportunities to set up in the Middle East for years. It already has offices in Bahrain and Dubai and is building a 100 megawatt (MW) solar plant in Bahrain, which is set to come online in 2019 to power a substantial portion of the company’s regional operations. In addition, AWS is recruiting for more than 50 jobs in the Gulf, sources say, with roles including solutions architects, partner/client managers and PR professionals.

“This is day one in the Middle East for us,” said Carlton. “We are only just scratching the surface of what we can do.”

For its part, Bahrain hopes AWS will be a new engine of economic growth at a time when the country’s economy – though more diversified than other Gulf states – has been lagging. Fitch Ratings in March forecast 2.4 percent GDP growth in 2017/18, compared to an estimated 3.4 percent growth last year. Bahrain’s fiscal deficit is expected to narrow only slightly to 12.3 percent of GDP this year from 13.6 percent in 2016, as oil prices remain below the country’s breakeven figure, Fitch said.

Bahrain’s government has already adopted cloud computing technology to cut some of its internal operating costs and streamline services. It claimed last week to have reduced costs by up to 90 percent within some departments, and by 30 percent across the board since last year’s budget. To facilitate and regulate widespread use of advanced technology in Bahrain, EDB’s Al Rumaihi said the government plans to publish dedicated legislation around data privacy and security before the end of the year.

He concluded: “Cloud services make a tremendous difference to companies. Information usually has to travel far and wide, but now the required infrastructure is here in the region –in Bahrain.”

To view original article, click here: http://www.arabianbusiness.com/industries/technology/379909-focus-bahrain-to-become-home-for-big-data

Is it fake news? A new program aims to enhance media literacy among Canadian students

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Article by The Canadian Press

A classroom program aimed at teaching Canadian elementary and high school students how to detect fake news in an
era in which almost anyone can publish information is under development, groups behind the initiative said Tuesday.

Called NewsWise, the idea is to enhance general news literacy among students aged nine to 19, an increasingly important skill set when so many readily accessible news accounts are unreliable or simply fabricated.

“Fake news accelerates distrust in our institutions, including distrust of the trained media who spend so much time trying to hold the powerful to account,” David Walmsley, editor of The Globe and Mail, said in a statement.

“This initiative provides an arena to engage a younger audience and to ensure they’re equipped with the skills to identify reliable sources of information.”

Canada has not been immune

The fake news issue gained global prominence with the U.S. election that saw Donald Trump become president. Trump has been especially vocal in denouncing highly visible news outlets for purveying, in his view, false information.

Social media have become a key means for spreading news, with the difference between real, mistaken and deliberately fake information often hard to discern. Canada has not been immune to the false news phenomenon.

Two organizations, CIVIX and the Canadian Journalism Foundation, said they would work with academics and journalists to develop the curriculum for about 1.5 million Canadian students. CIVIX, a national charity focused on getting youth engaged in civics, stressed the importance of reliable news sources to a functional democracy.

“Giving young Canadians an understanding of the role journalism plays in our society and the know-how to find and filter information is essential in nurturing an informed citizenry for the long term,” said Taylor Gunn, the group’s president.

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter that allow easy and free access to news from a huge variety of sources have also contributed to the financial pressures facing traditional journalism outlets, who strive to present accurate information in an increasingly crowded news-scape.

‘Almost by definition a good thing’

Google Canada, part of the worldwide information behemoth that has come under fire from some mainstream news organizations for making their product widely available at no cost to consumers, is providing $500,000 to fund NewsWise.

John Fraser, head of the National NewsMedia Council, praised the literacy initiative.

“Making sure young people understand the importance and value of responsible journalism is, almost by definition, a good thing,” said Fraser whose organization deals with public complaints about newsmedia articles. “It is also adroit of Google to affirm its commitment to credible information and the social responsibility of tech giants in these uncertain times.”

The current plan is to roll out NewsWise ahead of the Ontario election, slated for early June, other pending provincial elections, and the federal election due in 2019.

In an online blog post, Gunn and the foundation’s Natalie Turvey said the explosion of social-media platforms has changed how news is consumed and shared — but knowledge about how reliable news is generated can be woefully lacking.

“We need to help Canadians better understand how quality journalism is produced and how to determine which sources of information are reliable,” Gunn and Turvey wrote. “News literacy  skills are essential to this process.”

To view original article, click here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/fake-news-students-media-literacy-1.4297256

Is your business marketing to millennials properly?

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The way young people shop and live their lives has changed radically in the last five years. In advance of Sydney’s Millennial 2020 summit, Mumbrella presents five surprising facts about twenty and thirtysomethings.

Australian millennials have the second-lowest rate of home ownership in the world

A smaller percentage of Aussie millennials own their own homes compared to every other country in the world bar the UAE, according to HSBC. A survey of 9,000 young people found only 28% of Australians aged 18-36 had a place to call their own, compared to 70% in China and 35% in the US. While 83% said they intended to buy in the next five years, the bank predicts that is unrealistic in today’s market.

 A clothing brand’s online store has a huge impact on its popularity

Nike, Victoria’s Secret and Sephora are the most popular fashion labels among young US shoppers, so says publisher Conde Nast and investment bank Goldman Sachs. However, the research found that it is a brand’s online shop that is one of the biggest contributing factors to favourability.

Millennials now look to social media for inspiration before booking a holiday

Research by trends monitor Skift found 87% of millennials look to Facebook for travel inspiration and 97% post about their experiences on social media. The findings reveal how young people increasingly value recommendations from their friends over shiny brochures and travel-agent tips.

Aussie businesses will spend more on digital ads than print and TV as millennials’ habits change

Australian businesses will spend more money on digital advertising than traditional media for the first time in 2017 (now 52% from 48%), according to media buying agency Zenith. Last year Aussie companies spent $14bn on promotions. The shift comes as separate data shows that a majority of millennials have shared advertising on social media.

Young Aussies are now happy to import goods if they can’t get what they want at home

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that $6.2bn worth of retail goods are imported each year by customers. This is likely to consist mostly of millennials as 67% say they prefer to shop on the internet than in-store. The figures come as international brands such as Amazon, Lidl and Debenhams are rumoured to be opening in Australia.

 

To read the original article, click here: https://mumbrella.com.au/now-australian-millennials-second-lowest-rate-home-ownership-world-471510

Media in the Middle East: A new study shows how the Arab world gets and shares digital news

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Article by NiemanLab

Arab nationals are more likely than Americans to get news from social media, and younger Arabs are more likely to trust it than their older compatriots.

These are some of the findings from the fifth annual Media Use in the Middle East survey conducted by Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q). The studies, which were launched in 2013 to chart people’s media use and involve more than 7,000 subjects, are the most extensive surveys of their kind and among the few such regional longitudinal studies in the world.

The study covers media use and public opinion in seven key nations in the region: the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia, and Egypt. (Egypt was surveyed in June and July 2017, five months after other countries, and is not included in regional average figures.) Data for the other six countries was collected prior to the diplomatic blockade of Qatar and thus predates recent PR and information wars in the region.

In a region grappling with issues of an evolving and often restricted media system, there may be signs for encouragement in the high levels of use — and, among more sophisticated users, trust — of news from social media.

Smartphone ownership in the countries surveyed is extremely high — 84 percent overall, with more than 9 in 10 nationals in Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE owning a smartphone. Over three-quarters of nationals get news on their phones, second only to news on TV.

How news is consumed on social media

A recent Pew study reported that two-thirds of Americans say they get at least some news from social media, including 20 percent who say they do so “hardly ever.” In the NU-Q survey of the Middle East, two-thirds say they get news from social media every day. Eight in 10 Arab nationals (79 percent) say they get at least some news from social media.

The Middle East and the U.S. have similar rates of Facebook penetration and similar rates of users who get news on the platform. This is despite a general decline in Facebook use in the region, led by sharp declines in the Gulf. Since 2015, Facebook usership dropped in Saudi Arabia (76 to 55 percent), United Arab Emirates (83 to 70 percent), and Qatar (43 to 22 percent). Overall, 40 percent of those in the countries studied get news from Facebook.

But there are also stark differences between these countries and the United States. 67 percent of Arab nationals use WhatsApp, and 28 percent of the total population gets news from the platform. Pew found that only 11 percent of Americans use WhatsApp, and only 2 percent say they get news that way.

Use of video-first, closed-network Snapchat is divided between the high-connection-speed, privacy-concerned Gulf countries and the rest. In the Gulf, usership is more than 50 percent, while in non-Gulf countries it remains below 20 percent (in the U.S., it’s 18 percent). News use on the platform is similarly divided — far more Snapchat users in the Gulf use it to get news (55 percent in Qatar, 51 percent in United Arab Emirates, and 37 percent in Saudi Arabia).

Trust in news in general, and news on social media

Trust in mass media is high. Overall, Arab nationals are twice as likely as Americans to trust mass media. This level of trust is generally consistent across age groups and education levels.

When asked about trust in news from social media, the picture changes. Trust in news from social media is lower, at 47 percent region-wide. And gaps appear between age groups. 50 percent of adults between 18 and 24 trust news they get from social media, compared to 36 percent of those 45 and older.

People who trust news on social media are not only younger, but also better educated. Of those who have at least a high school-level degree, 50 percent say they trust news from social media; among those with less than a secondary degree, 36 percent trust news from social media.

Might it be that the people who say they trust news from social media are not ignorant of or indifferent to quality information, but in fact are more sophisticated users of social media, with better-curated feeds containing more reliable sources? Social media and mass media are not mutually exclusive. Traditional journalism outlets rely heavily on social media referrals for their site traffic if they even still bother to try driving traffic to their websites at all.

All respondents are still more likely to say they trust mass media than social media. It’s just that news from social media is more likely to be trusted by younger, better-educated people — which is to say more native, sophisticated users of the medium.

The report is conducted each year with multiple purposes in mind — as an impartial assessment of media use aimed at academics, industry professionals, and others. The data are also contributed to the World Internet Project, conducted by the USC Annenberg School, of which NU-Q is a member.

In a region where censorship and free speech can be controversial, the study is used as a template for discussion and debate that might not otherwise be encouraged.

You can read the full report here.

Findings reflect nationally representative samples of over 1,000 respondents in each country. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in most countries, and by phone in Qatar. The study was led by Northwestern University in Qatar Dean and CEO Everette E. Dennis and researchers Justin Martin and Robb Wood. Field work was done by the Harris Poll.

 

To view original article, click here: http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/09/media-in-the-middle-east-a-new-study-shows-how-the-arab-world-gets-and-shares-digital-news/

Twinpine Networks: “Nigeria remains the most mobilized country in the world”

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Article by Fumnanya Agbugah for Ventures Africa

According to a recent report released by Twinpine Networks, a premium mobile advertising network, Nigeria has retained its position as the most mobilized country in the world. Mobile penetration in the country increased from 40 percent recorded last year to 74 percent this year. 81 percent of the mobile traffic in Nigeria comes through mobile compared to India and South Africa, which has 79 percent and 78 percent respectively.

With the growing number of mobile phone users in Nigeria, it is not out of place to say that Nigerians are mobile-obsessed. This is due to the fact that almost everyone in the country, which includes those in the rural area, has a phone. People who don’t have electricity in their homes look for ways to charge their phones. The power bank market in the country is also a growing market because people need a mobile backup charger to charge their phones. Businesses in Nigeria now make use of mobile advertising to advertise their businesses instead of making use of the older way of using billboards, which actually costs more.

The report titled “ 2017 Nigeria Mobile trend report” also revealed that there are 91.5 million unique mobile users in Nigeria out of an estimated 192 million people.

Some other highlights of the reports are

Usage of multi-sim phones 

The report revealed that Nigeria is the country with the highest number of multi-sim phones in the world. The number stands at 66 percent followed by Bangladesh and Tanzania, which stands at 63 percent and 53 percent respectively.

Online activities that Nigerians engage in weekly

Social media is the most popular activity that Nigerians engage on followed by using search engines, checking emails and watching online videos.

Mobile commerce trend in Nigeria

The report showed that 63 percent of all M-Commerce orders in Nigeria come from Mobile. The top three products that Nigerians use their mobile phones to buy are mobile phones, beauty and perfumes and women’s clothing. Surprisingly, the report revealed that more men shop online than women. 61 percent of mobile shoppers are men while 39 percent are women.

Type of app that Nigerians pay for

Most Nigerians hardly pay for apps but the report revealed that Nigerians who paid for apps paid for game apps followed by music and entertainment.

How many Nigerians use mobile banking app

According to the report, about 71.5 percent of Nigerians use a mobile banking app. The benefits of using mobile banking apps are numerous. 63.6 percent of them use it to transfer money, 47.3 percent use it to purchase airtime and 42.7 percent use it to check their account balance

For more insight on the report, please click here to download.

To view original article, click here: http://venturesafrica.com/nigeria-remains-the-most-mobilized-country-in-the-world/

ICCO launches new Awards Partnership Program in Russia

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ICCO has launched a new Awards Partnership Program last week in Russia, with an agreement to support the PROBA Awards. This project aims to offer ICCO members more knowledge, experience and best practice in running industry awards programmes.

ICCO will provide its association and corporate members with a full package of know-how for the organisation of local awards, while also securing jury members, selecting judging criteria and providing general event management advice. ICCO’s mission is to raise the standard and quality of the member association’s awards, and provide the best exposure for campaigns in local markets.

Maxim Behar, ICCO President said: “We are very glad that we started this project – it will definitely bring many new benefits for our members, will make their local awards programmes much more prestigious, more professional, and have great international impact. Also, the usage of the ICCO brand will guarantee ethical and transparent procedures when selecting the winners, according to international standards.”

In Russia, ICCO has partnered with leading PR agency SPN Communications, on the PROBA Awards, and will also be working in close co-operation with the Russian PR Association AKOS.

Andrey Barannikov, CEO of SPN Communications said: “Needless to say how proud we are to have such an amazing community like ICCO to be our partner. With my colleagues from AKOS we are definitely going to raise the level of the Russian PR Awards and also we hope that the rest of the ICCO member countries will join us.”

About ICCO

ICCO is the global voice of public relations consultancies, with membership comprising national trade associations, networks, and agencies across 55 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Australasia. Collectively these associations represent over 2,500 PR firms. ICCO’s major events include the ICCO Global Summit and the ICCO Global Awards, and ICCO is a proud sponsor of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and Young PR Lions. ICCO produces the World PR Report, an annual definitive study of the global public relations industry, and provides online training and qualifications across a range of levels and skill sets.

www.iccopr.com

About SPN Communications

SPN Communications is one of the oldest and largest communication agencies in Russia and CIS. It was founded in 1990. There are four main offices: in Moscow, St Petersburg, Kiev and Almaty, together with the smaller branch offices in 20 large cities of Russia. The total number of employees is over 250 people. It held the first position in the National Rating of Communication Companies in 2012 and 2013, ‘The Best Agency of Russia and CIS’ according to The Holmes Report. SPN Communications is the first holder of the IPRA Golden World Awards, it was awarded with SABRE Awards sixteen times (the first and three-time winner of Global SABRE Awards). For eight years the agency was the part of the international Ogilvy Public Relations network and was called SPN Ogilvy. Since 2014 the company has been working as an independent agency under the name – SPN Communications. SPN Communications provides a 360-degree field of communication services.

www.spncomms.com

 

Holmes Report: 2017 Asia-Pacific Consultancies Of The Year

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Weber Shandwick was named 2017 Asia-Pacific Regional Consultancy of the Year (Large),
at the SABRE Awards yesterday evening, in the process becoming the first ever agency to sweep the Holmes Report’s 2017 Regional Agency of the Year honours, after earlier winning North America and EMEA.

The Interpublic Group firm prevailed over Edelman, H+K Strategies, MSL and Ogilvy PR to win the category, following an impressive regional performance across all markets and industry sectors.

Meanwhile, Ruder Finn took home the same honour among Regional Midsize firmsin the region, while 11 others were recognised as Consultancies of the Year across Geographic and Specialist categories. Full analysis of all Winners & Finalists can be found here or below.

Asia-Pacific Regional Consultancy of the Year (Large): Weber Shandwick

Asia-Pacific Regional Consultancy of the Year (Midsize): Ruder Finn

Geographic

Australasian Consultancy of the Year: Herd MSL

Greater China Consultancy of the Year: Ogilvy PR

India Consultancy of the Year: Genesis Burson-Marsteller

North Asia Consultancy of the Year: Prain Global

Southeast Asia Consultancy of the Year: Vero

Specialist

Consumer Consultancy of the Year: Eleven

Corporate Consultancy of the Year: SPRG

Digital Consultancy of the Year: BlueFocus Digital

Healthcare Consultancy of the Year: SPAG Asia

Technology Consultancy of the Year: Text 100

New Consultancy of the Year: Redhill Communications

The selections are the result of an exhaustive research process involving more than 125 submissions and meetings with the best PR firms across Asia-Pacific.

To view the original article, click here: https://www.holmesreport.com/latest/article/2017-asia-pacific-consultancies-of-the-year-winners-revealed

Bell Pottinger: Is the Public Relations Industry Experiencing An Ethics Crisis?

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Article by Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D., President and CEO, Institute for Public Relations

Yesterday, I received a call from one of the public relations industry’s trade publications about the Bell Pottinger case to give my opinion on whether what happened in the U.K. could happen in the U.S., and if our industry was experiencing an “ethics crisis.” My response was no. We have seen unprincipled behavior in our industry’s past, whether it’s from astroturfing[1], agencies representing questionable clients, or companies doing the wrong thing. These are typically one-offs. What is different in the Bell Pottinger UK case is the global spotlight on this unprincipled behavior.

Our industry is not the legal industry. The bedrock principle that everyone deserves legal representation when accused of a crime should not apply to us. Representing unscrupulous clients degrades our industry and the Bell Pottinger UK case is a good reminder of this. We need to take a look within our organizations and ensure there is a codified process of checks and balances to ensure we are behaving ethically and not taking on dishonest clients. Short-term gains do not equal long-term success. If built on a stack of cards, those cards will eventually fall. Transparency is critical. One useful guidepost to apply is the “ethic of care” theory that takes into consideration the “other” with four elements: attentiveness, responsibility, competence, and responsiveness.

This case also raised questions about who knew what and a potentially troubled culture within Bell Pottinger UK, which one former employee called “toxic.” Additionally, some internal decision-makers were unaware of the work done for Oakbay. Agencies must operate with a conscience. The work of a handful of employees can taint the reputation of an agency on a global scale, and have a significant impact on the lives of employees who had no involvement in this scandal.

Being ethics-oriented is key, but it takes work. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said, “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” This is not always easy. Decisions are complex and sometimes information is missing. Other times, we can get distracted by the shiny ball. Cognitive dissonance and groupthink are two theories that give evidence to why we make poor decisions. Clearly, Bell Pottinger UK in this case was not focused on “what is right to do” in terms of this specific client and they violated universal human rights.

I applaud the PRCA and their decision to expel Bell Pottinger UK from its association for five years. Having a prominent industry association swiftly condemn these actions and hold the organizations accountable is crucial for the reputation of our industry, and the stakeholders and communities we represent. I hope this serves as a reminder that we need to review our processes and hold our industry accountable.

 

About the Institute for Public Relations

The Institute for Public Relations is an independent, nonprofit research foundation dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations™. IPR focuses on research that matters to the profession, providing timely insights and applied intelligence that professionals can put to immediate use. All research is available free at www.instituteforpr.org and provides the basis for IPR’s professional conferences and events.

[1] Astroturfing occurs when an organization or group presents itself as working for a public interest, while being sponsored by a corporate or political sponsor without disclosing the source of support.