PRCA UK Census 2016 reveals that the PR industry is worth £12.9bn

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Article by PRCA

The PR Census 2016 launched by PRCA has revealed that the UK PR industry is worth £12.9bn – over £3bn more than previous figures in 2013.

In 2016, the PR industry’s value is estimated to have grown by 34% since 2013 when it reached £9.62bn.

The PR Census 2016 has also revealed that the PR industry has grown to around 83,000 employees. This is an impressive level of growth since 2013 when it was 62,000 strong.

Launched yesterday, the PR Census 2016 is the most comprehensive and authoritative analysis of the PR industry, developed by the PRCA in conjunction with PRWeek and global research house YouGov.

Francis Ingham MPRCA, Director General, PRCA, said:

“Three things stand out for me from the PR Census 2016.

“The first is growth. Our industry is surging ahead, becoming bigger and bigger. And that growth is seen in pretty much every sector. The industry, it seems to me, has settled down to a balance between what we used to think of as its new and its traditional forms.

“The second is difference. Differences in gender balance; in pay; in expertise and duties. The industry is composed of plenty of unique hubs of PR excellence all around the country, all powering forward in slightly different manners.

“And the third is challenge. The gender pay gap is still obvious, and still troubling. We still recruit from too narrow a circle, denying ourselves access to some outstanding talent. And far too many of our industry still –remarkably- turn to AVEs when measuring their impact.

“We intend using every bit of influence we have to address every one of those challenges.”

Danny Rogers FPRCA, Editor-in-Chief, PRWeek, said:

“As someone who has been in and around this industry for two decades – first as a graduate trainee in PR, and later as an industry editor and author – what strikes me about the PR Census, is how little the big themes actually change.

“We are still discussing the future of print, the hot growth of healthcare and tech, the difficulties of measurement and the lack of diversity. But the industry is getting most things right. Because for most of those two decades UK PR spend has been growing rapidly, and continues to do so. Another constant is PR’s adaptability – and this is more critical than ever as technology and media rapidly transform each other.”

The PR Census 2016 also revealed:

Demographics

The PR industry remains a young industry, with an average age of 28. It is a female-led industry, with 64% of its employees being women. 34% of PR people have children or dependents.

There has been little change in PR’s diversity since 2011, with 91% being white and 89% being British. However, the youngest generations in the industry represent important improvements in diversity levels.

Undergraduate degrees remain the predominant highest form of education, a fact that becomes more prevalent with each younger generation.

Opinions

51% of industry members believe that PR is a profession. 40% see it as an industry.

The Barcelona Principles 2.0 are the leading form of PR evaluation, but AVEs remain a significant measurement format.

Technology and health are the mostly hotly-tipped sectors to increase investment in PR in the coming years.

Digital, S.E.O., and online communications are seen as the tasks that have most increased in importance over the last two years, and also those that will increase most in the coming years.

Sales promotion, general media relations and writing articles, newsletters etc, are the roles thought to have most decreased in importance over the past two years.

What do we do?

Our leading duties are general media relations, media relations strategy planning, and digital and social media.

The senior members of the industry oversee communications strategy development and reputation management; while younger members handle general media relations and writing.

Technology and consumer services, media, and marketing continue to be the most prevalent sectors in which PR agencies work.

PR agencies are most likely to be made up of between 11-50 people. In-house teams are overwhelmingly made up of 2-5 people, regardless of organisational size.

Salaries, benefits and working hours

The average PR salary is £45,100, down from £53,781 in 2013.

The average agency salary is £44,805, down from £54,311 in 2013. Pay at the senior levels has fallen, but professionals who are Account Director-level or below have seen a small increase.

In-house salaries increase more uniformly, and the average salary is £43,591, down from £50,438.

The average freelancer salary is £56,789, down from £73,322 in 2013.

There is a significant pay disparity between men and women, an average of £9,111.

The highest salaries in PR agencies go to those handling central government work, alongside retail and wholesale, and food, beverages and tobacco. In-house salaries peak for those working for technology, finance, and utilities companies.

PR professionals are contracted to work, on average, 35 hours a week. However, the average amount of time they are actually working is 45 hours a week.

The leading form of flexible working in the PR industry is flexitime (core hours with flexible start and finish) which is taken up by 28% of the industry.

ENDS

The market sizing data was calculated by taking a combination of historical data from the previous PR Censuses published in 2011 and 2013, combined with PRCA benchmarking studies, and the Government’s ONS tables of industry sizing and growth.

The online survey generated 1,874 responses, and was generated by YouGov using two different sample sources:

  • Targeted sample sent to PRCA members and PRWeek subscribers
  • Public link on PRWeek and PRCA websites

The fieldwork was undertaken between 17th February – 26th April 2016.

 

About PRCA UK

Who we are: Founded in 1969, the PRCA is a UK-based PR membership body, operating in 45 countries around the world. We represent in excess of 20,000 people across the whole range of the PR industry. The PRCA promotes all aspects of public relations and internal communications work, helping teams and individuals maximise the value they deliver to clients and organisations.

What we do: The Association exists to raise standards in PR and communications, providing members with industry data, facilitating the sharing of communications best practice and creating networking opportunities.

How we do it and make a difference: All PRCA members are bound by a professional charter and codes of conduct, and benefit from exceptional training. The Association also works for the greater benefit of the industry, sharing best practice and lobbying on the industry’s behalf e.g. fighting the NLA’s digital licence.

Who we represent: The PRCA currently has more than 400 agency members; 270 in-house communications teams from multinationals, charities and leading public sector organisations; and thousands of individual members.

 

ICCO and APRA announce partnership to grow global PR industry

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International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) and the African Public Relations Association (APRA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to work much closer together for future common projects. This took place on the back of APRA’s 28th Annual General Meeting held in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. 
 
Maxim Behar, ICCO President and Peter Mutie, President of APRA signed the agreement in the presence of APRA Vice President Christina Chima and former Secretary General and new APRA President Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, as well as representatives of more than 25 countries from Africa and beyond that attended.
 
According to the memorandum,  APRA will promote and represent ICCO activities in Africa, and ICCO will deliver to all APRA members its newly launched newsletter, published together with global leader in industry news PRWeek. The two associations will also exchange constant information about their members and activities, and also their Boards will have regular meetings.
 
Maxim Behar, ICCO President says:
“We are all very happy to have APRA as our partner. Africa is a very fast growing market, PR business seems to be booming in some countries and ICCO is ready to partner with them. We also welcome our African friends to the next ICCO Summit in Oxford, UK at the end of September 2016, and also will also extend to them the opportunity to enter as many applications as possible for the ICCO Global PR Awards held two months later in London.”
 
Peter Mutie, APRA President says:
“APRA is extremely delighted about the partnership with ICCO. We believe both organisations have so much to gain from one another as demonstrated during this conference. In particular, we believe that the partnership will help grow the number and quality of PR consultants on the African continent”. 

Serbian Public Relations Association awards the best in the field

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The Serbian Public Relations Association (DSOJ) awarded the best communication campaigns, projects and initiatives in 2015 at the traditional 19th annual reception PRijem held this week in Belgrade.

The special guest of the evening was Maxim Behar, President of the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) that recently welcomed DSOJ within its members. A total of 87 projects competed for the awards in 13 different categories at this year’s PRijem.

On the occasion of awarding ceremony, President of DSOJ, Jelena Sarenac, said to guests at the event:

“The Serbian Public Relations Association gathers all PR professionals in Serbia and improves our profession actively. We want to empower cooperation with our colleagues and similar organisations all over the world, in order to keep in track with newest trends and also present examples of good practice from our market globally. At this journey, membership in ICCO is vital for us, since it makes our organisation more visible both in our country and internationally. We are very happy and proud for having the President of ICCO, Mr. Maxim Behar, with us at our yearly awarding ceremony in Belgrade.”

At this year’s awarding ceremony, the Serbian Public Relations Association awarded Represent Communications with PR agency of the year (large agencies) and SVA agency (small and medium agencies).

Awards also went to New Moment New Ideas Company, Executive Group, Home Page, Smart Vision and Blumen Group, while a special award for Extraordinary Contribution to Communications went to Miloje Sekulic from Home Page agency.

 

ABOUT SERBIAN PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION (DSOJ)

The Serbian Public Relations Association was established on 17 May 2004, continuing the tradition of PR Society of Yugoslavia – the oldest professional organisation in this field on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The company founders are prominent representatives of the University, the agency for public relations, government institutions and organisations, as well as large private companies. The mission of the organisation is to contribute to the field and the public relations profession, to assist the introduction and implementation of the highest professional and ethical standards and implement cutting-edge professional programs, organisation of conferences, seminars and training, as well as international cooperation and exchange of experiences.

http://pr.org.rs/

 

New Italian guidelines for private tenders: agreement between Assorel and UPA

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Assorel, Italian PR Agencies Association and ICCO Member, and Utenti Pubblicità Associati (UPA), the organisation representing Italian investors in communication, have drawn up a document providing guidelines for the correct and transparent conduct of the selection of the agencies during a private tender.

According to the two Associations, consultations would be the most profitable way to start the selection, but if for operational reasons a tender is required it is good practice to have reports for its proper conduct, or to establish shared principles between clients and agencies.

The document includes guidelines about the number of participants, indication of agencies invited to participate in a tender, evaluation criteria of projects, timing of presentations and flat rate refunds for all projects.

The report does not offer prescriptive directions, but shared principles between clients and agencies. With these guidelines UPA and Assorel hope to set a relationship that benefits the quality of work and results for both parties.

For more information:

http://www.assorel.it/relazioni-pubbliche/presspdf/press_allegato2pdf_2213.pdf

ASSOREL – Alessandro Costella – direzione@assorel.it

UPA – Giovanna Maggioni –  giovanna.maggioni@upa.it

 

About ASSOREL

ASSOREL is the Italian Association of Public Relations Agencies, founded in 1982 which brings together the major operators in Italy and a member of Confindustria Intellect and ICCO – International Communications Consultancy Organisation – the global organization that brings together the Associations of 36 countries.

About UPA

Utenti Pubblicità Associati (UPA) is an Association that brings together the most important and prestigious industrial companies, commercial and service companies that invest in advertising and communications in Italy.

ICCO Summit 2016 to be held in Oxford, United Kingdom

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The PRCA is pleased to announce that this year’s ICCO (International Communications Consultancy Organisation) Summit will be taking place in Oxford, United Kingdom, between 29-30th September.

The ICCO Summit is a unique event that brings together senior practitioners from public relations consultancies around the world. With insightful talks, thought-provoking panel discussions, and lively networking drinks, the two-day event is a must for those wishing to engage with some of the most influential professionals in the industry.

Maxim Behar, President, ICCO, said: “Everyone in ICCO is looking forward to another successful Global Summit, taking place this time in Oxford. Oxford is a symbolic place for academia and knowledge and we will undoubtedly bring the best PR practitioners from all over the world. Many have noted that one of the most important issues in our industry recently is the convergence between advertising, PR and digital media, and we believe that this will be among the main topics of the Global Summit.

Francis Ingham MPRCA, Chief Executive, ICCO, said: “It is with absolute pleasure that we announce that the ICCO Summit 2016 is taking place in a location of such a high global standing. The Summit will, as always, bring together some of the biggest names from the global PR industry in a vibrant and exciting environment, and we will be tackling several of the biggest issues our industry faces.”

 

About PRCA

Who we are: Founded in 1969, the PRCA is a UK-based PR membership body, operating in 45 countries around the world. We represent in excess of 20,000 people across the whole range of the PR industry. The PRCA promotes all aspects of public relations and internal communications work, helping teams and individuals maximise the value they deliver to clients and organisations.

What we do: The Association exists to raise standards in PR and communications, providing members with industry data, facilitating the sharing of communications best practice and creating networking opportunities.

How we do it and make a difference: All PRCA members are bound by a professional charter and codes of conduct, and benefit from exceptional training. The Association also works for the greater benefit of the industry, sharing best practice and lobbying on the industry’s behalf e.g. fighting the NLA’s digital licence.

Who we represent: The PRCA currently has more than 350 agency members; over 250 in-house communications teams from multinationals, charities and leading public sector organisations; and thousands of individual members.

http://www.prca.org.uk/

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 representing 48 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Australia. Collectively, these associations represent some 2,500 PR firms.

http://www.iccopr.com/

GWPR to undertake global gender pay gap survey

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Women’s PR industry body GWPR (Global Women in Public Relations) is planning to undertake a global gender pay gap survey in 2016.

GWPR is a new international network of independent Women in PR associations, providing a forum for networking groups of senior PR women to meet, share contacts and experiences for their mutual benefit. It is also an important channel for discussion on major issues affecting women working in the global PR industry.

Sue Hardwick MPRCA and Angela Oakes MPRCA, co-founders of GWPR said: “In the UK, women constitute two thirds of the overall working population in the PR industry, however there is a widely reported gender pay gap. Quite simply, men and women in the UK PR industry are not being equally rewarded.

We believe that this issue is not limited to the UK, but is affecting the majority of women working in PR around the world. Initiating this Global Gender Pay Gap Survey will enable us to highlight the bigger picture.

GWPR was launched last year, as an umbrella organisation linking WPR networking groups, so we can address key issues like this both for women and for the PR industry worldwide.”

GWPR has recently been appointed a place on the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) Board of Management, which will offer a global platform for the research. ICCO comprises PR trade associations representing over 2,500 agencies, in 48 countries worldwide.

ICCO Chief Executive Francis Ingham MPRCA said: “There is a global problem with the gender pay gap in PR, and we are very pleased that GWPR is seeking to address this issue. The existence of a gap deters entrants into our industry, and encourages leavers from it. With GWPR now a member of the ICCO Board, we can work closely to shine a light on this incredibly concerning problem. And having shone that light, we can then take action to solve it.”

If you have any questions about the research or are interested in taking part, please contact Sue Hardwick (sue@globalwpr.com) or Angela Oakes (angela@globalwpr.com)

 

About GWPR

GWPR (Global Women in PR) is a new international network of independent Women in PR associations. As an umbrella organisation, GWPR provides an invaluable international forum for networking groups of senior PR women to meet, share contacts, experiences and ideas for their mutual benefit. It is also an important channel for debating and drawing attention to the major issues affecting women working in the global PR industry today.

http://www.globalwpr.com/

 

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 representing 48 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Australia. Collectively, these associations represent some 2,500 PR firms.

http://www.iccopr.com/

PR to be represented across multiple juries at Cannes Lions 2016

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The juries have been announced for the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, with public relations professionals taking places in PR Lions, Glass Lions, Health & Wellness Lions and the new Lions Entertainment.

Across the whole festival nearly 400 people from 40 countries have been confirmed as judges, with 40 per cent of all jurors comprising women, up from 31 per cent last year.

The festival is taking place from 18 – 25 June in Cannes, with the judging occurring live on-site and the awards ceremonies scheduled throughout the week.

The PR Lions jury will be led by John Clinton, North American Head of Creative and Content at Edelman. There are a total of 21 jurors from both independent agencies and networks on the PR Lions jury who will judge the world’s best creative PR campaigns over 6 days.

Mary Whenman, President of Women in PR, has been selected for the Glass Lions jury, the award that recognises work that addresses issues of gender inequality through the representation of gender in advertising and communications.

Pascal Beucler, Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer at MSLGroup has been selected for the new Lions Entertainment jury, which will review all forms of audio-visual entertainment, live experiences, gaming, sport and talent.

On the Health & Wellness Lions jury the PR industry will be represented by Melyssa Weible, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Elixir Health PR; Peter Matheson Gay, Executive Creative Director – Health, Weber Shandwick (USA); and Anne de Schweinitz, Global Managing Director – Heathcare, FleishmanHillard Healthcare.

 

The 2016 PR Lions jury:

John Clinton, Chair, Canada: North American Head of Creative and Content, Edelman (USA)

Almudena Alonso, Managing Director, Cohn & Wolfe (Spain)

Amanda Galmes, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Fuel Communications (Australia)

Barbara Pleban, Co-owner & Vice President, Multi Communications (Poland)

Edson Giusti, Chief Executive Officer, Giusti Communications (Brazil)

Erin Gentry, EVP, Global Co-Lead, Client Services, Hill+Knowlton Strategies (USA)

Hannes Kerstell, Senior Partner & Executive Media Director, Prime – A Weber Shandwick Company (Sweden)

Hanning Kempe, General Managing Director, FleishmanHillard (Germany)

Heidi Holm, Client Service Director & Partner, Dinamo (Norway)

Ingrid Wobst, Chief Executive Officer, Colectivo (Colombia)

Isabel Jorge de Carvalho, Chief Executive Officer – Partner, Global Press (Portugal)

Kat Thomas, Founder / Global Executive Creative Director, One Green Bean (UK)

Kazuaki Hashida, Creative Director, Hakuhodo Kettle (Japan)

Kelly Bennett, Founder & Managing Director, One Plus One Communications (New Zealand)

Laure Miquel-Jean, Head of PR, Pride / TBWA (Belgium)

Leticia Mar, Partner, Alterpraxis (Mexico)

Marion Darrieutort, Chief Executive Officer, Elan Edelman (Finland)

Scott Kronick, President & CEO, Ogilvy Public Relations (Asia Pacific)

Stefania Mercuri, Partner – General Manager, MY PR (Italy)

Valerie Pinto, Chief Executive Officer, Weber Shandwick (India)

Veronica Cheja, CEO & Founder, Urban Communication Group (Argentina)

 

The full lists of judges are available on the Cannes Lions website.

 

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 representing 48 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East,the Americas and Australia. Collectively, these associations represent some 2,500 PR firms. ICCO is the proud sponsor of the Young Lions PR Competition and The House of PR cabana at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2016.

PRCA MENA becomes ICCO member

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At the ICCO (International Communications Consultancy Organisation) Board Meeting on Friday, 15th April 2016, Francis Ingham MPRCA announced that PRCA MENA will become the newest member of the international consultancy.

PRCA MENA launched in Dubai on 8th March 2016 to drive the sharing of best practices, engagement in world class training, raise industry standards, and allow members to network with like-minded professionals.

ICCO is the voice of consultancies around the world. The ICCO membership comprises national trade associations representing 48 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australia. Collectively, these associations represent some 2,500 PR firms.

Maxim Behar MPRCA, ICCO President, said: “We are really happy to welcome PRCA MENA as a member of the largest and most influential global PR community. For the past couple of years ICCO has grown like never before and one of the reasons for this is our highly professional and efficient cooperation with the PRCA in London. On the other hand, both Middle East and North Africa are extremely interesting regions for ICCO and we hope that countries from MENA will soon also join the community and will have their seats on the Board”.

Loretta Ahmed CMPRCA, PRCA MENA Co-Chairman, said: “It is with excitement that we announce PRCA MENA as an ICCO member. ICCO has been working across the globe for some time now and both ICCO and PRCA MENA members will be able to benefit from the sharing of their networks and best practice guides that this membership will bring.”

If you would like to discuss becoming a member of ICCO or any other related opportunities then please contact Charlene Corrin and for PRCA MENA, please contact Leanne Foy.

Written by PRCA.

Boilerplate

About PRCA

Who we are: Founded in 1969, the PRCA is a UK-based PR membership body, operating in 45 countries around the world. We represent in excess of 20,000 people across the whole range of the PR industry. The PRCA promotes all aspects of public relations and internal communications work, helping teams and individuals maximise the value they deliver to clients and organisations.

What we do: The Association exists to raise standards in PR and communications, providing members with industry data, facilitating the sharing of communications best practice and creating networking opportunities.

How we do it and make a difference: All PRCA members are bound by a professional charter and codes of conduct, and benefit from exceptional training. The Association also works for the greater benefit of the industry, sharing best practice and lobbying on the industry’s behalf e.g. fighting the NLA’s digital licence.

Who we represent: The PRCA currently has more than 350 agency members; over 250 in-house communications teams from multinationals, charities and leading public sector organisations; and thousands of individual members.

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 representing 48 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East,the Americas and Australia. Collectively, these associations represent some 2,500 PR firms.

ICCO welcomes two new members from Serbia and Armenia ahead of board meeting in Athens

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International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) is delighted to welcome two new National Members from Serbia and Armenia. The Public Relations Society of Serbia (DSOJ) and the Armenian Public Relations Association (APRA) have joined ICCO right before the first of its bi-annual board meetings, being held in Athens on Thursday and Friday this week.

ICCO now represents PR associations in 35 countries worldwide, and the organisation anticipates this continued growth throughout the year.

Maxim Behar, President of ICCO said: “We all extend a warm welcome to our friends and colleagues from the Public Relations Society of Serbia and also the Armenian Public Relations Association. During my recent visit to both countries I found well developed markets, excellent professional skills and perfect professionals, which I am sure will be a good part of ICCO. I am absolutely sure that our new colleagues will have their important input into ICCO activities and will be active participants in all our events and forums.”

The representative on the ICCO Board of Management for Serbia will be Jelena Šarenac, Head of Corporate Communications at Henkel Serbia and Henkel Adria.

Šarenac said: “We are working intensively in Serbia on promoting the importance of communication and complexity of our profession, offering our members opportunities for networking and further professional development. By joining ICCO, we are looking forward to cooperating with colleagues from all around the world, to exchange experience and knowledge, to provide new learning opportunities for our member, but also a possibility to increase their visibility in the world’s communication community.”

Tatevik Pirumyan, Executive Director of APRA said: “APRA is the first and leading Association of PR and Communication professionals in Armenia. It was established in 2002 and has had tremendous input in the development of the field in Armenia. We are sure that joining ICCO community will greatly contribute both to the development of PR in Armenia through application of international standards and best practices, and to the expansion of professional and business networks outside Armenia”.

 

About ICCO
The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) is the voice of public relations consultancies around the world. The ICCO membership comprises 36 national trade associations in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Collectively, these associations represent some 2,500 PR firms.
www.iccopr.com

Maxim Behar in Paris: ICCO is leading the changes in Global PR business 

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Maxim Behar, President of the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), was last week a leading speaker at the Public Reputation Lab held in Paris. The conference was organised by Syntec Conseil en Relations Publics (SYNTEC), the French public relations association, and was dedicated to the issue of reputation management in the world of social media.

More than 250 high-level professionals attended the event, representing the PR industry as well as French and international corporations.

Behar said: “ICCO has grown to be the most influential and most respected global PR community, and it is obvious that we took the lead in the enormous changes which our business has observed recently.”

“ICCO has recently launched a Committee on Innovations in PR Business, and we hope its report at the forthcoming board meeting in Athens will describe the modern trends in our business, which we will be happy to share with all our members. The Committee will also present at the ICCO Global Summit later this year, and the new criteria will provide a new benchmark for the international jury of the ICCO Global PR Awards,” Behar added.

SYNTEC President, Thierry Wellhoff said: “SYNTEC has been a very active ICCO member for decades and all French PR experts actively participate in the events organised by the international organisation. We were honoured to have the ICCO President at our conference in Paris. Over the past couple of years ICCO has become the true leader of change in our business globally and SYNTEC is a very dedicated member of ICCO”.

Behar also presented the prizes at the SYNTEC Annual Awards for PR achievement in the different categories.