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The ICCO Global Award Entries: The Quest To Demonstrate True Effectiveness

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Article by Renee Wilson, president, PR Council; co-chair of ICCO Global Awards jury

Another awards program? Oh my…….but wait! – here is a chance to get some deserved recognition for your team’s stellar work, while helping educate the global marketing communications community on the power of public relations.

Our industry is going through somewhat of an identity crisis redefining who we are, and what we do, at an incredible pace.  There are many types of different discipline agencies that claim to know how to ‘earn influence’ or ‘earn media’ in a way that public relations can, with credibility and relevance.  However, our discipline is truly an art and a science, and operates in some similar ways but in a lot of unique ways too.

The ICCO Global Awards is a great opportunity for our industry to showcase the way in which public relations campaigns achieve real results, through powerful outcomes.  It is the measurement of changes in attitudes, opinions, and behavior (eg,votes, shares, sales etc.) that truly helps underscore the effectiveness of our campaigns, and what the ICCO Global Awards are all about.

The Cannes Lions Festival and Awards is very much rooted in creativity, and we love it for that, while the ICCO Global Awards punctuates the campaign “effectiveness.” That’s not to say that you don’t need a creative entry to win the ICCO Global Awards too, but proving how you help achieve your clients’ objectives with something measureable and tangible, not just opinion, is where your focus should be when entering for an ICCO Global Award.

Additionally, could this be the year we come up with the best collection of global campaign entries that demonstrate the powerful effectiveness that public relations offers?  I think it could.  Let’s challenge ourselves and our industry to do it!  Then, let’s use these ICCO Global Award winning campaign entries as calling cards to clients all over the world to better demonstrate what our discipline is capable of when it comes to effectiveness.

In my role as president of the PR Council, I talk to many leaders from CMOs and marketing clients, to communication directors, about the power of PR.  In order for them to continue to prioritize PR within their organizations with supporting resource, and in some cases, start to prioritize, we need to do a better job of explaining our effectiveness.  It’s that simple.  And, it’s that complex.

If you listen to the trade media that cover our industry and the industry pundits, some feel that we are moving too slowly in doing this.  The observation – (whether you agree or not) – is perhaps we are not retooling as quickly as other disciplines in terms of our talent, infrastructure and campaign thinking.  Let’s prove them wrong!  Let’s show the remarkable work our teams produce.  Let’s enter the ICCO Global Awards and use these entries as our industry calling cards.

For more information on the ICCO Global Awards visit: awards.iccopr.com

ICCO and PRWeek launch World PR Report 2016

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The World PR Report 2016, published by ICCO and PRWeek, has today launched at the Global ICCO PR Summit in Oxford.

The report, presented by Francis Ingham, Chief Executive, ICCO, is the annual analysis of the international public relations industry. The report includes a breakdown of the top 100 global agencies, market analysis from regional leaders, and a report on agency growth, opportunity, investment plans, and talent challenges.

The report revealed that agency heads are optimistic – on a scale of 1-10, the global average for optimism is 7. The most optimistic markets are the UK (8.1) and the Middle East (8.0). The least are Latin America (5.9) and Africa (6).

When asked about their expectations of profitability, North America came in highest with a score of 7.2, followed by the UK at 7. Latin America came in lowest at 5.2.

Noted areas of growth include digital communications, corporate reputation, marketing communications, and public affairs. These growth areas vary by region, reflecting differing local priorities and differing levels of market maturity.

Commenting on the Report, Francis Ingham said: “The World PR Report is the definitive analysis of the global PR industry. It is only by understanding where we are and in what direction we are moving that we can continue to drive growth and invest in opportunities. We are thrilled to see that the industry is bright, and getting brighter.”

Danny Rogers, Editor-in-Chief, PRWeek, said: “We are very proud to present the World PR Report 2016; the best, and most contemporary, guide in existence to the PR industry across the globe. It has been produced by PRWeek, the pre-eminent source of news and analysis of the sector, and ICCO, the voice of PR consultancies around the world.

“As well as providing the definitive ranking of the world’s top 100 PR consultancies and further listings of local agencies, the World PR Report 2016 has asked this vast network of PR firms about the recent trends in their business, along with their forecasts for the year ahead. We look forward to the next year, and revisiting these rankings and indicators in a year’s time to gauge progress.”

Full analysis and commentary of each of the markets is available in the World PR Report, which will be published by PRWeek both online and in the magazine.

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 in 48 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Collectively, these associations represent some 2,500 PR firms.
www.iccopr.com

GWPR Global Gender Pay Gap Survey goes live

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The very first international Gender Pay Gap and Work Life Balance Survey, from ICCO sector group GWPR (Global Women in Public Relations), has now gone live.

The survey asks a number of questions about working practices and seeks to provide important data on the state of play and views of those working in PR – be it in agency, in-house or as an independent consultant. The survey is designed to provide important feedback on equality and the work/life balance for both men and women working in the industry.

The survey has been facilitated by leading market research agency One Poll and is fully supported by ICCO (the International Communications Consultancy Organisation). Media partner The Holmes Report will be publicising the survey, as well as reporting the findings. The results will be published by ICCO at the Global ICCO PR Summit in Oxford, September 29th/30th.

These are the links for the UK and US questionnaires:

 

UK: http://www.research365.net/survey/private/4fa91de192883d4b180639201c6a9c111035a183

US: http://www.research365.net/survey/private/2cd71df3d660bf7c8151d4d95b110f5b6e69fe96

 

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.

ICCO Chief Executive Francis Ingham MPRCA commented: “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 this 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.”

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

The ICCO organisation is facilitating the global platform for the research. ICCO comprises PR trade associations representing over 2,500 agencies, in 48 countries worldwide.

 

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

 

World PR Report launches next month – preview

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The World PR Report published by ICCO and PRWeek will be launched at the Global ICCO PR Summit in Oxford, United Kingdom on 29-30 September.

The report is the annual analysis of the international public relations industry including a breakdown of the top 100 global agencies, market analysis from regional leaders, and a report on agency growth and opportunity, investment plans and talent challenges.

Commenting on the talent challenges in the Asia Pacific market, Lynne Anne Davis, President – Asia Pacific at FleishmanHillard said:

“PR’s massive transformation as an integrated, socially-centric industry was enabled by the introduction of non-traditional roles and expertise from other industries. That must never stop in order to continuously innovate, expand influence and supple the rising demand for PR services – especially in Asia where local companies are aggressively disrupting categories, exporting brands abroad and creating new spaces.”

Colin Byrne, Weber Shandwick’s UK & EMEA CEO comments on strong growth in the market, but also the challenges ahead:

“Macro-economic issues include economic downturn in BRIC and other emerging markets, security and political issues, the uncertainties around the US election and, yes, Brexit and associated recession warnings, are challenges for us and our clients.”

Loretta Ahmed, Grayling’s CEO of Middle East Africa & Turkey analyses the developing markets of the Middle East and Africa:

“Less risk averse than many parts of the world, the Middle East is coming of age and it is good to see more and more world-class work emanating from the region and being recognised in global award schemes.”

“In Africa in particular, communications professionals are able to achieve CEO level client access at a far greater frequency than in other markets – while this comes with a far greater ability to influence decision-making it also creates the need for strategic communicators to feature heavily in the team mix – a challenge for agency heads looking to field local teams.”

Commenting on trends in the European PR industry, Pascal Beucler, Chief Strategy Officer at MSLGROUP said:

“Another trend we can see everywhere in Europe is the need for more integration, particularly for big, global clients: wasting energy, time and money because of having too many people from different networks/holdings around the table is really something they don’t want anymore. They say they want one team, as diverse as possible but belonging to the same P&L and led by one single, global manager. Such alignment allows better, faster, clearer decisions and action plans.”

Full analysis and commentary of each of the markets is available in the World PR Report, launched at the Summit, and subsequently published by PRWeek online and in hard copy.

Francis Ingham, Chief Executive of ICCO and Director General of PRCA UK & MENA will be presenting the findings at the Summit, and copies will be shared with attending delegates.

 

For more information on the Global ICCO PR Summit visit www.iccosummit.org

Innovation in creating media impact – The IPREX Blogbarometer

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By Michael T. Schröder, IPREX Global President

 

In 2014 a group of nine European IPREX partners decided to study the impact of blogging on the communication industry and conducted an informal online survey among 1,360 bloggers, inviting two non-European countries to participate for comparison.

The second survey, in 2015/2016 had responses from 2,134 bloggers living in 13 countries, including China and Malaysia.

Here are some encouraging results showing bloggers’ attitudes to our industry:

  • 73% of bloggers said they have been approached for PR or marketing reasons,
    27% were contacted weekly and 19% daily. But there are major regional differences: in “advanced technology” countries, a much higher proportion of bloggers is targeted by companies.
  • A majority (85%) of respondents thinks positively about approaches by companies and actually wish for more (52%). Only 7% are reserved about this contact and only 2% are against.
  • Invitations to events, marketing or PR material and product samples or free products are the most commonplace approaches. Astonishingly, only 20% of bloggers received photos or other images from companies.

These are some more general findings about bloggers:

  • Three quarters of all bloggers are female. Although teens do not dominate, two-thirds of the bloggers are younger than 35 years.
  • The most popular blog themes are focused on consumer and lifestyle topics like beauty, fashion, food and travel. The main goals for blogging are sharing information and experiences, having fun and professional development.
  • The highest rated social media channels for blog promotion are Facebook and Instagram.

DBM Prague Blogbarometer 2015 summary infographic DMB Prague Blogbarometer infographic 2015 Walsh PR Ireland IPREX Blogbarometer Infographic

The Blogbarometer showed that our industry could improve its relationship with this important media channel significantly using better research, more targeted approaches and more creative engagement.

Interestingly, the Blogbarometer exemplifies one important way in which IPREX has been evolving as an organisation: rather than being a global survey from which partners took sub-sets of data for their own use, it was designed primarily to boost partners’ profiles in their own markets – with the global view emerging from the sub-set of common questions.

This mirrors a shift in our perspective from a “top-down” managed network structure to a platform on which individual partners can operate worldwide. IPREX is inside the agency, rather than the other way around – making each IPREX partner a global agency.

The Blogbarometer worked so well on both levels, generating useful information and news in each partner’s market as well as for IPREX as a whole, that we will continue to run it in a two-year cycle.

ABOUT IPREX

IPREX was founded in 1983 to help independent PR firms deliver high-quality client work in major markets worldwide, and it has evolved into a tightly knit peer group of more than 70 of the world’s most successful communication agencies.

We offer our partners’ clients seamless world-class advice and implementation – and we provide partners with the infrastructure and support they need to win and manage such assignments.

Clients choose IPREX partners for their influence in their own markets and because our management systems make the diversity, innovation and dynamism of owner-managed agencies work to their advantage.

Partners join IPREX for the assurance of high-calibre work for their clients in remote markets, and to develop their agencies in a collegial environment through best practices, new business opportunities and a common program management language.

Partners communicate frequently, review each other’s work rigorously and meet often. When they join forces they’re working with agency owners they know as partners – not strangers united by a brand name and divided by internal competition.

Interel Global Public Affairs Survey 2016

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An interview with Fredrik Lofthagen, CEO of Interel

Each year Interel surveys the CEOs of independent public affairs consultancies in 60 markets to gauge the health of the industry. Fredrik Lofthagen talks about the outcomes of this year’s survey and shares his thoughts on the future of public affairs.

 

What do you think the key takeaways from this year’s survey are?

Our clients around the world are increasingly concerned about political risk – and that’s no surprise given the recent UK vote to leave the EU and the instability that’s causing in Europe.

Further afield, the US elections are also catching the world’s attention as we grapple with what all this means and how businesses can secure a sustainable future for their customers and employees. China continues to develop as an economic and political power, but it’s a political and social culture that businesses can struggle to understand. Combine that with instability in the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey…and the conclusion can only be that political risk is the biggest worry of today. Business hates uncertainty and we certainly have plenty of that at the moment.

We’re not alone in identifying political risk as a major concern for business at the moment. PWC runs an annual CEO survey and geopolitical concern was the number two worry for respondents after over-regulation.

Of course political risk is good for business for us in public affairs, but on the whole, we find that business is not matching these concerns with spending. Spending on public affairs is still a fraction of what businesses spend on marketing for example, which I find strange, given that protecting the business and shaping the operating environment are hot topics which are keeping CEOs awake at night.

What’s your take on what the public affairs profession can do to alleviate concerns about political risk?

My take on it is that we need to do a better job of explaining the potential positive impact on a business’s bottom line of taking a proactive approach to public affairs.

Often the public affairs guys in a business are viewed as risk managers – fighting legislative proposals when they might have an adverse impact on the business. But in reality, the role of the public affairs professional is so much more than that.

Given their deep understanding of the political landscape and their ability to predict what’s coming down the line, they can, and should, play a strategic role in business. Our goal is to position the profession as strategic business partners. In many enlightened companies, that’s already the case, but we’re working to make it the case across the board.

Anticipating change and helping clients to proactively engage were highlighted by the survey as critical to success – can you give us some examples?

We often help clients to avoid legislation altogether, by being part of the discussion with civil servants and politicians, and working as partners in finding solutions that work for business, consumers and society as a whole. If legislation is imposed on you, it’s likely that the costs of compliance will be high. But if you work with legislators to find solutions that meet everyone’s objectives, then the cost burden for business is likely to be less.

We often help clients to form coalitions with other businesses in their sector, to go to legislators with solutions which address the legislators’ concerns and are workable for business. Often these solutions are accepted and legislation is avoided as a result.

We also work with our clients to identify issues which are winning public support and form coalitions around those issues. This was the case with the European Kidney Health Alliance for example, where we brought together all interest groups working on kidney disease, worked for the formation of an MEP group on kidney health and in the end, secured €1million in the EU budget for more research into and support for the disease.

Your survey found that building long term relationships with stakeholders is the strategy which has the most impact? Can you explain a bit more about the benefits of that approach?

Government doesn’t work in a vacuum and needs facts and figures, and business experience to make good law. What works for our clients is to engage regularly with those with an influence over the future of their businesses. We don’t just engage when we’ve got a problem, but build trust by sharing information which helps politicians and regulators to fully understand the business environment and the potential impact of their policy options. We firmly believe that business should be part of the democratic debate.

Social media is having more and more influence on policy makers according to your survey. What role can social media play in a public affairs campaign?

Because of social media, public opinion, and therefore government opinion, can shift in a very short space of time. Most policy makers are on twitter and other social media platforms and closely monitor reactions to their statements and proposals.

We use many of the techniques that brands use in social media to identify influencers and trends and to target our messaging at the people who can make a difference and get messages across. We mobilise public opinion and campaign using social media, to get people to sign petitions or contact their MPs for example. But like all the tools we use, social media is just one part of our armoury and we use it as part of an integrated campaign strategy.

Have you learned any tricks from the PR profession about getting a public affairs message across?

Yes, going back to what I mentioned above about informing and being part of the decision-making process, the important thing for us is to get sometimes very complicated facts across in a compelling, easy-to-understand way.

We use a lot of infographics and brochures to tell stories, show the stages in a process or share statistics. We also use a lot of video and animation.

We recently made a video for Broadcast Networks Europe using lego to tell the story of digital terrestrial television and call for more bandwidth for the service. And we also recently made an animation for a client to show how plans to deepen a quarry would work in practice and what would be done to protect the local water supply.

Attention spans are short, even in politics and it’s important to get the core of the message across in the clearest possible way and in the shortest possible time.

How do you think public affairs will evolve in the future?

I firmly believe that public affairs is going to assume more strategic importance for business. We will be more engaged with blue sky thinking about political and societal change and how that will impact on businesses, their future sustainability and their licence to operate.

We will still fight the big issues of the day on behalf of our clients in the traditional way with members of parliament and civil servants, but we will increasingly find that we and our in house colleagues spend more time preparing the C-Suite for the challenges and, importantly, opportunities which are coming down the line.

We will help businesses to shape their operating environment and will be a recognised and respected part of the democratic process. We will also become a more ‘professionalised’ discipline with transparency, codes of conduct and self-regulation by professional bodies becoming a requirement for us to engage with politicians.

 

Download the full survey

 

PR In Africa: Changing The Narrative

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Article by Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, President of the African Public Relations Association (APRA)

 

Many years ago, The Economist magazine carried a cover story describing Africa as a ‘hopeless continent’. Several years later, The Economist reversed itself by coming out with another cover titled ‘ Rising Africa’. There lies the paradox that is Africa- it’s in its narrative! Undisputedly the next frontier in global development, Africa has witnessed impressive growth from foreign direct investment compared to other parts of the world. The disadvantage of our infrastructure deficit has resulted in massive funds injection, which presents significant opportunities for public relations practitioners on the continent.

The origins of Public Relations practice in Africa are somewhat hazy. What is clear though, is that  a substantial dose of public relations was used in Africa during the Second World War not just to encourage Africans to enlist in the home armies of their various colonial masters, but also to keep the war propaganda machine going on the continent. During periods of colonial rule, European trading companies like the United African Company (UAC) engaged public relations, perhaps for the very first time, in the area of private sector business. Many government organisations and agencies soon caught on and appointed PR executives. The first set of PR professionals were mostly media and Information Officers of government organisations.

The 1960’s and 70’s were characterised by struggles for, and the attainment of political independence. The effect was the entrenchment of one form of democratic rule or the other across the continent. In these nascent democracies public communication, especially public relations, was an imperative but this new found opportunity was rather short-lived as many African nations soon fell under the jackboot of military coups. A failure of public relations perhaps? Whatever the reason, military takeovers severely stunted the growth and development of public relations practice. Happily, the late 1980’s and 90’s brought about a resurgence of democratic rule in Africa, with an attendant rise in the engagement of public relations.

PR in Africa had hitherto been largely media-centric because the pioneers of the profession were journalists and broadcasters. But over time, its further application in solving marketing and brand challenges, has led to the deepening of the profession across board. Such tools include Strategy, Corporate Social Responsibility, content development & management, reputation management  and creativity.

Key PR practice centres on the continent are South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt, with South Africa taking the lead. These countries are located in southern, eastern, western and northern Africa respectively.  South Africa’s leading role is understandable considering that most public relations networks and global corporate giants have headquartered their African operations in South Africa. The biggest consumers of public relations are telecommunications companies, with banks, retailers, the entertainment industry and IT also gaining a fair share of the market. Naturally, PR consulting practices have grown over the years in line with demand. However, with the exception of South Africa, most practices have remained sole proprietorships or partnerships.

As public relations has developed on the continent, so also has the establishment and operations of professional public relations associations. The first association was founded in 1956 in South Africa followed by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations  in 1963.  The Public Relations Society of Kenya was inaugurated in 1971. The umbrella body for public relations associations- the Federation of African Public Relations Associations, was established in 1975 with the sole mandate of developing PR as a tool for selling Africa’s positive image. FAPRA became APRA in 2008 and began to admit individual members in addition to national associations.

In spite of the considerable gains, there is still a lot of ground to cover. For instance the lack of clarity about the value that public relations brings to the table remains an issue. Perhaps because its value is difficult to measure, lack of appreciation for the practice of PR as a profession in its own right is also an issue. Measurement and evaluation continue to be a challenge, as is the dearth of data across the continent. PR also suffers from the intrusion of its twin cousin-professions- journalism and advertising. Today, many markets see PR as little more than an extension of journalism, thus denying PR of its much needed professional and financial regard.

If the narrative must change, it must change from within so that we can take advantage of the significant opportunities that ‘Rising Africa’ presents. Whether the conversation is about the continent or the practice, there is a glaring need to change the narrative.

Yomi Badejo-Okusanya is the current President of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and Chief Executive of CMC Connect Burston Marsteller, Lagos, Nigeria.

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/

Connecting PR Women Around The World #agencypublisher

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Written by: David Gallagher

dgPrint@TBoneGallagher

GLOBAL WOMEN IN PR To Launch At ICCO Summit In Milan

I have learned a few things about the PR business over the years: it’s global, it’s highly interconnected and it’s powered by women.

The global part has happened recently, with PR consultancy now thriving around the world and contributing significantly to business, government and civil society in economies just about everywhere.

The connectivity goes without saying; every industry event is a homecoming and a reminder of how small the PR world is.  We all owe our careers to a surprisingly small number of people, and as anyone who has ever attended a PR conference or awards dinner, it’s hard to be heard over the buzz (roar?) of memories shared and friendships re-established.

And the powered by women bit – that’s a sign of our collective strength and a reflection of work yet to do.  It’s no surprise that a service industry built on empathy, insight and, well, communicating, would be one in which women thrive.  But while many PR agencies are largely populated by females, the numbers in senior management positions remains disproportionately underrepresented.

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) has enjoyed considerable success in recent years in all three areas – nurturing international expansion of the consultancy business, creating opportunities to network and collaborate and, now, playing a small role in helping PR women meet, mentor and shape the future of the industry.

A new organization – Global Women In PR (GWPR) – committed to furthering the industry by helping women meet, share, mentor and shape our future.  GWPR will launch at the ICCO Global PR Summit in Milan, Italy this week, and here’s the official announcement:

Milan, October 6th 2015 – A new international association, linking independent networking groups of senior women working in PR, is being launched at the forthcoming ICCO (International Communications Consultancy Organisation) Global Summit in Milan (October 8th – 9th).

Global Women in PR (GWPR) has been formed to act as an umbrella organisation to enable groups of senior PR women worldwide to come together to share ideas, contacts and experiences and to campaign on the major issues directly affecting women working in the PR industry today.

The development of GWPR is fully supported by ICCO and their President David Gallagher had this to say about the new initiative “women are the heart, soul and mind of PR consultancy all over the world, and we at ICCO are pleased to be associated with GWPR’s ambitious global plans.”

Following the recent success of Women in PR (WPR) in the UK and its resurgence as a significant and powerful networking organization; former Joint-Presidents Angela Oakes and Susan Hardwick felt that the time was right to encourage other countries to form their own WPR associations.

“The widely reported gender pay gap and the lack of women in the boardroom are two major issues which are not limited to the UK PR industry, but affect those working in PR worldwide. Coupled with what we believe to be an important vehicle for senior women to meet in a non-competitive environment, WPR also offers its members a chance to help shape the future of the industry and to act as mentors to the next generation. We want our successful networking blueprint in the UK to be rolled out globally and are taking the first steps to make this happen,” commented Angela and Susan.

The launch of GWPR is being supported by Business Wire (a Berkshire Hathaway company) and a major sponsor of WPR in the UK. “We are delighted to be supporting this important launch,” said Kim Deonanan Business Wire Regional VP, Northern & Central Europe.

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David is a senior partner and CEO for Ketchum in Europe, and outgoing president of ICCO.

What’s Keeping PR Agency Bosses Awake At Night? #agencypublisher

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Written by: David Gallagher

dgPrint@TBoneGallagher

Last week’s annual summit of the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO) drew PR agency heads from nearly 40 countries to discuss the opportunities and challenges in front of the industry.

This meeting is particularly known for its candour; the fact there are no clients in attendance reduces the showboating we’re famously fond of, and the speakers (from independents and the big networks alike) are especially generous and open with their insights.

The good news: PR consulting continues to grow worldwide.   This is partly from new markets joining the global pool.  Partly from new clients adding PR for the first time to their wider business consulting and marketing communications investment.  Partly from agencies adding new services to their proposition, particularly in digital and social media. And partly, I think, from clients shifting a (small) share of their large ad budgets to PR.

The bad news: well, there’s not much bad news, but there are a number of challenges keeping agency chiefs from feeling complacent.  Specifics vary by market, but the main anxieties follow common themes.

Here’s a quick look:

  • Talent:  How do we attract talent from ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds to manage the new services and technologies our evolvling propositions require? How do we keep, develop and inspire our established talent – especially ‘millennials’?  And how do we leverage our senior talent in a fast-changing market?
  • Business models: How do we move from hourly rates and retainers to value-based service propositions (payment for business results)?  How do we structure teams to include more flexible solutions?  How can we integrate with ad agencies and other consultancies to meet complex client problems, without giving the farm away?
  • Competition: How do we manage in an environment in which we compete with each other on some engagements, while working as partners on others?  Are ad agencies our friends (for leads), competitors (for budget) or somewhere in between – frenemies?  Are digital and social media agencies potential poachers? Or acquisition candidates?  And how many unseen / disruptive competitors are there beyond our line of sight, waiting to Uberize our industry with wholly new approaches?  Does “PR” have value with the client community as a description of our proposition? Or is it need of modernization?
  • Creativity:  Are we sufficiently creative compared to other disciplines and channels?  Is it something we can teach, or is it found in talent to hire?  Are awards good indications you have it? How do you measure it?

Obviously a lot of the discussion revolved around what’s changing in our business, and how to address these developments in ways that make sense for our people, clients and shareholders.  Some of it focused on where – with a strong delegation from Africa discussing the remarkable growth and opportunity for PR consultancy there.

But maybe it was the theme of why PR advice is now more needed than ever that offered participants the greatest comfort.  Knowing that you play a role in connecting people – helping them understand each other and the world around them – can be a strong incentive to work through the operational challenges.

I’ll share some of the solutions and experiments presented in future posts, but for now, it’s good to know that as diverse as our industry is, we’re all worried about similar things.

See you in Istanbul for the ICCO Global Summit 2016!