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12 International PR Developments To Watch

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Written by: David Gallagher

Print@TBoneGallagher

Senior Partner/CEO Ketchum Europe
President, ICCO

Sometime over the past decade, the PR agency business evolved from ‘burgeoning’ to ‘nearly established’ (my benchmarks) as a global industry, with national trade associations representing thousands of agencies operating around the world.

There remain zones of uncharted geography, and much to do to better link the established markets (one of the aims of ICCO, which I have the privilege of chairing) but there’s little doubt that the PR agency business has gone viral, from Azerbaijan to Zagreb.

As more consultancies enter the global market directly, or indirectly as their home markets are drawn into international competition, it’s worth looking at some of the developments that will shape the industry over the next five to 10 years.

Here’s a quick run-down of a dozen trends I’m keeping an eye on – all based more on observation than analysis, so feel free to quibble, reject or endorse:

  1. Consolidation is king. Agencies of all sizes, independent or publicly held, will come together in one fashion or another to better serve clients and reduce overheads.
  2. Demand for fluid talent will topple the pyramid. The need for highly specialist skills will alter the ‘pyramid of experience’ model that has governed our business for so long, with senior professionals supported by experienced managers and just-starting-out juniors.
  3. It will also alter the way in which new talent joins agencies. New partnerships will emerge between agencies and universities, organized pools of freelance specialists and government employment / apprenticeship programs to supply the demand for niche expertise.
  4. Native advertising will feed the media beast.   The lines between ‘true’ editorial or journalistic content will continue to blur with promotional content as media titles embrace an irresistibly lucrative revenue stream.
  5. Structured journalism may save the day. OK, save the day might be extreme, but as ‘classic’ journalism evolves to digital-friendly format, we may see ways to preserve the objective aims of news reporting with the demands of digital advertisers and social media consumers.
  6. English will remain the lingua francafor business and international PR. As much influence as Mandarin has in the world overall, I don’t see it overtaking English anytime soon in boardrooms outside of China.
  7. Translation software will be disruptive. Technology will diminish the importance of the language in which content is created.
  8. Africa will boom. Expect mergers and acquisitions throughout sub-Saharan African to outpace those in Europe and Asia.
  9. Hub-and-spoke network models will be enhanced – or replaced. Old international models, based on a ‘railway view’ of the world with regional hubs serving surrounding geographic markets with content and creative concepts for local activation will find far greater efficiencies by streamlining the responsibilities of the lead and implementation agencies. Or, they will be replaced altogether by models built to accommodate markets by their level of development, language or regulations – traits other than geographic proximity, in other words.
  10. Measurement may finally find its footing, but monitoring could be the greater market opportunity. Agencies will continue to progress in the effort to fund and demonstrate the impact of successful PR programs, and some may succeed in finding clients who’ll help pay for the confirmation. But real-time, fully customized global media monitoring could find a paying customer pool more quickly.
  11. Integration is the norm. ‘Traditional’ PR agencies that focus on earned media output are rapidly giving way to those capable of offering services across all channels, or partnering with others that complement the earned offer. This will continue to challenge trade associations, trade media and awards competitions trying to determine what’s PR and what’s something else.
  12. A new kind of agency leader is emerging. Most of us in senior positions got here by surviving in a system that hasn’t changed in decades and, let’s be honest, by being in proximity to global centres like New York and London. As our workforces evolve and become more fluid and transitory, we’ll see global leaders popping up from all over the place. Which is a good thing.

Interested in these or related topics? You might seriously consider attending the ICCO Global PR Summit in Milan this October. Some of the best thinkers in the world will be discussing exactly these and many other ideas that will make PR continue to thrive as powerful tool and resource for business, government and civil society.

 

PR Agencies Are Changing – And Not A Moment Too Soon

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Written by: David Gallagher

dgPrint@TBoneGallagher

Senior Partner/CEO Ketchum Europe
President, ICCO

One of the benefits of volunteering time to be active in industry associations like ICCO is the opportunity to learn from colleagues, thought-leaders and even competitors on what’s going on outside your own agency, and in conversations with smart innovators from the world, there’s a consistent theme: change.

Few of the leaders in the PR business I’ve met over the past year doubt that the agency world is undergoing significant transformation, and most would agree these changes are coming just in the nick of time.  Our business is no less vulnerable to the disruption we’ve seen in other industries – music, travel or, of course, the media – and the best agencies have plenty to teach us all when it comes to providing better service, developing stronger talent and building more resilient business models.

A few of the ways they’re changing (and what we can learn):

  1. Media relations – part of what marketers might assign to the ‘earned’ component of their channel mix (paid, earned, shared/social and owned) – is as valuable as ever. It’s a true differentiator against others that might specialise in advertising or website development for example.  But to survive in an integrated world, the strongest agencies are building their own capabilities to amplify content through paid channels, develop social media strategies and produce content that works across all channels.
  1. Leveraged teams – led by senior (and expensive) experts and supported by less experienced (and less expensive) layers of juniors still has a place in procurement-driven engagements. But this place may be shrinking as clients look for new areas of specialist skill, new ways of pricing work and new expectations for the actual results of an agency engagement.  Some agencies are finding success with more ‘liquid’ teams and flexible structures to accommodate changing client expectations and budgets.
  1. The boundaries between ‘independent’ and ‘network’ offerings are blurring. There are advantages to both, but many independent agencies are building their own networks of like-minded consultancies to provide expertise and reach wherever their clients need it, while many network agencies are developing their own ‘boutique’ offers and specialist services to offer widely to clients of all sizes.
  1. The talent coming into PR is stronger than ever – we need to nurture it. Most markets report greater numbers of stronger applicants entering the agency business than ever before – welcome news for business models that rely almost entirely on human brain-power.  Once in, however, great hires are not always easy to hold, with many lured into corporate assignments or other industries.  Great agencies learn how to anticipate and meet the needs of the ‘millennial’ generation for more sustainable, dynamic teams.
  1. Data, analytics and measurement are finally here.  Really. One of the most discussed but least-realised topics in PR has been the need for stronger research and robust measurement.   We have all discussed, agreed and, mostly, ignored.  No longer.  The most innovative agencies see that easily accessible data, simple analytics and a client orientation to proven results can offer a competitive advantage, which they are putting to work.

Another great thing about being active in local, national or international industry organisations like ICCO is the opportunity to meet the people leading the way in these areas, and hearing first hand of their successes in ways you can apply to your agency and your own career.

I know – I have had the pleasure to meet and learn from the best, from my own agency and our fiercest competitors.

And now you can too – at the global ICCO summit in Milan this October. If any of these topics are vexing you and your teams (or if you have successful solution to share), you won’t have a better opportunity to interact with our industry’s leading thinkers and problem solvers than this one-of-a-kind conference.

ICCO Global Summit 2015: Click here to register today!

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 31 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia. Collectively, these associations represent over 2,000 PR firms.

Contact Binta Kristin Hammerich, ICCO Global General Manager

 

If Cannes is an indicator, the future belongs to PR

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Written by- Francis Ingham

500_francisingham2Print@PRCAIngham

PR’s reputation on La Croisette is growing, so now it’s time we took on the ad agencies.

No word carries such mystique in the PR world as ‘Cannes’. It conjures images of rosé wine; helicopters from Nice; yachts; topless sunbathing; and random celebs making tangential points about the merits of their clients’ products. And like all great myths, that parody contains some truth.

But having been here with ICCO for the second year, I also know Cannes is so much more than that. Sure, the location is meant to entice. There are plenty of advertising execs. And Kim Kardashian had a moment when her yacht wouldn’t fit into Cannes harbour for her to convey the groundbreaking observation of ‘maybe I tweet too many selfies in a bikini’. But Cannes does represent and celebrate the extraordinary creativity of the PR industry. So, what lessons did I draw?

– PR is flourishing. Our industry won many more awards this time. MSL should be proud of its #LikeAGirl campaign – pride confirmed in victory.

– PR is here in greater numbers than ever – I bumped into dozens of agency heads, many here for the first time.

– PR is truly international. Judging by the Cannes badges, this year there were many more countries there.

– PR’s future is assured. ICCO ran and made possible the Young Lions programme, celebrating young PR. And the ideas generated were astonishing in their breadth and sophistication.

– PR is growing globally. We like to think of the UK and US as world leaders – they are. But the Young Lions’ gold went to Sweden. The silver and bronze to Columbia and China respectively.

But the main point is this – PR represents the future; advertising the past. When PR first came to Cannes it was the poor relation. Poor in numbers; weak in submission content; disappointed in such a small number of wins. Today? It’s the thrusting, entrepreneurial member of the family, with the best ideas. Winning more business. Looked on with envy by – yes – its more cumbersome, less imaginative relations in advertising.

Of course, not everything is rosé (get it?). Too many people think they can’t win here, so they don’t enter. Our production values and the presentation of our content still need to improve. And we need to grab some of that advertising industry arrogance – the confidence to bid for big budgets and then spend them. In a straight fight, advertising still plans a little better; does creativity a little better. And yet…

The key attributes the judges looked for were excellence in campaign design and delivery. And the ability to link commercial purpose with wider social change. I’ve no doubt that those metrics are ones on which PR can happily base its future.

The agency bosses I met this week recognised the challenges, but were incredibly positive about addressing them. They were proud to represent their industry, and optimistic about its future. Representing the PRCA, now the UK’s biggest professional body, and ICCO, the largest international one, I felt the same. If Cannes is anything to go by, the future belongs to PR.

Original article from PRWeek

The PR World At Cannes 2015

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Written by Arun Sudhaman

arunPrint@Arunsudhaman

PR industry presence is more visible than ever, seven years after the Festival launched the PR Lions category.

2015 marks the seventh edition of the Cannes PR Lions, which will age anyone who remembers the first instalment in 2009 — a rainy recession-hit week that featured Lord Bell as PR jury chair and a Grand Prix for Tourism Queensland’s iconic ‘Best Job in the World’ campaign.

A lot, of course, can change in seven years, even if Cannes’ ability to draw huge crowds and generate eye-catching revenues remains reasssuringly constant. As one of the few to make the trek in 2009, I can vouch for how the the PR industry’s presence has grown considerably since then. Indeed, I have been to every Cannes since, and we have charted the PR world’s emergence at Cannes in some detail.

That will continue this year at our dedicated Cannes section, where you can already watch an interesting video with Cannes Lions CEO Phil Thomas, exploring the Festival’s evolution and his tips for work that will win.

You will also find plenty on the themes that continue to resonate at Cannes, particularly from a public relations perspective. In 2014, for example, Paul Holmes penned an authoritative analysis of why PR firms have struggled to win top honours in the awards category that bears its name. It is an issue that, hopefully, has begun to recede, as the PR industry stakes its claim for greater marketing relevance, bigger budgets, and more creative talent.

Part of that quandary, of course, involves actually showing up in front of the droves of senior marketers that decamp to the Croissette every year. Many of you, with some justification, probably still view Cannes as a giant boondoggle. Yet there must be some value in demonstrating that public relations people are ready to play a more central brand-building role in today’s converged media environment, and compete for the talent and budgets that can make this happen.

It is an argument that the PR world appears to have bought into, judging by the industry’s heightened presence throughout the week. In addition to the PR Lions itself, this means there are now numerous ‘fringe’ events involving PR firms and senior marketers, a couple of which the Holmes Report is involved in. And ICCO has this year created the PR industry’s first physical presence at Cannes, via its House of PR venue.

In terms of the official Cannes programme, meanwhile, here are some key events that include PR industry involvement:
WORDS & PICTURES BY BACARDI: TELLING STORIES PEOPLE CARE ABOUT

Hosted by Citizen and Bacardi

Hosted by Ketchum Sounds
Hosted by Richard Edelman and Jamie Oliver

Hosted by BlueCurrent Japan

Hosted by Flamingo

Of course, boundaries are blurring so rapidly that most Cannes sessions, in reality, will involve some sort of meditation on classic PR themes such as storytelling, earned media and authencity. Still, it’s safe to say that the PR world has well and truly arrived on the Croissette. See you there.

Original Article from Holmes Report

Cohn & Wolfe Sweden wins the Young Lions PR competition in Cannes

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sweeden winners coh and wolfe winners
   
Joseph Borenstein and Linnéa Rinäs from Cohn & Wolfe Sweden have received Gold Lions awards as the winners of the Young Lions PR competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, sponsored by ICCO. The Young PR Lions PR competition saw 18 countries send their selected teams of two PRs under the age of 28 to Cannes. On Saturday 20th, the teams were each given a brief from Greenpeace and on the following day had 12 hours to create a creative and effective campaign for the charity. Francis Ingham, ICCO Chief Executive, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of this year’s winners at the Young PR Lions Competition. The judges were incredibly impressed with the standard of work put forward by the entrants, all of whom should be sincerely proud of their work. “I would also like to thank each of our sponsors, as well as the Festival, for allowing us to showcase such astounding talent. We look forward to celebrating again next year.” Greenpeace’s brief required the competitors to prepare a PR campaign around sustainable agriculture, with the aim of raising awareness of the environmental impact of meat and motivating consumers to change their consumption habits. The jury included: David Fine, Global Creative Strategist, Edelman; Joe Benarroch, Head of International Ads, Corporate Communications, Facebook; and Steve Barrett, Editor-in-Chief, PRWeek US. This marks the second time that the Swedish team have represented their country in the PR competition, having won the local competition twice. They also won the Eurobest Young Creatives integrated competition this year.   The Gold, Silver and Bronze winners are: Gold Joseph Borenstein and Linnéa Rinäs Cohn & Wolfe, Sweden   Silver David Gomez and Juan Alba Ogilvy & Mather Colombia, Columbia   Bronze Hsin Chi Tsao and Xiao Yi Yu J. Walter Thompson Always, China
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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 31 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia. Collectively, these associations represent over 2,000 PR firms. Contact Binta Kristin Hammerich, ICCO Global General Manager