Nurturing Knowledge – a job for PR

‘Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge’ – Wikipedia’s blackout protest statement is a reminder of the value and reliance placed on repositories of online information.  How many of us turn to Google, Wikipedia, digital dictionaries, social media or online news sources routinely when we want to know something? 
The English-speaking student population is apparently distraught that [...]

Never kiss an alligator and other lessons from PR History

The history of public relations began with PT Barnum parading elephants through small town America in the 1800s – with the famed huckster the cause of the ongoing misunderstanding of the profession. That’s the simplistic narrative found in the majority of PR text-book

Triple-associate Sean Williams asks, “Why join?”

It used to be that the only way to access research, best practices, talent and senior-level guidance in the communication profession was to be a part of an industry organization.

Barcelona 1 – Evaluation 0?

This month saw another cross-border event, with the agreement and publication of the “Barcelona Declaration of Research Principles” at the 2nd European Summit on Measurement. Five global bodies and 200 delegates from 33 countries all voted overwhelmingly to adopt a set of basic principles.

International research team asks CCO’s to Be Heard™ (and contribute)

While there is some anecdotal evidence, little formal research has been published on public relations/communication department organizational structure–particularly on: the models in use; the strengths and weaknesses of each of those models; the factors that drive the chief communication officer (CCO) to choose a specific organizational design. These questions will be addressed by this research: Global Study on Communication Department Structure.

Public Relations before, during, after acquisitions and mergers. Fascinating lessons from Poznan, Poland!

Ok… it took me more than 20 hours by van to return to Italy, while an Icelandic dust closed all of Europe’s airports… courtesy of two young polish drivers (found via the Internet the evening before by one of my benefactors Monika Bogdal from Poznan’s University of Economics… the power of social media…)… yet I [...]

Social Media go Mainstream? Euprera spring symposium in Gent (Belgium)

The most stimulating came from Betteke Van Rule: never has public relations been more public! she said from the floor. Which led me to think that, yes!, public relations is definitely about relationships with publics, as many of us have always claimed.

And now, let’s work for the Stockholm Accords and the future of our profession!

The communicative organization acts on the insights that relationships have real value, that reputation is shaped through relationships, and that the organization’s own values must be lived in constant dialogue within as well as with its customers, partners and other stakeholders.

Public Relations, Capitalism and Democracy – Public Relations and Development: two provoKations from my excellent students

I have just concluded my course on global relations and intercultural communication at NYU in New York.
The intense interaction with 10 highly committed graduate students -two Russian, three American, one Brazilian, one Colombian, one British, one Singaporean- allowed me the opportunity to review some of my less resilient stereotypes and learn much more from them [...]

From Oceania and the Mediterranean: our body of knowledge continues to grow

Innovation in public relations thinking and practice continues to come from all over the world.
Interestingly, in most cases the contributions are not from a single local source but from either regional or global perspectives.
Here are two very recent cases

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