Why public relations must wake up to wearables

Things ain’t what they used to be; the end of the beginning around wearable technologies and the device jumps PR practitioners are about to encounter Op-Ed by Catherine Arrow In kicking off this post, I was sorely tempted to indulge in a Buzzfeed-style headline, complete with obligatory quirky picture—probably JIBO, the world’s first family robot. I toyed with “61 ways to know if you’re ready for wearables,” tip-toed around “True Life: Why PR was disconnected...

Edward Bernays and the College of Communication Management

Reporting the death of Eddie Bernays at the age of 103 on 9 March 1995, The New York Times presented a largely favourable obituary. Over the past two decades, Bernays’ legacy has been mixed as his work has been praised as pioneering and also derided as deceptive manipulation. These opposing, simplistic interpretations, are combined in Cutlip’s overview: Bernays was a brilliant person who had a spectacular career, but to use an old-fashioned word, he was...

The growing global market for the Art of PR

The global art market going East and West bipolar introduces an opportunity to establish and reinforce a dialogue related to a contemporary paradigm of public relations By Jiamin Ren A hybrid model of communication and new field of PR practice related to the global art market Things are changing quite rapidly with the present-day global art market—rebounding to near pre-Great Recession highs—reaching €47.42 (or $65.9 billion US) in sales in 2013. Two factors drove the...

PRoust Questionnaire: Helen Slater

The PRoust Questionnaire provides a quick insight into a public relations practitioner’s interests and point of view, as well as his or her professional beliefs and values. If you are not familiar with the original 19th-century Proust Questionnaire, please see details at the end of this post. PRoust Questionnaire answers Helen Slater: 1. What are your most striking characteristics as a PR practitioner? Honesty (or integrity) and a good sense of humour–each of these are...

Buzzwords: Much sound and fury, but signifying little

A two-nation blended cocktail chat dissecting buzzwords in the current vernacular By Toni Muzi Falconi and Helen Slater Our global professional community has tried to change its public relations nomenclature at least since the fifties of the last century, under the notion that a name change can help. As Shakespeare’s Juliet Capulet says of Romeo Montagu, “Tis but thy name that is my enemy … be some other name! What’s in a name? That which...

An abundant public relations era or its utilitarian autumn?

Flourishing PR Conversations about peaks and valleys, truths and opinions plus the plateau in between One of my goals for the last few years was to travel west to Toronto’s High Park in time for the “peak” of the city’s blossoming Sakura cherry trees. Not only is the window of this optimum viewing time always small, but for most of this year’s April and May blooming days the weather was unseasonably cool and often overcast...

Stakeholder Expectations Roundtable: A tale of two books

Where does public relations fit into the organization? How should we update our practices to meet the needs of today and tomorrow? What are our responsibilities to the organizations we serve—and how can we communicate with, and address concerns of, stakeholders? By Bob Geller The above questions were some of the topics covered in a session I attended in New York in late February 2014, the Director Roundtable on Stakeholder Expectations and the 21st Century...

Director Roundtable: Stakeholder Expectations and the 21st Century Board

PR Conversations founder, Toni Muzi Falconi is taking part in a fascinating ‘Director Roundtable‘ event being held in collaboration with the NYU school of continuing and professional studies on 28 February. The other speakers are: Richard Edelman, president and CEO, Edelman James Grunig, Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland Emilio Galli Zugaro, Head of Group Communications, Allianz This event looking at Stakeholder Expectations and the 21st Century Board builds on the book: Global Stakeholder Relationships Governance:...

PRoust Questionnaire: João Duarte

The PRoust Questionnaire provides a quick insight into a public relations practitioner’s interests and point of view, as well as his or her professional beliefs and values. If you are not familiar with the original 19th-century Proust Questionnaire, please see details at the end of this post. PRoust Questionnaire answers from João Duarte: 1. What are your most striking characteristics as a PR practitioner? My ability to put myself in the “shoes” of the “other”—that...

Look under the hood at how PR Conversations "performed" in 2013

What, not another “year in review” post?! So you may be groaning and thinking, and I’m sympathetic with your reluctance to get dished yet again reheated bits of the recent past…. But please bear with me: This is intended to be more of an introspection than a retrospective. As the resident Techster, I’m inviting you faithful readers, to share a look with me under the hood of PR Conversations. As I’m not a number-crunching geek I...