Public relations needs more than digital natives

Whether you call it digital PR, online PR, or social media (SM) relations – public relations practitioners are being told they must enter this “brave new world”, embrace the “revolution” and engage with “new influencers” at every turn.  With a religious fervour, the gurus and advocates are now on overdrive in promoting technological solutions to assist organisations in monitoring, managing and evaluating every aspect of their public relations.  If your organisation, brand, campaign, or significant...

The big question: What is PR?

In May 2008, Catherine Arrow produced a useful edited publication: What is PR? which brought together a range of posts from PR Conversation touching on the “big question” that seems to be of eternal interest to practitioners, academics and of course, students.  Toni Muzi Falconi commenting on two recent events recommends re-reading this document.  He writes: The Bled Symposium this year was not up to the excellent standards that I am accustomed to expect from its organizers.  But this...

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.

How to cut 50% spend on public relations

To paraphrase that old saying about advertising, is it possible that organizations are wasting half their PR spend? In the face of plans by many governments - such as the UK and Italy - to cut their communications budget, how should the public relations industry respond? Here I share some of my thoughts - and a suggestion from Toni Muzi-Falconi.

Stockholm Accords: an update. If you are not in Stockholm my friends, tough luck…

Before this blog changes format, look and prime authors (I will now continue to post occasionally, but only as a contributor and no longer as coordinator), I would like to report on the very intense and (so far) highly rewarding experience of the Stockholm Accords process that has involved me directly in these last few months, and which will presumably occupy more of my time when the Accords will begin to be implemented, following their...

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 was thrilled, honoured and inspired to have been granted the privilege by Prof. Ryszard Ławniczak to participate to the EconPr...