The Manchester Hilton was positively awash with PR people last week, as the Fresh Awards rolled in to town.
The PRCA's been delighted to support Fresh over the past few years. Aimed at a predominantly out-of-London audience, they celebrate the best that our industry has to offer.
As a judge, I know that the entries are interesting and varied, showcasing the fantastic work that our industry generates.
As an attendee, well the evening was certainly fun! Check this video out
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
UKPAC and public affairs regulation
Yesterday, the UKPAC Register launched.
It's a significant step forward. Combining the existing registers of the PRCA and the APPC, and bringing in new entries from CIPR individuals working in public affairs too, it is the most comprehensive summary of who works in the public affairs industry. It details names, contact details and clients,
I know that 251 CIPR members (including myself) have signed up; and that 61 PRCA member organisations employing 706 public affairs are registered too. Those 61 include -for the first time- 24 in house teams, as the PRCA represents in-house teams too.
Add to that number the APPC's consultancies too, and you have a very significant figure.
Now I know that for some people, this is not enough. They will demand more and more. And, frankly, whatever we delivered would never be enough.
Whatever their criticisms, this is a significant stop forward. It provides a foundation on which to grow self-regulation. It is -though doubtless our detractors will dispute this -a good thing.
It's a significant step forward. Combining the existing registers of the PRCA and the APPC, and bringing in new entries from CIPR individuals working in public affairs too, it is the most comprehensive summary of who works in the public affairs industry. It details names, contact details and clients,
I know that 251 CIPR members (including myself) have signed up; and that 61 PRCA member organisations employing 706 public affairs are registered too. Those 61 include -for the first time- 24 in house teams, as the PRCA represents in-house teams too.
Add to that number the APPC's consultancies too, and you have a very significant figure.
Now I know that for some people, this is not enough. They will demand more and more. And, frankly, whatever we delivered would never be enough.
Whatever their criticisms, this is a significant stop forward. It provides a foundation on which to grow self-regulation. It is -though doubtless our detractors will dispute this -a good thing.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Churnalism
There's a bit of a -how shall I put it?- whinge in The Guardian.
They make some valid observations about churnalism, but seem to point the figure at our industry, whose growth they blame rather than celebrate Instead, they should try looking a little closer to home.
Yes, it's sometimes the case that press releases are pretty much copied and pasted by papers (a point we've made to the NLA...).
Yes, it's sometimes the case that papers don't interrogate stories as they should.
But there's a very simple reason for this -newspapers no longer employ an adequate number of journalists.
It's been happening for years, and there's no sign of it stopping. As newspaper circulations fall, and as sources of information proliferate, newspaper revenues decrease, and they employ fewer people. But those people are now expected not just to fill hardcopies of the paper, but online content too. So they're pretty busy....
It's hardly rocket science to work out what the problem is.
What is rather more difficult is working out the answer -quite how do we break this vicious circle. Because we lose out too. Answers (in a press release if you like) please.
They make some valid observations about churnalism, but seem to point the figure at our industry, whose growth they blame rather than celebrate Instead, they should try looking a little closer to home.
Yes, it's sometimes the case that press releases are pretty much copied and pasted by papers (a point we've made to the NLA...).
Yes, it's sometimes the case that papers don't interrogate stories as they should.
But there's a very simple reason for this -newspapers no longer employ an adequate number of journalists.
It's been happening for years, and there's no sign of it stopping. As newspaper circulations fall, and as sources of information proliferate, newspaper revenues decrease, and they employ fewer people. But those people are now expected not just to fill hardcopies of the paper, but online content too. So they're pretty busy....
It's hardly rocket science to work out what the problem is.
What is rather more difficult is working out the answer -quite how do we break this vicious circle. Because we lose out too. Answers (in a press release if you like) please.
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Getting to the Best Talent
Today, we announce the creation of our Access Commission. Its remit is broad but simple: to look at the barriers to entry which exist within our industry, and to examine how to widen access so that the very best people are attracted to PR as a career -and having entered the industry, stay in it.
Every industry has barriers to entry -some (like being intelligent and hard-working) are obviously good; others (like bright people thinking they won't fit in) are obviously bad. It's the bad ones we want to identify and remove. Because we want to get to the very best talent.
So the Commission will examine a whole range of areas -class, disability, ethnicity, parent-friendly workplaces, internships etc etc. It will invite evidence, weigh it, and come forward with practical suggestions to enable our industry to appeal to the very brightest people, regardless of background.
The list of members is pretty impressive. Its Chairman is Insight Public Affairs' John Lehal. And the other members are:
Rishi Bhattacharya, Deputy Managing Director, Edelman
Magda Bulska, Account Manager, Insideout Communications
Leah Bryant, Chairman, PRCA Frontline
Bieneosa Ebite, Chair, Ignite and Managing Director, Brightstar PR
Lee Edwards, Lecturer, Manchester Business School
Nicky Garston, Senior Lecturer, Greenwich University
Kate Hartley, Managing Director, Carrot Communications
Robert Khan, Head of Law Reform, Law Society
Francis Ingham, Chief Executive, PRCA
Sandy Lindsay, Group Managing Director, Tangerine PR
Robert Minton-Taylor, Associate Senior Lecturer, Leeds Business School
Mike Morgan, CEO, Red Consultancy
Dan Murphy, Director of Corporate Communications, Remploy
Gina Ramson-Williams, Group Talent Director, Europe, Weber Shandwick
Danny Rogers, Editor, PR Week
Sarah Stimson, Course Director, Taylor Bennett Foundation
It'll report back in the early summer. I'm looking forward to its work. If you think you have something to contribute, email or DM me - francis.ingham@prca.org.uk @PRCAIngham
Every industry has barriers to entry -some (like being intelligent and hard-working) are obviously good; others (like bright people thinking they won't fit in) are obviously bad. It's the bad ones we want to identify and remove. Because we want to get to the very best talent.
So the Commission will examine a whole range of areas -class, disability, ethnicity, parent-friendly workplaces, internships etc etc. It will invite evidence, weigh it, and come forward with practical suggestions to enable our industry to appeal to the very brightest people, regardless of background.
The list of members is pretty impressive. Its Chairman is Insight Public Affairs' John Lehal. And the other members are:
Rishi Bhattacharya, Deputy Managing Director, Edelman
Magda Bulska, Account Manager, Insideout Communications
Leah Bryant, Chairman, PRCA Frontline
Bieneosa Ebite, Chair, Ignite and Managing Director, Brightstar PR
Lee Edwards, Lecturer, Manchester Business School
Nicky Garston, Senior Lecturer, Greenwich University
Kate Hartley, Managing Director, Carrot Communications
Robert Khan, Head of Law Reform, Law Society
Francis Ingham, Chief Executive, PRCA
Sandy Lindsay, Group Managing Director, Tangerine PR
Robert Minton-Taylor, Associate Senior Lecturer, Leeds Business School
Mike Morgan, CEO, Red Consultancy
Dan Murphy, Director of Corporate Communications, Remploy
Gina Ramson-Williams, Group Talent Director, Europe, Weber Shandwick
Danny Rogers, Editor, PR Week
Sarah Stimson, Course Director, Taylor Bennett Foundation
It'll report back in the early summer. I'm looking forward to its work. If you think you have something to contribute, email or DM me - francis.ingham@prca.org.uk @PRCAIngham
Thursday, 10 February 2011
What Does 2011 Hold?
Our industry's definitely more optimistic about the future than it was this time last year. That's the very clear message of our recent PRCA PR Leaders' Panel.
We asked our member MDs, CEOs and Comms Directors how positive they felt about their own organisation's prospects; about the industry's; and about the country's. We then calculated the balance of opinion by taking the negative responses away from the positive; and by splitting the agency respondents from the in-house ones.
And the results were pretty clear:
Consultancy's/organisation's overall prospects: Consultancy respondents +79; In-house respondents +54
PR industry's overall prospects: Consultancy respondents +53; In-house respondents+20
So -strong confidence from agencies and in house teams alike about their own prospects and about the idnustry's too.
A different picture emerges when asked about the UK's overall economic prospects though:
Consultancy respondents +21; In house respondents -13
The consistent gap between in house and agency sentiment is striking; as is the belief that while our own industry will prosper in 2011, the same isn't necessarily true of the wider economy.
Food for thought as we move through the year. The full results can be viewed at the PRCA site
Friday, 24 December 2010
Happy New Year From The PRCA
Another New Year -another opportunity to review the past twelve months, and to look forward to the year ahead.
For our industry, 2010 has certainly been a better year than was 2009. There IS a recovery -ok, its strength varies by sector and by region: and ok, it sometimes appears fragile. But there are more reasons to be positive about the future than negative, and 2011 should be a good year for very many of us.
The PRCA enters 2011 in the best shape it has ever known. Late in December, I presented to our Board a review of our performance over the past three years, and a strategic plan for the next few.
There can be no doubt that we have transformed ourselves over those years -and that we are determined to continue that process of transformation.
So, a few highlights from the past year:
January - NLA Ltd blinked in copyright dispute
February -we grew by more in five weeks than in the whole of 2005 and 2006 combined
March -Copyright Tribunal ruled in our favour versus NLA Ltd
March -Peter Bingle's Bell Pottinger Public Affairs joined the PRCA
April -We announced the 46 PRCA Founding Fellows, including Lord Chadlington and Lord Bell
June Women In PR Group left CIPR, and then joined the PRCA
June -we announced our new officers, with Huntsworth's Clarke and Edelman's Phillips taking major roles heading up best practice and international work respectively
August - Caroline Kinsey was elected as Chairman of the PR Council
August -we announced an alliance with the IVCA allowing our members access to one-another's services
October -our awards attracted a sell-out crowd of 750. They're now second in size only to PR Week's
October -Hill and Knowlton's Sally Costerton became PRCA Chairman and set out her two-year Chairmanship vision
October -Remarkable Group's Amy Bryant-Jeffries became first person to be awarded the new PRCA Foundation Certificate
November -PRCA National Conference took place in Manchester -our first National Conference outside of London in living memory, and an affirmation of our growth outside the Capital over the past three years.
November -We launched designatory letters. Over half of our members have claimed them already
December -having lost to the NLA in the High Court, we stayed the course and move to the Court of Appeal
So what do we plan for 2011?
Well, that will all become clear. But one thing is certain -we have no intention of going slow. We've changed fundamentally over the past few years, and I believe we've become the industry's best and more effective voice.
We represent more than double the number of UK consultancies we did three years ago; we have international members across the world, from Australia to the Ukraine -Indonesia to France; and we represent over fifty in-house PR departments -M&S, John Lewis, the Met Police, Westminster Council, Vodafone, the Law Society, P&G, and many other fantastic names, who wouldn't have even considered joining the PRCA even a couple of years ago. Their faith in the PRCA speaks volumes about how we have changed, and seized our new role.
We intend to build on all of that progress, with detremniation and verve.
As the saying goes -you aint seen nothing yet!
For our industry, 2010 has certainly been a better year than was 2009. There IS a recovery -ok, its strength varies by sector and by region: and ok, it sometimes appears fragile. But there are more reasons to be positive about the future than negative, and 2011 should be a good year for very many of us.
The PRCA enters 2011 in the best shape it has ever known. Late in December, I presented to our Board a review of our performance over the past three years, and a strategic plan for the next few.
There can be no doubt that we have transformed ourselves over those years -and that we are determined to continue that process of transformation.
So, a few highlights from the past year:
January - NLA Ltd blinked in copyright dispute
February -we grew by more in five weeks than in the whole of 2005 and 2006 combined
March -Copyright Tribunal ruled in our favour versus NLA Ltd
March -Peter Bingle's Bell Pottinger Public Affairs joined the PRCA
April -We announced the 46 PRCA Founding Fellows, including Lord Chadlington and Lord Bell
June Women In PR Group left CIPR, and then joined the PRCA
June -we announced our new officers, with Huntsworth's Clarke and Edelman's Phillips taking major roles heading up best practice and international work respectively
August - Caroline Kinsey was elected as Chairman of the PR Council
August -we announced an alliance with the IVCA allowing our members access to one-another's services
October -our awards attracted a sell-out crowd of 750. They're now second in size only to PR Week's
October -Hill and Knowlton's Sally Costerton became PRCA Chairman and set out her two-year Chairmanship vision
October -Remarkable Group's Amy Bryant-Jeffries became first person to be awarded the new PRCA Foundation Certificate
November -PRCA National Conference took place in Manchester -our first National Conference outside of London in living memory, and an affirmation of our growth outside the Capital over the past three years.
November -We launched designatory letters. Over half of our members have claimed them already
December -having lost to the NLA in the High Court, we stayed the course and move to the Court of Appeal
So what do we plan for 2011?
Well, that will all become clear. But one thing is certain -we have no intention of going slow. We've changed fundamentally over the past few years, and I believe we've become the industry's best and more effective voice.
We represent more than double the number of UK consultancies we did three years ago; we have international members across the world, from Australia to the Ukraine -Indonesia to France; and we represent over fifty in-house PR departments -M&S, John Lewis, the Met Police, Westminster Council, Vodafone, the Law Society, P&G, and many other fantastic names, who wouldn't have even considered joining the PRCA even a couple of years ago. Their faith in the PRCA speaks volumes about how we have changed, and seized our new role.
We intend to build on all of that progress, with detremniation and verve.
As the saying goes -you aint seen nothing yet!
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Standing Up For The Industry
Last week, we lodged our appeal against the High Court's ruling in favour of the NLA.
This is what I said announcing it:
Fifteen minutes ago acting on behalf of our members and the wider PR industry, the PRCA appealed last month’s High Court decision in favour of the NLA,
In 2009 the NLA decided to extend its hardcopy licensing scheme to cover the sharing of links to newspaper website content. The NLA believes that anyone using a commercial media monitoring service, or systematically sending content to clients, needs a licence to do so.
Meltwater challenged the proposed licensing scheme in the Copyright Tribunal believing it to be unreasonable. The PRCA supported this view and intervened in support of Meltwater and on behalf of our members and end users generally.
Following two rulings from the Copyright Tribunal in favour of Meltwater and the PRCA, the NLA referred the PRCA and Meltwater to the High Court.
We were disappointed by the High Court’s decision and believe it fundamentally to be flawed. We believe it risks putting an end to the freedom with which information can be shared on the Internet. The implication is that the mere act of browsing freely accessible websites will require a copyright licence.
We are therefore appealing the decision. We anticipate that even if our appeal is unsuccessful, the Copyright Tribunal will find that the terms of the licences and the fees sought from customers are unreasonable and so will reduce the fees. In this event, end users will still be in a better position.
Irrespective of the outcome of the appeal, we are confident that our ultimate aim of ensuring reasonable terms for the licensing of NLA content will be achieved.
In the meantime, if you have any questions about what the licensing scheme means for you or your organisation or you would like to be kept informed of developments in this case, then please on the link below.
The PRCA is proud to be representing, with Meltwater, the interests of the PR industry. And while it is our duty as a professional body to take on such a role, your messages of support and help collecting evidence have been crucial to our case.
Thank you for all your help and we promise to keep you informed as the case continues.
You can see a clip of that statement here
This is what I said announcing it:
Fifteen minutes ago acting on behalf of our members and the wider PR industry, the PRCA appealed last month’s High Court decision in favour of the NLA,
In 2009 the NLA decided to extend its hardcopy licensing scheme to cover the sharing of links to newspaper website content. The NLA believes that anyone using a commercial media monitoring service, or systematically sending content to clients, needs a licence to do so.
Meltwater challenged the proposed licensing scheme in the Copyright Tribunal believing it to be unreasonable. The PRCA supported this view and intervened in support of Meltwater and on behalf of our members and end users generally.
Following two rulings from the Copyright Tribunal in favour of Meltwater and the PRCA, the NLA referred the PRCA and Meltwater to the High Court.
We were disappointed by the High Court’s decision and believe it fundamentally to be flawed. We believe it risks putting an end to the freedom with which information can be shared on the Internet. The implication is that the mere act of browsing freely accessible websites will require a copyright licence.
We are therefore appealing the decision. We anticipate that even if our appeal is unsuccessful, the Copyright Tribunal will find that the terms of the licences and the fees sought from customers are unreasonable and so will reduce the fees. In this event, end users will still be in a better position.
Irrespective of the outcome of the appeal, we are confident that our ultimate aim of ensuring reasonable terms for the licensing of NLA content will be achieved.
In the meantime, if you have any questions about what the licensing scheme means for you or your organisation or you would like to be kept informed of developments in this case, then please on the link below.
The PRCA is proud to be representing, with Meltwater, the interests of the PR industry. And while it is our duty as a professional body to take on such a role, your messages of support and help collecting evidence have been crucial to our case.
Thank you for all your help and we promise to keep you informed as the case continues.
You can see a clip of that statement here
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