A reality check

Now undeniably I have a small obsession with aesthetic and therefore I am completely biased towards design playing a key role in PR. Freelancing for PR agencies as a designer can be a bit of a nightmare sometimes. Their ideas of turnaround are completely unrealistic and what takes 3 minutes for a wordsmith can take 3 hours for a designer to visually convey the same thing. The first thing I learnt on the MA programme at Westminster was that "Brevity is key".

Reactive PR cannot afford to take hours thinking of what to say, and this is where design loses its placement on the PR podium. Brands have to react to information hitting the headlines in moments, and this is where design is immaterial. The appliance of pressure to a designer generally leads to bad & ineffective design and yet the PR industry is constantly pressured. The expectations of designers in this industry are completely unrealistic and usually something has to be compromised. This infographic demonstrates it perfectly.

DID YOU KNOW... Information really is beautiful

Now a key tool in every PR practitioners tool kit is the survey. Engaging audiences through fascinating statistics such as "did you know ......" is a guaranteed audience puller. The "did you know" idea fascinates and attracts us. So how can an agency representing a road side food chain for example, engage their audience without boring them to death with really uninteresting facts? A solution would be to focus on a common problem, say for example congestion. For those drivers amongst us, congestion drives us CRAZY, but how can you convey boring data, engage your audience and promote your brand? Utilising design and statistics, Traffic Planners in the USA came up with this:



They took something so boring and made it interesting. Ok, it's not the most inspiring thing I've ever seen, but it's definitely something that is engaging and insightful, and could actually prevent an obstacle that has effected travel for decades. Taking data and displaying it 'outside the box' is the new dimension for the standard survey effect.

Does design dictate successful PR?

An article in CNN Money this month told of how Silicon Valley is paying top dollar for designers. There is no denying that social media is the forefront thought of any PR campaign, and Facebook is the ultimate in social engagement. Facebook has made considerable investments into individual designers and design agencies over the last few years, but Instagram at $1billion was the biggest. The focus on the visual for social application is undeniable, design walks hand in hand with engagement. The world's most famous companies (apple & facebook) have spent billions on this theory, and because of this, consumers and online audiences have become art critics. PR practitioners are being confronted with the notion that no matter how good the wordsmith, you won't have an audience if you can't attract them in the first place.

Veteran entrepreneur Rocky Agrawal cites Mint and recent phenom Pinterest as examples of companies that took off because of their visual flair.

The first 50 or 500 people that come to your site, the biggest thing that's going to impact them is the design," he says. "If you have great design, you can acquire the audience you need.
Rocky Agrawal

http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/05/technology/startups/designers/index.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fmoney_latest+%28Latest+News%29

Less text.. more typo(graphy)

In communicating a message, a balance has to be achieved between the visual and the verbal aspects of a design.

Carolyn Knight


The visual language established when designing with type can bring into play not only emotions, but also physical responses. Now let's add a PR/NGO angle to this.



In the ad below, the viewer is connected to every aesthetic that makes the brand KitKat, you could even forgive the reader for actually believing it to be aa advertisement for the brand - it pulls in the reader through visual association, but then you realise the actually written message is completely different. Greenpeace have not only managed to communicate their message through simple typography but also educated the audience in the psychological dominance of brand association to the consumer. The lack of context makes this campaign brilliant.

You have all you need

Part of the module for new media focused on delivering a viral campaign. I picked a concept idea from the PR agency i freelance at (Splendid Communications) and gave it an Innocent makeover. I made a short 30 second video to support the campaign, The idea focused on the idea that "you have all you need".

Stats from Aviva 2011 declared that 26% of 18-25 year olds consumer 2 or more of the recommended 5 a day, saying they don't have time, money or tools. 78% of the same respondents say they feel they haven't achieved their ambition because of the same restraints. Using Innocent, I paralleled this "you have all you need" concept to their INNOCENT and simple belief. The idea being an innocent smoothie provides your 5 a day without breaking the bank and is served in a fraction of the time. A social extension to the campaign focused on the product, "You have all the ingredients you need".

Here is the video.. Hope you like it!

But is it right?

Is There Such a Thing as Public Relations Ethics?

Current research supports a historical trend of associating public relations with all things unethical – lying and spin-doctoring. Many critics argue that there can be no ethical public relations because the practice itself is promotes manipulation and propaganda. An unfortunate belief among many journalists and policy makers, is the belief that the term ‘public relations’ is just 'smoke and mirrors' to hide deception.

Certain groups criticise the public relations industry for a lack of ethics, counting the influence of public relations and lobbying as one of the primary threats to 'truthful journalism'. The industry professionals and fathers of PR haven't really helped disparage these rumours, with Hill & Knowlton notoriously saying

“We’d represent Satan if he paid” (http://backissues.cjrarchives.org/year/92/5/pr.asp).

Is ethical public relations even possible? Are public relations professionals really the ‘invisible professionals’ who influence. Apparent in every posting on this blog lies a continuity - transparency. Social media is the greatest asset and biggest woe to the pr practitioner. It can make a campaign, individual or brand in seconds and yet ruin it in the same moment.

Social media has become the new guardian of responsible communication, it holds value to every brand, consumer, politician and belief seeking a voice. This tool doesn't criticise individual ethics or belief, but in order to maximise its potential, it commands honesty.

An MA in PR? Don't be stupid

It's simple, a degree is not important in this media landscape! To enter above a junior level in this industry you need experience, a good attitude and a great network of contacts. No matter how hard you study on your degree, it will go unnoticed. Does this make it a complete waste of time?

The cost of university fees has escalated dramatically in the last year. Is it financially worth it? Students are in debt before they even put a foot on the career ladder, what have they gained from an education that an internship can't provide? Research published in PR WEEK 2011 suggests that employers aren't impressed by a PR degree. There is no question that PR is a recent addition to the academic agenda, and those employing didn't have the option to study when they were starting their careers. As graduating students begin to scatter over the PR landscape and rise up the career ladder, The PR Week survey could see a shift in behaviours regarding this attitude. Maybe (and if the profession becomes licensed) it will become a necessity. What is clear is from the MA programme at Westminster, is that the profession isn't just about being a good wordsmith, but about having a range of key skills. It's not just about persuasion or placement anymore, the practitioner needs to develop their 'dexterity' to be able to engage with their audience on a multitude of platforms.

Now looking at my own degree programme, I must confess I find the grading criteria subjective. What was considered an Oscar worthy piece of viral campaigning from a colleague wouldn't rank highly in the real world at all. Their beliefs of what would make a good viral video borders on silly, and the grade was (yes, I'll say it) unfounded. With such a subjective assessment on assignments, does it void PR academia? Now some would say I was suffering from sour grapes, but here is my point. This is exactly what it is like in the real world, opinions clash all the time, not everyone is going to like or agree with your idea no matter how brilliant it may be. It's not just about educating yourself in the profession, it's about harnessing your beliefs and learning how to co-exist in a work environment.

What education provides is a confidence that allows you to see insight into your work ethic, whether it be: your potential, your ability to stand out from the crowd, your creativity, your social skills or your ability to work under pressure. It allows you to know your limits, and there is a quiet confidence in this. With knowledge comes confidence, with confidence comes determination, and determination usually walks hand in hand with success. Knowing exactly who you are and what you can offer a company is key. Afterall, if you can't promote yourself in the interview process, how on earth are you going to promote a client?

Yes, you are at your most creative in this space. If you fail to shine creatively at university, then that's a pretty good indication of where you will stand in the industry.

Politically Speaking

Political communications is the target and influence on supporters and voters. It can often become blurred when diluted with government communication which ultimately leads to spin.

Political comms involves a multitude of sectors including: lobbying, political marketing, media relations, and of course campaigning.

A professional within the sector has one fundamental intention.. to promote the interests of the party and secure votes (and if necessary attack the opposition). There are many tools available to any campaigner promoting a message, but one less desirable yet deadly, is spin.

George Gallop, Reporter from WA Times Today says

spin is a particular form of political communication that is undesirable but seemingly entrenched in our adversarial and media-drenched system. However it's not the only option and as a means to gain and sustain power it is risky because amongst the factors that influence electors are judgements about character and credibility.

Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/opinion/politics/what-is-spin-20120402-1w8g2.html#ixzz1rdtF9zqb

In an age where transparency dominates all agendas, spin is almost impossible. A new tool available to the professional in the political comms sector, and on the same platform, is on the social network - Twitter.
Twitter actively identifies and engages with key audiences without having to travel miles and miles on a campaign trail. It is immediate, cost effective and can influence the most important person for a campaign - the floating voter. Maximising this outlet can really harness a campaign and encourage two-way communication between politicians and the public. Engaging communities through social media promotes transparency and benefits both parties.

Corporate Social Responsibility & Social Media

With the advent of social media, brands have had to gain the consumers trust again. The floodgate of transparency drowning any hidden agenda a brand, organisation or politician might be nurturing has led to a shift in power.

This shift in power from brand to consumer means that social media has made CSR more prominent!

Facebook now boasts in excess of 800m users worldwide, Twitter has more than 200m users, LinkedIn has 64m (and growing), and 23% of all time spent online is on social networks. Brands are beginning to communicate their social responsibility initiatives more openly utilising these platforms.

If you want a demonstration of the power of social media to bring people together around real-world causes you only have to look back at the summer riots. According to Natalie Cowan from First Direct:

A disaffected youth came together through BBM to riot, but then residential communities across the country worked together to rebuild their communities - all organised and enabled through social media.
The latter was lauded as the ‘Big Society’ in action but as our CEO said in a Guardian piece last week, the ‘Big Society’ isn’t a new concept - it’s just a new phrase to describe good social leadership, and highlight what’s often already there."
Natalie Cowan, Head of Brand and Communications at first direct

Social Media has provided a great opportunity for companies, brands and all of the above to re-align their beliefs and start again. It has led us the age of accountability and can no longer go ignored.

Social Media Stats

PR POWER

As part of our MA degree, we were asked to make a 6 minute video with the title "PR may have a bad reputation, but society needs it". It was paramount that this wasn't to be a puff piece. We wanted to show the addiction and power of PR. The easiest way was to invent an addictive product that would parallel the dependency of PR.




"PR may have a bad reputation, but society needs it".

In 1917 Edward Bernays stumbled across a most rare and magical herb -- plantae iaceo, which literally means the lying plant - according to a street peddlar had the propensity to get the holder out of even the stickiest of situations using nothing more than rhetoric.

Upon his return to America, Bernays set to work, concocting a potent mixture of ale for confidence, pepper for dramatics and honey to soothe even the foulest of tempers. After weeks of deliberating, Bernays finally decided on a name - PR Power, not least because World War I was breaking out, and Bernay's knew how important it was to stay "on-message". In April 1917, it was finally ready. But how would Bernays sell it? How would he figure out who really deserved his magical drink?

Follow your hosts Sarah Walker & Alberto Pinosa as they take you on a journey into the vaults of PR Power, and understand the influence behind this rising social addiction.

"If you want transparency, drink water. If you want success, drink PR Power!"


Some Production shots to tickle your taste buds.

It's so diverse!

This weeks lecture focused on diversity. The speaker was Mavis Amankwah who is the founder of Rich Visions Corporate and Rich Visions small business (2002 & 2009 respectively).

She was an engaging and confident speaker, yet I must admit that at the beginning of the lecture when she felt the need to divulge her financial assets over a 15 minute period, a red flag appeared. She spoke mostly about her and her personal achievements including her net worth whilst plugging her book. Certain exaggerations into the opening statement of financial presence seemed ungrounded (the website appeared to be from Vistaprint). Such wonderful statements included "The costs of getting it wrong can be really costly"... hmm.

It seemed as if the lecture was the prerequisite for standard business practice not a sub-division of industry. Personally I think any practitioner should know who their audience is and what ways to target their niche, they shouldn't need to outsource this insight.

I actually found myself quite annoyed at this lecture. My peers had the opposite reaction, leaving inspired, motivated and eyes bulging at the prospect of making millions. Coming from a background understanding the financial logistics of mid-sized companies, I think the information given might have been sugar coated and her 'pitch' slightly misguiding. With regards to the case studies, there were 3 very basic local community campaigns. The lecture would have been far more plausible if the focus was on content and not on finances.

Nevertheless, I cannot be critical of the great insight into community engagement and focusing on generation to head campaigns. Her knowledge of communities was really perceptive and one cannot dismiss her achievements. In the UK, we are just at conception of diverse communications and this is a really interesting and sensitive area in PR. What Mavis Amankwah has achieved is indeed pioneering and this should be respected. But with the advent of web 2.0 and 'universal' language trending, does it already have a shelf life? Are sensitivities lessening? Naturally, culture has its vulnerabilities and these should absolutely be treated delicately, but can this sector sustain itself with the quick pace of society? One thing Mavis did touch upon that stood out was the 3 barriers to diverse relations - Culture, religion and language. Without these 3 pillars, society would have a very bland and soulless existence.

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Rich Visions
Mavis Amankwah


She noticed a gap in the market.
test research for 2 years.
3 barriers to reaching out to diverse culture - culture, religion and language
Here in the UK, we are still at conception.
Rich Visions corporate 2002.
Rich Visions small business 2009.
How to reach the unreachable?
The one size fits all is not the way forward
Cost of getting wrong can lead to disengagement.
Community engagement
Generation is very important and can lead very different campaigns
Focus groups are great for a sensitive message and for terms of translation
Focus groups are also an important qualitative tool for acquiring feedback
To convince, It's about the education.

Do's
Research your target audience
work towards dispelling any cultural myths of taboos
understand the demographics of the target audience you are trying to reach eg - generation
The one size fits all approach is not the way forward
Be aware of cultural sensitivities eg - eye contact
Engage more with your community leaders, opinion formers, faith leaders and specialist agencies
Familiarise yourself with niche media
when doing outreach think about the team

Don't
Hide your campaign success stories and testimonials
Use idioms and jargon
Stereotype
Just 'guess'
Always run campaigns during specific ethnic events



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This is a terribly basic example of a diverse culture infographic, but it makes its point.

The Lobbyist

For good or bad, It's all in the delivery!

Simply put, lobbyists are influencers. Much like the Guardian "3 little pigs" commercial, lobbyists can spin information in favour of their objective. They can actively influence legislation for the benefit of their organisation, business and/or government.

The foundations of lobbying go back to 1600 but are nowadays commonplace with (albeit basic) boards keeping an open eye, whether it's watching however is another matter. The ethical implications of lobbying draw a very fine line, regulation is at the forefront of this issue. Lobbyists can and do use spin to influence action in their favour, this is unregulated so how can it be ethical?

Trust and transparency are 2 words that are constantly reiterated in this industry. There is a big debate on the call for more regulations regarding lobbying. In a survey, the CIPR found that over 80% of respondents felt lobbyists not on a register should not have access to government.

Now let's go back a little....
Edward Bernays, considered the father of PR & propaganda, manipulated society by drawing on the ideas of French writer Gustave LeBon and his theory - Crowd Psychology. It is widely considered that Bernays made the tobacco industry the juggernaut it is today.

"On behalf of Lucky Strike, Bernays sought the advice of the psychoanalyst A.A. Brill. Brill's message to Bernays and the American Tobacco company was "freedom": sell cigarettes to women as a symbol of liberation.
Following this advice, Bernays staged a legendary publicity event that is still taught as an example in PR schools. He hired beautiful fashion models to march in New York's prominent Easter parade, each waving a lit cigarette and wearing a banner proclaiming it a "torch of liberty." Bernays made sure that publicity photos of his smoking models appeared world-wide."

Without regulation, how can we know that those lobbying aren't being detrimental to society for their own benefit? How can we really be sure that this won't happen again.

A survey on skynews this week revealed that over 80% of the public don't trust politicians. Without regulation and transparency, how can we really know if they are friend or foe?

The Gender Issue

Stereotyping gender sounds like something from a Hitchcock movie. We barely take notice of this topic, believing it is not an issue anymore. I think this is another one of societies hidden vulnerabilities.

According to the CIPR 2011, their survey revealed that 55% of women work in PR, but even when women are the majority in a given profession, it doesn’t necessarily equate into a level playing field, men are the ones holding the power and earning the top salaries.

There is no dispute that women have come a long way. "The Iron Lady" broke box office records last month, showing (amongst other issues) the struggle of a woman coming to power against the condemnation of an institution. It is a story we like to refresh. To be honest it is a story that is never likely to go away, certainly not in my lifetime. From the advent of religion, gender has and will continue to be an issue.

Many of the practitioners in the PR industry are freelancers and this career option for a woman can be beneficial when starting a family. However, in saying this, men are increasingly becoming 'stay at home fathers' and sharing responsibility of raising their children. The option of freelance dominating the industry can provide more of an explanation why it is 'influenced' by women but being 'governed' by men. Are the women in industry only in it for the short term and prefer a healthy balance of life/work ergo leaving more opportunities at a senior level for men?

I like to think there is no discimination when it comes to working within the PR industry, but I am certain this is not the case. The real winner in the 'work race' is the individual who can maintain a healthy life/work balance and this is not specific to gender or industry.

NGO & Activism

The Rise of Conscience

Now, I am going to quote from a predecessor of the MA programme, Liana on her blog: it's all gone PR. She puts into words the discipline within NGO organisations.

The third sector is large and diverse; it consists of non-profit and non-governmental organisations that exist to serve a social cause, which can also have a political or an environmental aspect attached to it. Third sector or voluntary organisations are in a continuous battle to improve the world, society and the lives of people who are part of it. The organisations’ causes range from fighting world hunger/poverty, aiding the unwell and sustaining the environment. Although these organisations have different aims, they all engage in the same activities which can be the ‘hands on’ activities like providing physical assistance, campaigning and most importantly advocating and lobbying.

The key stakeholders of charities and NGO’s are the general public, corporations and local and national governments. Having said that, the relationship of corporate companies with NGO’s can often be tense, as NGO’s are always on the lookout for company misconducts and are prepared to take action if they feel like a corporation is engaging in activity that goes against what they stand for.

Motivation
A radical outsider approach for an NGO is unlikey to approach a CEO for a meeting, but more likely to mobilise public opinion in stunts etc and have the public put pressure on the corporation to change. eg. GREENPEACE vs MATTEL


But a cheaper and more viable solution is investment into illustrations to prove their point. It has a lasting effect and promotes a more serious and 'act now' attitude.

Examples of NGO Investment in to infographics



References
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~hiscox/Spar.pdf

Crisis Management

Crisis means danger and opportunity. It is about controlling the agenda.
Messages must be truthful, irrefutable and relevant to the audience.

A lecture at UW given by Lindsay Coulson // Comms Director , focused on 11 golden rules to crisis management (I have designed a document for your perusal listing these rules, please feel free to download. I've also attached a visual example of an infographic for Crisis management in the aviation industry, provided by emergency response planning

Two points that were reiterated again and again were..

::::: CARE & CONCERN IS CRUCIAL:::::
::::: TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY IS PARAMOUNT:::::

The lecture also focused on utilising new media to get your message across in an honest, quick and credible manner. it demonstrated how:

Social media can...
* trigger a nutshell
* escalate a crisis
* complicate crisis management
* creates new circles of trust and credibility
* requires up-skilling and different resouces
* can be an asset

But

* principles of good management still apply
* should not distract from overall strategy and objectives
* Still think audience first - message and medium second
* credibility is still important (but the rules are different)
* Social media connects, but news media still has power to disseminate to masses

War Spin

In discussing war spin after a lecture with a friend of mine, she came out with this wonderful statement "it is well known that terrorism is the ultimate extension of Public Relations". Since starting this MA, the common thread throughout every module, lecture and debate is TRUST & TRANSPARENCY. When a country makes the decision to go to war, is trust and transparency applicable?

We had to debate war spin 'modern wars are spun not won - what the warring parties say is more important than what they do' naturally we were on the opposing team denying this statement. Difficult, very difficult. It's obvious that spin plays the general in terms of war, Vietnam being a perfect example.

All we could say was that victory is dependent on power, economy, strength and numbers.. Opinions cannot and should not form a presence in war. We argued without actions war cannot be initiated using the Twin Towers and Pearl Harbour as our case studies. We touched on spin being unimportant in the formation of foreign policy and this is seen rightfully as the preservation of democracy, and the breakdown of democracy and human rights is why we go to war in the first place. The action is more important than the word. We concluded by explaining war coverage only accounts for 4% of the news and whilst critics do indeed concede to the media an important role in the process of war, that role is limited to humanitarian concerns and hence the media do not have the power to end a state of war, that belongs to military strategists, a game plan and a stronger power.

Of course we lost, we didn't stand a chance. But returning to trust and transparency in terms of war, new media is the Queen of the chess board to any warring party. Whilst warring parties can, do and will continue to generate war spin, the news channels that report are losing credibility and presence, and are no longer a trusted source of information.

Is it so crazy to think that in the not so distant future, this will become an ineffective war strategy?

some links to our debate research
- Realism in Afghanistan
- Victory by Spin?
- Media spin
- media on war
- The media & Vietnam war
- Why america can't keep fighting 1% wars
- How wars are won
- Democratic peace theory

An Introduction

As part of my thesis I am intending to put forward a report investigating design in the PR sector and prove how visual literacy is a vital tool to the practitioner. The thesis will show how the reader understands best when data is provided in a visual context over a more text based framework and will debate whether the role of the designer is just as important as the wordsmith when achieving communicational objectives.

Using case studies in Social Navimation and engaging interfaces, I will dissect and investigate graphic based information and compare it to text based models. I propose to examine the industry use of Infographics, survey the growth rate in activity of graphic based data and analyse the preference of visual literacy over the traditionally preferred wordsmith within PR.

By dissecting user interface and designs in media I intend to reinforce the theory of engaging society via design.

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A division of this MA programme involves a segment on reflective learning. I have to maintain a blog with weekly reports on contemporary theory and issues in PR. I will aim to 'dovetail' this with my thesis and use illustrative examples of theories combined with text content.

Now after all that.. have a crisp!