PR Futurist | Stuart Bruce | Purposeful Relations - TWTWTW #21 | 🔮 2021 predictions for journalism 🥇 Top 100 PR influencers 🤥 PR liars 📕 New PR book review 🥣 Facts vs stories 🌍 New PR model 🎓 New faces at CIPR, AMEC, PRCA

Welcome

🥂 Happy New Year

Hi it's Stuart Bruce here again to wish you all a Happy New Year. It's not too late yet is it? I didn't hit you with a TWTWTW on the first day back at work as I didn't think anyone would have time to read it. It's been a roller coaster week hasn't it?

In the UK we're into our third lockdown and I'm expecting more restrictions before we see any easing which I think won't be until after Easter unless lots of things change dramatically.

And what can we say about the USA? The scenes of terrorists (which seems a more apt word than protestors) attacking the US Capitol building were extraordinary. Like many of you I've done the tourist trail in Washington DC so experienced the security to get in. This was like a scene from the film Olympus Has Fallen.

Since starting TWTWTW last July I've had an extraordinary response with lots of interesting conversations with subscribers. I've got one favour to ask you and that's for everyone who is reading this to recommend it to two friends or colleagues. Just share the https://sbpr.cc/twtwtw link. I'd be really grateful. Thanks in advance.

Crisis communication

📣 Rebutting bad news can help reinforce and spread it

It's often an automatic response of PR professionals to rebut misinformation and disinformation. Labour's rebuttal unit in the 90s played a big role in turning around Labour's fortunes and winning in 1997. However, in 2021 rebuttal isn't always the most effective action. Sometimes doing nothing can be more effective. This is something I counsel my crisis communications clients when we review plans and I cover in my risk and crisis training courses.

Research and reports

🔮 Nieman Lab's predictions for journalism 2021

I'm a big fan of Nieman Labs as although it is focused on journalism it's a great source of inspiration and research if you're interested in the future of public relations, communication and corporate affairs. Every year it asks "some of the smartest people in journalism and media" to make predictions for the next 12 months. These are this year's predictions.

The main problem with Nieman is it is very US focused and even when it looks more internationally it tends to be through too American a lens. That said some of these articles and predictions are still worth a look.

Professional practice

🌍 Global Alliance's 2021 Global PR and Communication Model

There is a lot, and I do mean a lot, to digest in the Global Alliance's 2021 Global PR and Communication Model. I'm still working my way through it, but suspect a lot of thinking and ideas will make there way into work I do for consultancy clients and into some of my PR training courses.

It identifies the five building blocks that "generate and protect value in today's world" as: Defining and activating corporate purpose; Building brand and corporate culture; Managing reputation and reputational risk; Enhancing communication; connecting intelligence and intangible asset metrics.

I'm studying it at the moment and will blog about it later this month.

🎓 New CIPR board

As a former CIPR board director (2017-19) I'm delighted to see a strong new line-up for 2021. They have a challenging year ahead helping to reshape the institute to deal with new challenges and opportunities as a result of the double whammy of the pandemic and Brexit.

📏 New AMEC board

I'm also excited to see a new board at the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC). In particular, I welcome Steph Bridgman as the new director representing individual members and fellows like me.

💹 New PRCA council roles

Jules Herd, the new chair of the PRCA Council, has got off to a cracking start with five important work streams. I'm working on the 'Value of PR' group.

How to and tips

📕 Planning And Managing Public Relations Campaigns book review

I've been a fan of Professor Anne Gregory's Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns since the first edition. She's just published the fifth edition and although the structure and chapters remain the same there are lots of important updates. The principles of planning and managing haven't changed, but the way we do some of it has. Read my review to discover why it is just as essential a read today as it was when it was first published.

This is in the tips and tricks section because despite being written by one of the world's most influential PR academics it is packed full of practical advice.

🥣 Thomas Malthus vs. Charles Dickens

A cracking article by Dave Trott on why numbers, facts and data never tell the full story and isn't how we make people take notice or change what they think or do.

PR business

🤥 In PR if you lie is your career over?

If you lie in PR should your career be over? It's a clear violation of the codes of conduct of probably every PR and communication association in the world. Lying is different to omission or exaggeration which is accepted as part of the game. A former White House communications director or press secretary are thought by many in the corporate world to be the best of the best and could expect to make their fortunes by selling their perceived skills. The reality for Trump's former bevy of communications advisor might be different.

Forbes makes clear it won't tolerate people who lied: "Hire any of Trump’s fellow fabulists above, and Forbes will assume that everything your company or firm talks about is a lie. We’re going to scrutinize, double-check, investigate with the same skepticism we’d approach a Trump tweet. Want to ensure the world’s biggest business media brand approaches you as a potential funnel of disinformation? Then hire away."

🥇 Who are the top 100 PR Influencers to follow In 2021?

I haven't seen a decent list of PR influencers to follow since the demise of Lissted. This is BuzzSumo's attempt. Groucho Marx reputedly said: "I don't want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members". Perhaps I feel a little like that seeing as I am on this list as one of the world's top 100 PR influencers.

I'm always dubious of automated 'influencer' lists as they never track influence, but more usually some sort of 'noise'. If people make a lot of noise and get shared a lot then they are classed as top influencers. But are they really? People are only really influencers if people think or behave differently as a result of what the influencer says.

To BuzzSumo's credit it includes a methodology, so we can see how it compiled the list. Although that said the list doesn't appear to comply with its own explanation. It says it focused on the information in the 'Bio' section and "prioritised whether the influencers’ profile includes 'PR'" and that the only way the data was cleaned "was through omitting companies and non-English language profiles". The problem with that is some of those on the list aren't PR people (an editor and a real estate were the two I spotted) and don't appear to have PR in their bios (at least on Saturday 9 Jan they didn't).

I haven't analysed it in depth but I do see a lot of friends and acquaintances who in my humble opinion deserve to be on a PR influencer list - Peter Shankman, Rich Leigh, Stephen Waddington, Andrew Block, Mark Borkowski, Bob Pickard, Andy Barr, Rick Murray, Todd Defren, Katie Moffat, Shonali Burke, Kami Huyse, Jeremy Pepper, Judy Gombita, Mark Ragan, Shel Holtz, Neville Hobson, Sandra Fathi are some that spring out at me. I can also think of a lot who aren't on the list Anne Gregory, Kara Alaimo, Heather Yaxley, Max Behar, Sujit Patil, Ann Pilkington, Jenni Field, Rachel Miller, Sarah Waddington and Kerry Sheen all spring to mind.

EDIT: On proofing this it struck me that the names I'd highlighted from the top 100 list were mainly men and the names I'd thought of are nearly all women. This wasn't intentional and if I had more time before publishing I'd think about what it means. The top 100 list does contain more women, just not the ones that currently influence me. What do you think?

Stuart Bruce Associates

Use your training budget and get a 30% discount or lose it

I'm testing a new idea to help people to make the most of their PR and communication training budgets. People often hurridly book training as it comes up to the end of the year and they have unused budget they don't want to lose. The problem is it isn't always the training they need or want.

This year I'm trialling selling training credits, with up to a 30% discount, that people can use any time during the next 12 months to get the training that's really going to benefit them. You can spend on it on either bespoke in-house courses or on open courses with people from other companies and organisations.