Welcome
Welcome to 2022
I don't know about you, but for me 2022 has started with a bang with lots of exciting opportunities and ideas. We've had a fantastic response to the launch of Purposeful Relations (read all about it in PRovoke) and want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been in touch... to talk about becoming clients, wish good luck or discuss how they might get involved. If you'd like a chat about what we do or if you spot an interesting story or research report you think we should feature in the PR Futurist newsletter, then get in touch.
News
Davos Digital PR Awards winners announced
The inaugural Davos Digital PR Awards by the World Communications Forum Association had entries from Armenia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Estonia, Georgia, Italy, Russia, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States. The best Digital PR Company was BPRESS in Italy and the Best Digital PR Project was won by Spring PR in Armenia. The Digital PR Guru of 2021 gold winner was Purposeful Relations' co-founder Stuart Bruce, with silver going to Marie Alexander (Singapore) and bronze to Bianca Boucault (Brazil).
Corporate affairs
More UK CEOs understand the importance of purpose and ESG
PwC's 25th Annual UK CEO Survey reveals UK CEOs are recognising the growing importance of connecting purpose to business strategy, and having demonstrable ESG credentials to attract the talent, customers and investment they need for growth. One of the key drivers is not just investors, but the need to attract the best talent when people are increasingly looking at purpose and the ethics of their employer.
Crisis communication
Crisis Review: The Top 20 Crises Of 2021 (Part 1 Of 3)
Every year PRovoke does an excellent three part report on the 'top' - read biggest - crises of the previous year. The first part is now out and includes AstraZeneca's vaccine challenges, Facebook's whistleblower crisis (Facebook now appears almost every year!), and the abortive launch of the European Super League.
Research and reports
2022 Edelman Trust Barometer | Edelman
The latest Edelman Trust Barometer is out. It shows that owned media - content that companies and organisations publish directly rather than relying on media stream media - is more important than ever.
CommTech tools
Simoultanously watch four TV news channels in your browser
This is a neat tool that lets you watch four TV news channel in a single browser window. There are a range of channels available from around the world and even some music channels for when you might have to do some work. As a bonus, my modest MacBook Air remains silent, as the four video streams are managed efficiently enough not to activate the system fans.
Chatbot fatigue, service agent recognition and social engagement
What a surprise, it seems the ubiquitous chatbot may not be the customer service panacea it is claimed to be and customers are looking for more human interaction. While well implemented chatbots can positively affect brand perception, the quality of the response out weighs the speed advantage a bot can provide, report Freshdesk in a recent survey. Humans 1, Technology 0. Other findings include that customers report WhatsApp as the most convenient way of engaging with brands—this might not surprise those who have had an eye on social IT. Users want to engage on a familiar technology, and WhatsApp is a well adopted platform, with high daily use.