Welcome
The UK has a new government. The centre left social democratic Labour Party won a resounding victory to make Sir Keir Starmer the new Prime Minister.
We believe this heralds huge opportunities for the public relations and communications profession.
Ethics are now at the heart of government. Business will be expected to put that same ethical purpose into everything they do. As corporate affairs professionals we have a role to identify risks and to help CEOs embrace opportunities.
We have a Cabinet that will prioritise economic growth which will benefit us all.
I've had the privilege of working with and knowing may of the people who are now Cabinet ministers and ministers of state.
♀️ Rachel Reeves, the UK's first female Chancellor, is someone I've known since before she was selected to stand as an MP.
📈 Jonny Reynolds brings a refreshing new approach to Business and Industry as he genuinely understands that it's impossible to be pro-worker without being pro-business.
👮♀️ Yvette Cooper brings gravitas, compassion and experience to the Home Office.
☘️ My old friend Hilary Benn brings much needed expertise and stability to Northern Ireland.
☀️ Former Labour leader Ed Milliband will ensure the UK is at the forefront of the green energy revolution.
🚅 Lou Haigh and her team will help get the country moving by revitalising transport.
I look forward to an opportunity to get to know those ministers I don't already know and finding out which of my friends become junior ministers as they are announced later today and this week.
It's also been another bumper week for PR and comms news and research.
Podcasts are a bit like buses as first you get none and then they all come at once (although Lou Haigh will hopefully fix that). I've recently been the guest on two podcasts and they've both been published at once.
Coming up I'm doing another AI for PR and comms webinar. This time for the CIPR with Professor Anne Gregory.
Stuart Bruce | PR Futurist
News
Why public relations shouldn’t abandon controversial industries
My Stories and Strategies podcast with Doug Downs is now out. I talked to Doug about why I think public relations professionals have a responsibility to work with clients or employers in controversial industries. I also cover the confusion that too many people have between personal morals and professional ethics.
Have a listen and let me know what you think.
Stuart Bruce
storiesandstrategies.ca
How can marketers learn from the 2024 elections?
Last year I was the first guest on Prohibition PR's new podcast. It rapidly shot up the charts to become a top 10 marketing podcast. Hosts Chris Norton and Will Ockenden invited me back for the first anniversary episode of Embracing Marketing Mistakes.
We talked about how AI is revolutionising the PR industry and has moved from something everyone's talking about to something everyone must do. We also talked about the latest developments in PR measurement and evaluation and what marketers and communications professionals can learn from the UK general election (it was recorded before election day).
And if you listen to the whole episode you get to hear me talk about one of my mistakes, because we all know it's good to embrace mistakes and learn from them.
Stuart Bruce
embracingmarketingmistakes.co.uk
Ethics and AI with Professor Anne Gregory and Stuart Bruce
The 17 July is my birthday! But you're probably more interested in the webinar I'm doing with Professor Anne Gregory for the CIPR's Education and Skills group. We'll be discussing the ethics of AI including looking at if it's unethical for PR professionals to not use AI.
It's free to attend and you don't need to be a CIPR member.
Stuart Bruce
cipr.co.uk
Get in touch
Book your AI workshop today
We still have some slots available for our AI for PR, communications and corporate affairs workshops. They can be delivered either in-person, hybrid or remote in the UK or overseas. Get in touch now to secure your date.
purposefulrelations.com
Corporate affairs
How a ruthlessly efficient Labour machine won the 2024 general election
This is an excellent analysis of how the Labour machine planned and executed its general election campaign. There is always a lot that corporate affairs professionals can learn from successful election campaigns as often the ideas and tactics are directly transferable.
I know, and have worked with, several of the people in the Labour leadership team so later I'll be doing my own in-depth analysis based on conversations with them. Let me know if you'd like to see a copy when it's done.
Stuart Bruce
politicshome.com
AI, digital and social
Tony Blair says Keir Starmer must embrace game-changing AI
During the UK general election none of the political parties talked much about AI. I'm not sure that the Tony Blair Institute's paper on the promise of AI gets everything right. But that's because nobody is getting everything right now.
The only certainties are that AI will revolutionise everything and that if you're not starting today, you'll be left far behind on a road to nowhere.
The AI challenge for government is that its transformative impact is so great it straddles every department. In opposition AI sat uncomfortably between Science, Innovation and Technology, Culture, Media and Sport, and Business and Trade.
Labour did have a Shadow Minister for AI and Intellectual Property, which is title that immediately rings alarm bells as it sounds defensive and protectionist rather than opportunity focused. The actual ministerial appointments will happen today and this week, so we'll have to see what happens.
Personally, I think we need an AI Minister who sits in Cabinet and reports to Pat McFadden MP as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. This is a senior cabinet position that doesn't have a specific portfolio but has a coordinating role.
Stuart Bruce
independent.co.uk
How Rolls Royce is using AI to look under the rocks of complexity
Mary Glowacka, Head of Learning & Leadership Development at Rolls Royce, talks AI, HR and organizational complexity.
Stuart Bruce
diginomica.com
Research and reports
A third of employees "would not at all trust a message from their CEO that was developed with AI."
The Institute of Internal Communications has published its IC Index 2024. It contains insights into employees' perceptions of internal communication and trust within UK organisations based on a representative sample of 4,000 UK workers aged 18–64.
One figure that got a lot of attention was that a third of employees "would not at all trust a message from their CEO that was developed with AI." If you ask people that question, then of course some are going to say they wouldn't trust a message developed by AI. I'm surprised it's not even higher.
If you asked people 'Would you trust a message from your CEO that wasn't written by the CEO" you'd probably get a large number of employees saying no. The reality is that most CEO 'messages' aren't directly from the CEO and have been developed by other people.
I wasn't the only person to poke a hole in the IoIC's methodology as CIPR past president Steve Shepperson-Smith made a similar point on XTwitter.
The Index is packed with lots of other interesting stats.
Stuart Bruce
ioic.org.uk
Visible CEOs drive higher shareholder value
Global PR agency Golin has published research showing that visible CEOs drive higher shareholder value. The CEO Impact Index analyses the communications strategies of the top 250 CEOs of the Fortune 500 in the USA.
It indicates that high profile CEOs may act as a multiplier for the business performance of the companies they lead, making a direct impact on shareholder value. The correlation marks the first time that executive visibility has been linked to clear business performance advantages, highlighting the need for leaders to build and maintain a strong public profile.
Stuart Bruce
golin.com
Professional practice
PRCA introduces new Code of Conduct for members
The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has published a revised Code of Conduct.
Purposeful Relations is a member and supporter of the PRCA as well as several professional and trade bodies as either corporate or individual members. These are the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), World Commuinication Forum Association (WCFA) in Davos and the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communications (AMEC).
Stuart Bruce
prca.org.uk