Ten reasons to be cheerful about PR in 2012

Ten reasons to be cheerful about PR in 2012
 
There are ten reasons to be cheerful about 2012 says PR experts. From London 2012 Olympics to the US elections, there‘s a great deal to be thankful for.
 
Ten reasons to celebrate PR in 2012
 
Ignore all the doom and gloom on the news and count your blessings, as there are plenty of grounds for PROs to be optimistic. According to these industry experts, there are ten good reasons for looking forward to 2012.
 
Marcus Smith, senior director and head of international affairs at PR firm Weber Shandwick, says that not all news is bad news, and gives two reasons for being positive:
 
1. London 2012 – “The London Olympics is an event that will focus the world’s attention on this country for a short but intense period in summer, and which is already throwing up numerous opportunities for eager PR people. Apart from the PR contracts to be picked up around the Games themselves, there is the hope that the influx of tourists and the feel-good factor induced by a stirring British performance, will lead to a significant boost to the nation’s high streets.”
 
2. World current affairs – “A US presidential election, the continuing progress – however faltering – of the Arab Spring and the prospect of resolution of at least some of Europe’s economic woes, does give one cause to hope that business confidence, that most precious commodity and the touchstone of the PR industry, may be coming back.”
 
Nancy Prendergast, managing director of PR consultancy Tannissan Mae, gives one technological reason:
 
3. Latest TV developments – “Double-screen TV viewing is the next frontier for PROs. For example, Channel 4 is working on pilots to integrate linear screen viewing into social media and streaming. So, in 2012 we’ll find that if a client’s feature or interview is airing on linear TV, the second screen app will provide new ‘live’ opportunities and challenges: click-throughs to featured products or further background reading or viewing, or extended conversation through social media for viewer comment/opinion/recommendation. We’re only beginning to imagine what is possible.”
 
Three advantages of PR as a discipline are suggested by David Alexander, director at agency Calacus Public Relations:
 
4. PR is cost-effective – “Companies large and small need to engage with their audiences and with advertising proving to be more expensive and less likely to influence the public, PR will continue to prove its worth in the media/marketing mix.”
 
5. PR is adaptable – “In today’s unpredictable climate, committing to large advertising campaigns can be daunting for companies while PR campaigns can be tailored more readily.”
 
6. PROs are cheerleaders – “In this gloomy world we’re living in, it’s great for PR consultants to be able to spread a little positivity and optimism.”
 
Last, Trevor Morris, author of PR Today: The Authoritative Guide to Public Relations, concludes with four cheery thoughts:
 
7. PR is fun – “PR will remain an exciting, diverse and important industry despite the downturn.”
 
8. Improved journalism – “Fear of Leveson will make tabloids behave a little better … and perhaps be a little duller.”
 
9. Businesses need PR – “Organisations of every sort will continue to invest in PR – as they have done through all previous recessions – because it works ...some of the time.”
 
10. We operate in a stable nation – “At least we aren’t living in Iran, Zimbabwe or Greece!’

Was it your ambition to work in PR?

Was it your ambition to work in PR?

From being a fashion designer to a sports journalist, these PR heads failed to fulfil their childhood ambitions. But they are more than happy that things didn’t go to plan. Here they describe their earliest dreams and what went wrong, and eventually, right.

Sports journalist
Phil Hall, chairman of PR agency PHA Media and ex-editor of News of the World:

“From the age of eight I had one ambition, to be a sports journalist of a national newspaper. The thought of being able to be close to my heroes while indulging in flowery prose seemed too good to be true. I set about writing reports of every game I saw, whether it was in the park, with my Sunday football team, or at Upton Park, home of my beloved West Ham United.

“That dream stayed with me for 10 years. Then I wrote to ITV’s the Big Match and asked if I could watch a West Ham game from the gantry and report on what I saw. It wasn’t as glamorous as I imagined – more spit and sawdust than chariots of fire. I submitted my piece to the local paper and it was used … but I got torn to shreds in the following week’s programme and told I was not welcome at West Ham again.

“The shame proved too much and I found a safer haven – investigative journalism. That ultimately delivered another dream, the editorship of the News of the World. Suddenly West Ham United wanted to befriend me – the boot was on the other foot!”

David Alexander, director at agency Calacus Public Relations:

“I wanted to be a sports journalist from the age of about seven and dreamed of living in Italy. I recall going to a careers lecture at university where we were told that of those of us in the room who eventually became journalists, more than half would end up in PR. I was convinced it was something I would never do.

I ended up working for local newspapers and then the BBC, Guardian, Sunday Telegraph and Reuters based in Rome, among others, but as advertising budgets became tighter, I looked into PR at the age of 27 and am delighted I did so.”

Fashion designer
Jill Hawkins, director of PR agency Aniseed PR:

“My childhood ambition was to be a fashion designer, I went to art college and worked in retail design for a few years, but was never great at it.

“I fell into marketing and became marketing manager for an American company. While there I inherited a PR agency that just didn’t get the brand. For example, it tried to get us to run a competition to find Britain’s hardest worker – when our company ethos was about working smarter not harder. The line ‘well, this worked for all our other clients’ was used more than once … so I sacked it, took the PR in-house and never looked back. I then joined a PR agency (at the age of 27) and started from the bottom as an account manager.”

Not sure, but showed PR promise
Andy Turner, founder of PR agency Six Sigma:

“Although I didn’t know what PR was, aged seven, it’s now clear I showed early promise: the teacher asked us to enter a story-writing competition on the theme of my best friend, which I won easily by nifty lateral creative thinking. Everyone else interpreted the theme literally, I wrote about my dog! The prize was a box of Bassets Liquorice Allsorts, which I gave away to my classmates. The prize itself held little value for me because my mother worked at the factory and was always bringing home freebies – an early lesson in perception management or how to win friends and influence people?”

Wife and mother
Samantha Howard, freelance communications consultant:

“I was rather vague about my future. My Dad was outraged that I didn’t aspire to go to Oxford to study nuclear physics. As I recall my concluding argument was, ‘I don’t know why you’re getting so het up about it, I’ll only be working for a couple of years and then be married and having babies.’

“Suffice to say I don’t have a degree in nuclear physics, but nor do I have a wedding ring or an enormous family. Ambition only emerged once I started full-time employment (age 17) and I wanted to be the best I could be, at whatever was asked of me. It’s on that basis I happen to have had a fantastic, varied career.”

Do men do better in PR because they are more career-focused?

Do men do better in PR because they are more career-focused?

PR may be dominated by women in terms of numbers, but when it comes to power, more men rule. According to the CIPR’s last State of the PR Profession Report, women make up 65 per cent of the industry, yet men are almost twice as likely to be earning a salary in excess of £50,000. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that women are getting a raw deal in PR.

They might not take up stressful senior positions because they have better ways to spend their time. But if women do aim for the top, then it’s a matter of being focused, and ideally, starting early.

Angela Casey, managing director of agency Porter Novelli, Edinburgh, says that ambitious women in PR have to first be organised, and second, get on the fast track before having children: “The more senior you are when you have the maternity breaks, the easier it is, as people will be flexible around you, childcare is more affordable and you yourself will have the right attitude to deal with the breaks. As an industry that is quite female focused, it should not be difficult to get on, and with IT allowing home working and flexibility, everything is in our grasp. Being organised is vital – having supportive childcare in place and having the plannable things sorted, will allow you to deal with the unscheduled ones.“

But it is not just having kids that can interfere with careers. It is proven that older women are discriminated against in broadcast media, as shown by the case of ex-Countryfile host Miriam O'Reilly, when she won her employment tribunal against the BBC on the grounds of ageism. Is the same true of PR? Not according to Heather Yaxley, PR consultant, author and part-time lecturer at Bournemouth University, unless they are deliberately trading on their looks: “I don’t think it is harder for women to progress in PR as they get older, unless they are working in a sector that promotes the notion of PR bunnies – where the focus may be on using ‘erotic capital’ rather than brains.”

Yaxley points out that there are many examples of senior, experienced, older women in PR. However, she has noticed that women tend to drop out of PR once they have children, which could indicate a culture of long-hours in the profession. Yaxley has also noticed that men seem to enter PR at a higher level (often as former journalists), securing greater credibility and higher salaries, “I think this is an important issue as there could seem to be different career paths between the genders.”

So if women fail to get to the top in PR, this could be because either they don’t want to, or because they are treading the wrong career path. David Alexander, director at agency Calacus Public Relations, is convinced that women get a fair deal in PR. He has worked at PR firms Weber Shandwick, Hill and Knowlton and Porter Novelli, two of which have female managing directors who, he says, “were appointed because of their talent and not for any other reason.”

Alexander adds: “Hill and Knowlton and Porter Novelli were both female-orientated with men firmly in the minority – I think because women are often a lot more methodical with the systems and processes of PR than men, and also because they are better suited to many of the consumer products they have to promote because they are the target audience.”

Although Alexander admits it’s more of an even split of the sexes in corporate PR, he concludes: “Women do more than hold their own.”

Soundbites

Rachel Knight, account director at media relations and marketing consultancy Maxim:

“I think women have to work a little harder to be taken seriously in the B2B world, as it is assumed they are better at consumer PR. Personally, I’ve always preferred B2B clients, but that often means working in a male-dominated environment. It’s not just down to sex though; age is a contributory factor. Walking into a room full of suits in my early 20s was rather intimidating, but these days I feel I’ve proved myself and it’s less of an issue.”

Sarah Hughes, associate director at agency Berkeley PR:

“I don’t think the profession treats women unfairly. I think we may just have different priorities and are a little less ruthless when it comes to our careers. Many of us have career breaks to start a family and play a larger role at home which often means we can’t give quite as much to work.”

Rassami Hok Ljunberg, director of PR agency Rassami:

“Women always suffer more from both ageism and sexism, whatever the industry!”

WANT A CAREER IN PR? ENTHUSIASM AND COMMON SENSE ARE VITAL. BEING ABLE TO WRITE HELPS TOO!

WANT A CAREER IN PR? ENTHUSIASM AND COMMON SENSE ARE VITAL. BEING ABLE TO WRITE HELPS TOO!

Taking on new people is always a gamble. It might cost less in the short term to take on a graduate, but the amount you need to invest in training before they decide to leave, can mean it is a costly mistake. Journalists can also be a high-risk investment. They might have writing ability, but find commercial life uncomfortable. Taking on a seasoned PRO may seem the safest option, but it is still tricky to find exactly the right person.
 
Deciding on the ideal type of candidate depends on the level you are recruiting at. If it is a junior post, then experience is not expected. But other qualities are vital. Paul Stallard, director at Berkeley PR, says: “When taking on trainees, we look for people with initiative and a demonstrable interest in PR – a university degree can be an added bonus, but isn’t a prerequisite. We find common sense and enthusiasm are far more important.”
 
When it comes to recruiting more senior people, Stallard says he prefers candidates with an agency background. He explains: “A specific type of management skill is required within an agency, and although in-house experience can be valuable, there is always a bedding-in period if the ‘agency-craft’ needs to be learned.”
 
Stallard is not overly enthusiastic about taking on journalists, although he recognises they are interesting to meet and have a natural affinity with the world of PR. However he thinks they don’t always fit into the traditional agency roles.
 
The advantage of journalists is that they can write. David Alexander, director at agency Calacus Public Relations, says that as long as journalists can get their heads around client expectations, reporting and suchlike, their skills lie in “their ability to sniff a story angle and their ability to write“. He adds, “so many PR graduates I have seen simply cannot write a sentence.”
 
Alexander says that apart from writing, the most important attributes candidates need are the willingness to “roll their sleeves up and get stuck in.”
 
Julian Ruane, director at agency ChiCho Marketing, agrees with Alexander and Stallard that enthusiasm is vital: “I’ve employed a number of people over my time in PR and the best results have had nothing to do with relevant experience or journalism skills. The employees that have worked out the best are the ones that have the same work ethic as the rest of the team. Skills can be learnt. My most recent employee has a background in retail and hasn’t written anything for years. She’s working out brilliantly because her work ethic is spot on – she’s in early, works hard, is able to laugh without losing focus, and is quick to pick things up. Although I have to train her from scratch, I’m enjoying the process rather than it being a bind because her approach to work is the same as the rest of the team.”
 
Case study
 
Donna Chessum, deputy managing director at PR agency Tribe, describes the agency’s experience of taking on graduates, experienced PROs and journalists:
 
“We believe in ‘growing our own’ and have just taken on our second intern having given the first a permanent position as a trainee account executive. What we look for in a graduate is confidence, ability to write, eagerness to learn, a genuine interest in our business, the media the world around them and that indefinable ‘spark’.
 
“We also value employees with broader experience of working in different industry sectors, in-house and agency and with wider communications and marketing skills. That way we know we can build the right teams for different clients.
 
“Two former journalists we recently hired were recruited for specific skills that we know the agency and our clients will benefit from. Both have broadcast experience and one headed the digital project for ITV Anglia and will be driving our online video offering. We have employed other journalists in the agency and have been amused by how quickly the scales fall from their eyes and they begin to appreciate the complexities and frustrations that come with managing both client and media demands!”

QUEST PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS TRAINING APPOINTS CALACUS TO RUN PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN

Quest Professional business training has appointed Calacus as its retained UK public relations agency to provide PR support as it plans to expand its services.

Quest Professional, which includes the iconic Lucie Clayton brand along with Queen’s Secretarial College and St James’s, provides a wide range of business training courses for more than 200 students a year.

With a high percentage of students going into blue chip companies and the majority finding work within two months of completing their courses, Quest Professional is the leading training centre of its kind in the UK. 

Quest Professional Director Jo Barnard said: “With university fees getting higher and more and more young people getting impatient about starting their careers as soon as possible, Quest Professional offers a viable alternative with practical business training.

“We have a superb record of securing jobs with blue chip companies for our students and with the economy still in a state of recovery, our business contacts need to know that the candidates we send to them can hit the ground running. Our training offers a complete range of skills that ensures candidates can undertake a variety of roles, which is so vitally important in the competitive jobs market.

“Calacus has excellent media contacts and will help us to communicate our own expertise and depth of knowledge both to prospective students and the businesses where they will later seek to work.”

Calacus Director David Alexander said: “Quest Professional has moved on from the days when Lucie Clayton taught etiquette and modeling and adapts its training courses to suit the developing needs of modern business. 

“The fact that big businesses are taking on their apprentices speaks volumes for the great work that they’re doing. We’re delighted to be able to help Quest Professional to tell its story and help them to reinforce its position as the eminent business training centre in the UK.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

The brands that underpin Quest have existed since 1912. Originally Queen’s Secretarial College, Quest Professional combines the former well-known businesses of Queen’s Secretarial College, Lucie Clayton, and St James’s and provides tailored training in skills for the modern business environment with an updated and progressive coaching and development approach.

Quest Professional offers a mixture of courses based on terms of up to 36 weeks, focused on the development of essential business skills. In the current environment of increased university fees, employer concern over the quality and relevance of some degrees in the business world, it is seen increasingly as a positive choice to university.

Quest Professional also has specific courses aimed at those who have graduated and are looking for business training following the completion of their degree. It is seen as the first step into committing to a career and taking life more seriously.

Quest Professional assists its graduates on completion of their course through its placement service to find employment in a world where there is fierce competition for jobs. Its reputation with employers in the business and professional job market greatly assist its graduates to gain employment following the completion of their course.

Quest Professional Managing Director Sean Morgan joined BE Limited in 2010, a group within the education sector whose businesses include Quest Professional and the Frances King School of English.

He provides strategic guidance for Quest and also works directly with Quest Professional apprentices on self awareness programmes, career development and explaining the workings of finance.

Quest Professional Director Jo Barnard started working for Sight & Sound Education Ltd in the late 1980s and quickly moved into contract business development for large public sector programmes.

She joined Lucie Clayton in 1997 and played an instrumental role in the merger with St James’s in 2003 and the subsequent sale and merger with Queen’s in 2006 which resulted in the formation of Quest. She was appointed Director of Quest in March 2010. 

Quest has a superb record of placing its apprentices in jobs at blue chip companies including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Morgan Stanley, Grant Thornton, Nomura, Goldman Sachs, the Royal Bank of Scotland LK Bennett, and Christian Dior.

For more information, please visit www.questcollege.co.uk