Unlocking the Potential of Public Relations

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Unlocking the Potential of Public Relations

• Michael Murphy FIPR
• Chief Executive
• hatch-group

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Unlocking the Potential of Public Relations

• Project Objectives
• Examine what constitutes good practice in public
  relations
• Raise awareness of good practices across the
  industry
• Recommend actions to support further development
  of PR good practices

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The Study
Concept Design
Steering Group input
Study Development
Literature Review
Survey 899 Respondents
Initial Industry Discussions
Interviews with PR Academics
Initial Analysis
Interim Analysis
Industry Focus Groups x 4
Report to Steering Group and Discussion
Final Analysis
Report and Recommendations leading to Action
Plan !
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• Unlocking the Potential
• of Public Relations
• Key Findings
• A report jointly funded by the
• Department of Trade Industry and the
• Institute of Public Relations
• November 2003

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In-house PR practitioners How well PR Strategy
supports the organisations overall strategy
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Purposes of PR Specified by Respondents

• Achieving business objectives in terms of value
  and bottom line results
• Developing business strategy
• Advising management
• Educating and explaining issues and risks
• Building and maintaining relationships and
  partnerships
• Driving and communicating change
• Supporting externally facing business processes
• Business ethics
• Accountability, transparency and propriety
• Encouraging dialogue and democratic participation

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Main Purposes of PR and how effectively they are
achieved
PR Consultancies
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Main Purposes of PR and how effectively they are
achieved
In-house PR Practitioners Public Sector
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What Constitutes Good PR Practice

• 120 elements of good practice in
• Public Relations identified covering
• Strategy making
• Structure and organisation
• Commissioning and resources
• Research and planning
• Professionalism
• Creativity
• Technology
• Evaluation

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Effectiveness of Audience Research
11
Importance of individual competencies for PR
professionals
12
Organisations running formal training and
development programmes for PR professionals
Consultancy
In-house
13
Expectation that resources devoted to in-house
PR will increase or decrease over the next 5
years
14
PR Consultants Expectation that fee income from
PR activities will increase or decrease over the
next 5 years
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• Steering Group
• Recommendations

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Public Relations Impacts on Business

• ROI in Public Relations and how management teams
  receive and use PR advice and support to meet
  business objectives
• Extend work on PR Procurement from purchase and
  supply perspectives
• Establish a UK PR Industry Case-Study Bank
• Extend IPR best practice on non-financial
  reporting, particularly to public sector
• Promote research and evaluation agenda, including
  audience research measures as alternatives to
  AVEs

17
PR Social Responsibility

• Agree and promote standard ethical clauses in
  client-consultant and employment contracts
• Establish and promote PR Ethics module in IPR CPD
  programme
• IPR to commission a UK PR Industry Corporate
  Social Responsibility (CSR) Report

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Government and Communications

• Government to commit to
• Investment in evaluation, training and
  representation for all civil service government
  communicators
• Enhance the role of National Audit Office to
  scrutinise public expenditure on government
  communications
• Reporting on communications to the Public
  Administration Select Committee
• Office of Fair Trading examining impact of
  licensing collection agencies on free-flow of
  information in the PR industry

19
Government and Communications

• PR industry bodies to commit to
• Continued dialogue with the Central Office of
  Information on its communications agency roster
• Work with the Office of National Statistics to
  improve information on PR industry population
  trends

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PR Management, Training, Motivation and
Development

• UK Practice Development Centre
• Training on Ethics Planning, Research and
  Evaluation and Procurement
• Best practice on time to be spent on training,
  financial spending, motivation and the
  development of PR employees

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PR Management, Training, Motivation and
Development

• IPR to recommend work placements on all its
  managed and approved courses
• Public relations industry bodies to develop a
  work placement charter
• IPR should co-ordinate an industry best practice
  road show to approved undergraduate courses

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Industry Representation

• Industry bodies to develop strategic plan on
  improved industry representation
• Institute of Public Relations to press for the
  granting of Chartered Status

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Next Steps

• IPR to disseminate Unlocking the Potential of
  Public Relations report www.ipr.org.uk
• Industry to respond to IPR by 12 January 2004
• IPR/DTI Steering Group to meet end-January 2004
• IPR to produce Action Plan mid-February 2004

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Thank you