✅ Monday briefing: Sarah Waddington CBE, Socially Mobile, capital PR, Online Nation Report, behavioural science survey, WaddsCon June lineup, and more...
Media, industry, best practice, research and insight, tools, social media and platforms, and events
🎖️ PR PRACTITIONER HONOURED: Sarah Waddington was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honour list. It's brilliant to see a leader in public relations committed to driving professional standards recognised. It's even more incredible that it's my fierce and inspirational wife. Source Stephen Waddington.
💼 SOCIALLY MOBILE: Sarah and I are building a not-for-profit PR school aimed at supporting and inspiring public relations practitioners across the UK to increase their earning potential. It aims to make a targeted intervention via an exec style eight week educational programme to tackle industry inequality. Come and help us. Source Stephen Waddington.
Media
💳 FREE ONLINE NEWS: Brits are reluctant to pay for news subscriptions, and many believe that companies putting important stories behind paywalls is wrong according to YouGov data. The analysis is consistent with a Reuters Digital News report in April which suggested that only 7% had paid for news online the past year. Spotted Alan Morrison.
Industry
🚕 CAPITAL PR: Agencies no longer need to be based in London to access talent and clients, if indeed they ever did. A shift away from the capital by PR agencies is likely to be a second order effect of the pandemic. The COVID-19 UK PR Agency Startup report found that a third of agencies were either virtual or started in the regions. Source Sophie Smith.
🥊 FOREIGN DISINFORMATION: The French government has announced plans to set up an agency to combat foreign disinformation and fake news that aims to undermine the state. It will be run by the Secretariat-General for National Defence and Security and will employ up to 60 people to trawl through online content. Spotted David Gallagher.
Best practice
🌳 ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS: Liberty Oilfield Services initiated a brand vandal style attack against North Face after the outdoor goods company refused to fulfill an order for 400 branded jackets, claiming it conflicted with its brand values. Liberty said North Face is dependent on oil and gas to produce the synthetic materials used in its boots and backpacks. Spotted Stuart Bruce.
🍺 FEAR FACTOR: Former staff at Brewdog have written an open letter alleging a "culture of fear" at the beer firm with a "toxic attitude" to junior employees. The open letter, which was signed by more than 60 former staff, said staff were afraid to speak out about concerns. Spotted Michelle Goodall.
Research and insight
📶 ONLINE NATION 2021: The latest OFCOM report tells the story of the UK’s shift to the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a powerful planning resource for PR. 94% of UK homes had internet access, up from 89% in 2019. Communication, information and entertainment were the primary applications. Source Sian Gaskell.
🤤 IN DEMAND MARKETING SKILLS: Digital marketing specialist, digital account executive and social media manager aare the most in-demand PR and marketing roles according to LinkedIn. Top skills are press releases, HTML and web analytics. Analysis is based on jobs posted on LinkedIn between September 2020 and March 2021. Spotted Andrew Smith.
🎧 AUDIO BRANDING: AMP has released the third edition of its top 100 audio brands worldwide. Mastercard retained the top spot while global brands increased their investment in music. A third of global brands are now deploying sonic brand cues. Spotted David Gallagher.
🔬 BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE: Lynn PR’s BS Monitor is the first dedicated pulse-check of literacy, skills and adoption of behavioural science in the public relations and communications industry. Take the survey here. (Disclaimer: Lynn PR is a Wadds Inc. client). Source Shayoni Lynn.
Tools
🔒 APPLE PRIVACY: Apple’s privacy protections in iOS 15 may impact media and stakeholder management databases, CRM systems and newsletter analytics. The controls help users manage data sharing and limited activities such as IP sharing and pixel tracking. Spotted Stephen Waddington.
Social media and platforms
🏆 SUPER FOLLOW: Twitter’s so-called Super Follow tool will enable creators to charge a monthly fee for exclusive and members-only content. The tool will be available to users with more than 10,000 followers and aims to challenge influencer platforms such as OnlyFans, and newsletter platforms such as Substack. Spotted Arianne Smart.
🎒INSTAGRAM GUIDE: Instagram has released a guide to help you understand how the social media platform works. Information about a post, your relationship with the person who posted, your activity and your history of interactions are used by ranking signals by the algorithm. Spotted Andrew Smith.
🇳🇬 TWITTER BAN: The PRCA, ICCO and BlackHouse Media have called on the Federal Government of Nigeria and Twitter to constructively address the Twitter ban in Nigeria in order to find a positive resolution. The ban has serious implications for free speech, public discourse, trade, and Nigeria’s reputation, globally. Spotted Stephen Waddington.
Events
🗓️ WADDSCON JUNE: George Coleman, Tom Rouse, Sarah Waddington CBE and Martin Agunwa will join WaddsCon at the end of June to discuss the importance of creating accessible communications, why PR has become so dull and worthy, tackling socio-economic diversity and how to make PR attractive to young people. Book yourself a ticket.