✅ A call for fresh, bold thinking to reimagine Britain’s future and its role in the world

Your week ahead in management, media and public relations

A new book will explore the future of Britain through the perspective of corporate communications and public relations practitioners.

Our vision is to help frame policy that will contribute to the future of the UK economy and society. The project's working title is Renewal.

The book will explore management viewpoints of the relationship perspective of Britain and its future role in the world. It’s a response to the need for fresh thinking to reimagine our collective future.

David Miliband, CEO of the International Rescue Committee and a former Labour Party politician, recently framed the strategic challenges facing Britain in four areas: where do we start, what do we stand for, where do we need to build relationships, and what can we afford?

We hope to explore topics including arts, culture, education, environment, healthcare, skills, technology and work. This list is not exhaustive and will be developed based on open-source contributions. This is where we need your help.

Renewal will be crowdsourced from across the public relations industry and we’d welcome your contribution. It will be based on a series of essays of 800-1,200 words in length. Contributions should be thought-provoking and inspirational.

If you are interested in contributing, please complete this form or contact me via LinkedIn. The deadline for pitch submissions is Friday, 17 May.

We believe corporate communications and public relations practitioners are the eyes and ears of organisations, agencies and in-house practitioners across all aspects of the economy and society. We have an important, often unrecognised role in helping frame policy at an organisational and societal level.

“Britain is at a pivotal moment. Post Brexit and post pandemic, it has lost power, authority, and credibility on a world stage. All eyes are on our political parties as we prepare for a general election during the continued cost-of-living crisis,” said. Sarah Waddington CBE, #FuturePRoof founder and Wadds Inc. director.

“We know many leaders and their organisations are working hard to stay operational, engage in sustainable working practices, and balance productivity and well-being. If futures and foresight work, stakeholder engagement, and public affairs are our forte, where should the Britain focus its attention right now and why?"

The project will be funded and managed by Wadds Inc. and published by #FuturePRoof in ebook and print formats. We’ll need essay submissions by Friday, 12 July for September publication.

Sarah Waddington CBE, Dr Jon White and I will act as managing editors and determine the scope of topics based on your submissions. I’ll act as editor for the project.

This will be our seventh #FuturePRoof crowdsourced project. The most recent book explored the role of AI tools in public relations. #FuturePRoof was founded in 2015 by Sarah Waddington as a platform to explore and celebrate public relations practice.

We’ll openly share outputs from Renewal with the industry, including the CIPR, PRCA, and each of the UK political parties.

Have an excellent week.

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Industry

🔑 ACCREDITATION KEY: A US study highlights the importance of professional accreditation in public relations for achieving greater recognition and value. The research finds low awareness of existing credentialing programs and recommends steps to increase their perceived value among students, professionals and employers. Source: Stephen Waddington.

📋PUBLIC RELATIONS SURVEY: The CIPR has launched its 2024 State of the Profession 2024 survey to capture practitioners' views on the health of the industry, its skills landscape, professional development, and the profession's adaptation to AI tools. The survey is for anyone who works in the public relations industry. Source: CIPR.

💼 JOBS IN PR: The PR jobs market in the UK in April was flat. There was a growth in junior roles and a reduction in mid-level and senior roles. International agencies, including BCW Global, Brunswick Group, Edelman, Golin, Hill & Knowlton and Weber Shandwick all have multiple job listings. Source: Wadds Inc.

Artificial intelligence

🌐 LLAMA UNLEASHED: Meta claims that Llama 3 is a more responsive AI model than ChatGPT and Gemini with improved reasoning capabilities. The open-source model, available in varying sizes, will be integrated into Meta's chatbot across its suite of products, though access in the EU and UK is still pending regulatory discussions. Source: Meta.

Media

🛡️ INTERNET SAFEGUARDING: OFCOM’s annual study reveals a surge in online presence and independence of children aged 5-7, with a third using social media unsupervised. The regulator plans consultations on proposals to better protect children online, including using AI to detect illegal content and harms, as part of its responsibilities under the Online Safety Act. Source: OFCOM.

😳 SKIMPY SCANDAL: Nike is facing backlash from female athletes over the skimpy design of their women's track and field uniforms for the Paris Olympics. Critics argue the revealing outfits prioritise style over performance and reflect sexist double standards, though Nike says they offer multiple options including shorts and unitards. Source: The Guardian.

😳 LYCETT LAMENT: Joe Lycett revealed he planted four fake news stories in British media, sparking criticism from journalists. They argue Lycett misunderstands newsroom pressures that lead to overreliance on public relations content, including traffic targets and lack of resources. The fabricated stories included a bruise resembling Prince Harry and misleading research about men from Birmingham. Source: PR Week.

❌ SYSTEM FAILURE: Hugh Grant settled his phone hacking claim against the Sun for a substantial sum, which he will donate to press regulation charities. Although he wanted to fight the case in court, Grant was advised that rejecting the Sun's offer could result in millions in legal fees, even if he won. Source: The Guardian.

Social media

🗂️ WHATSAPP ORGANISER: WhatsApp has introduced Chat Filters to help users quickly find the right conversations. The new feature includes three filter options: All, Unread, and Groups, which can be selected with a tap and will make navigating messages more efficient. Source: WhatsApp.

🏢 LINKEDIN PAGES BOOST: LinkedIn has launched new Pages features including Featured posts, Sponsored Articles, and Pages Messaging to boost engagement. The platform also adds deeper competitor analytics and newsletter performance insights to help brands optimise their LinkedIn strategies. Source: Linkedin.

Good and Bad PR

🚫 GRENFELL ERASED: Grenfell Tower, the site of a devastating 2017 fire, was edited out of a TV advert for Voltarol pain relief gel. The move was described as "insulting" by Karim Mussilhy, whose uncle died in the disaster, and the company has apologised and pulled the ad. Source: The Guardian.

Research and Insight

🇬🇧 BREXIT HEALTH FALLOUT: A new report finds Brexit has exacerbated medicine shortages and increased the UK's reliance on overseas health and care workers. The report recommends better anticipation of shortages, creating a sustainable domestic workforce and an open conversation about areas where alignment with EU rules is the best option. Source: Nuffield Trust.

🎰 GAMBLING AD SATURATION: New research finds children's online spaces "saturated" with gambling-like content and advertising, blurring the lines between gaming and gambling. GambleAware calls for more regulation on gambling advertising to protect children, as early exposure can lead to gambling problems. Source: GambleAware.

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Thank you to all of the members of our community for sharing and debating stories covered in the newsletter: Bridget Aherne, David Edmondson-Bird, Adam Driver, Josephine Graham, Michael Greer, Catherine Frankpitt, Alan Morrison, Nigel Sarbutts, Sarah Waddington CBE and Rebecca Zeitlin.

If you’re not following @frauds_pr on Instagram yet, you really should. It’s not our work, but we enjoyed the activist and satirical approach.