✅ Apply now: Socially Mobile funded places open for September
Your week ahead in management, media and public relations
Applications are open for funded places on the next Socially Mobile cohort, which starts in September. The ten-week executive education programme supports mid-career practitioners from diverse backgrounds in gaining management skills.
We’re out and about this week.
Sarah Waddington CBE is speaking on Wednesday at the Chartered Institute of Governance Conference 2024 in London on the board's role in crisis management and reputation and will chair a diversity session on Thursday.
Meanwhile, I’ll be speaking at a PRMoment Leaders Masterclass in London on Tuesday about whether AI has delivered on its promise within public relations practice. It’s a story about ups and downs.
Please say hello if you’re attending any of these events Have an excellent week.
General Election
🗳️ ELECTION NIGHT: What's your plan for Election night on Thursday? Polls close at 10pm, after which the media can start reporting exit polls. The first seats will be declared around midnight. That might be a good time for a nap. The bulk of results will come between 2am. and 5 am with the results clear soon after. Source: Yahoo! News.
Management
🚨 REPUATION SCANDAL: The Post Office scandal highlights the repercussions of prioritising reputation over transparency, resulting in management's neglect of crucial advice and truth concealment, leading to a loss of historic trust. The CIPR emphasises the necessity for ethical decision-making to safeguard long-term credibility. Source: Management Today.
📉 REPUTATIONAL CHALLENGES: Brands are grappling with reputation challenges due to food inflation, AI-related issues, product reputation problems and lawsuits, with notable cases involving Five Guys, Kellogg's, Chipotle and Microsoft. Lawsuits against Ticketmaster, Sheetz and Netflix. Social media platforms, notably TikTok, amplify these reputational risks. Source: NewsWhip.
Industry
🎤 NORTHERN MARKETING SUMMIT: The Northern Marketing Festival in Newcastle focused on the evolving role of marketing amidst economic shifts and technological advances. Speakers, including Sarah Waddington, emphasised the role of regional media in representing Northern talent. She said it underscores the importance of collaboration among brands, marketers and the media in amplifying regional influence and addressing challenges. Source: Prolific North.
🏆 AWARD WINNING: The CIPR Excellence Awards, celebrating its 40th anniversary, highlighted key elements of successful public relations campaigns. An AI analysis of the winning entries revealed the importance of SMART objectives, multi-channel approaches, strategic partnerships and regular performance evaluation in driving effective public relations strategies. Source: Wadds Inc.
🚭 SMOKING BAN BACKLASH: According to an investigation by The Guardian, Rishi Sunak abandoned his plan to ban smoking for future generations due to intense lobbying by tobacco companies. Despite initial support and a vote in favour, the proposal was dropped in the final stages of government policy selection amid concerns over the consultation process and potential legal challenges. Source: The Guardian.
Media
📱 SOCIAL MEDIA DOMINANCE: Social media is now the primary news source for 29% of people, while direct access to news websites and apps has decreased since 2018. Generational gaps in news consumption are growing, with younger people favouring social media and mobile aggregators while older generations sticking to direct news brand connections. Source: Reuters Institute.
📧 PR EMAIL OVERLOAD: The Observer food critic Jay Rayner criticises public relations practitioners for inundating him with irrelevant pitches and excessive follow-up emails, urging them to conduct basic research before contacting journalists. The issue may lie with practitioners driven by KPIs or using automated solutions. Source: Press Gazette.
Artificial intelligence
🤖 RETHINKING ASSESSMENT: Researchers at the University of Reading used AI-generated exam answers to fool university markers, with the AI answers receiving higher grades than real students. The study highlights the need for universities to reassess the integrity of unsupervised assignments in the face of advancing AI capabilities. Source: The Guardian.
📊 ANALYTICS TRANSFORMATION: Advances in large language models are helping to create structured data from unstructured languages in conversations, speech, and text. Media intelligence companies have adopted this technology to create structured analytics from feeds of media content. YouGov’s new News Story Tracker has used an AI language model to categorise news stories during the election. Source: Paul Hender.
📈 ANALYTICS EVOLUTION: Google Analytics 4 introduces new features, including AI-generated insights, enhanced cross-channel measurement, and privacy-first integrations to help businesses make informed decisions. The updates aim to provide a comprehensive view of campaign performance and adapt to evolving privacy regulations. Source: Google.
Thank you to Richard Bagnall, David Edmundson-Bird, Ben Lowndes, Alan Morrison, Sarah Waddington CBE, Linda Whitelaw and Heather Yaxley for sharing and debating the stories in the newsletter this week.
This newsletter is sent to 3,500 corporate communications and public relations practitioners weekly. If you would like to discuss working with us, please hit reply. NewsWhip, featured in this newsletter, is a Wadds Inc. client.