✅ Final call for Socially Mobile applications for 2025
Corporate communications, public relations, media and management insight
The application deadline for the next Socially Mobile cohort, starting in January 2025, is Friday, 6 December. The programme delivers fully funded management training to corporate communications and public relations practitioners from lower socio-economic backgrounds and underrepresented and underserved groups.
The 10-week executive education programme provides students with the skills to transition from a functional to a managerial role in corporate communications or public relations.
Students develop the following core management capabilities.
🔵 Ethics and core skills
🔵 Planning and creativity
🔵 Measurement
🔵 Financial planning
🔵 Technology and workflow
🔵 Managing people
🔵 Risk and crisis
Along the way, there are office hours sessions, masterclasses, a live crisis exercise hosted by Polpeo, and weekly assignments.
Socially Mobile is supported by AMEC, the CIPR and PRCA and is accredited by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management.
Sarah Waddington and I created the programme and community of assessors, examiners and teachers four years ago. It's one of the most rewarding things we've ever done professionally.
Up to 20 places are awarded to practitioners from underserved communities in each cohort. If you’re interested in applying for a place or know somebody who might be interested, please check out the website for further information.
Have an excellent week, and don’t let anybody spoil it.
Industry
🟰 AGENCY RELATIONSHIP FACTORS: A new study has identified three factors for successful client-agency relationships in public relations: transparent communication, respect and reputation, and clear commercial arrangements. Based on interviews with consultants and clients in Germany, the findings offer a positive perspective on building effective client-agency partnerships. Source: Wadds Inc.
ℹ️ DATA OPPORTUNITY: According to public relations measurement experts Richard Bagnall and Paul Hender, data analytics presents a major opportunity to demonstrate and enhance value through improved planning, measurement and strategic insights. They suggest that the key lies in using data strategically throughout a programme to show clear business impact through outputs, outcomes and outtakes. Source: PR Moment.
📊 FREELANCE BENCHMARKING: The PR Cavalry is benchmarking freelance rates for public relations practitioners. This sort of analysis is important in helping understand the market and ensuring practitioners are paid appropriately and clients budget accordingly. Please help by answering this short survey. It’ll take 10 minutes. Source: PR Cavalry.
Artificial intelligence
✍️ MIXED COPILOT RESULTS: A Microsoft 365 Copilot trial by the Australian Government has shown mixed results, with 77% of users optimistic about the AI tool, though adoption was moderate, with just one-third using it daily. While the technology delivered time savings of up to an hour for tasks including content creation and summarisation, the trial revealed significant implementation challenges, including technical integration, training needs and security concerns. Source: Australian Government.
‼️ CRITICAL SKILLS: Nicole Jones, head of copy at Publicis Pro, raises an important issue about AI's potential to erode critical thinking and learning. By outsourcing "routine" cognitive tasks to AI, she argues, we risk creating a generation of practitioners unable to navigate complexity or think deeply. It highlights the need to develop and respect human intellectual capabilities alongside technological advancement. Source: Publicis Pro.
👻 AI GHOST WRITERS: Analysis suggests that more than half of LinkedIn posts are AI-generated, following the platform's integration of automated writing tools for Premium subscribers. However, the platform's writing style makes it difficult to distinguish between human and AI-authored content, so maybe it doesn’t matter, but it does raise questions about authenticity in professional communications. Source: Wired.
Social media
🦋 BLUESKY REFERRAL TRAFFIC: Publishers are already seeing higher referral traffic from the new social network Bluesky than from X (formerly Twitter), despite having fewer followers on the newer platform. The shift suggests Bluesky could become journalism's preferred microblogging platform, with publishers reporting stronger engagement and subscription conversions than X and Meta's Threads. Source: Press Gazette.
🚹 DIGITAL DIFFERENCES: Women spend more time online than men in the UK, with Gen Z women averaging over an hour more daily screen time than their male peers, according to Ofcom's latest report. The research reports distinct gender differences in platform preferences, with women dominating social media while men lead in news consumption, AI adoption and professional networking sites such as LinkedIn. Source: Ofcom.
Good and bad public relations
🌳 TREES OF HOPE: The National Trust has announced 49 recipients for saplings grown from the Sycamore Gap tree, following nearly 500 applications from across the UK, with recipients including healthcare facilities, community groups, and all 15 UK National Parks. The saplings are intended to show how organisations can transform a negative event into a community-building initiative that generates positive engagement and goodwill. Source: National Trust.
🚨 CRISIS MISMANAGEMENT: MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace's response to allegations of inappropriate behaviour has escalated into a major crisis management failure after he criticised "middle-class women of a certain age" on social media. Wallace posted a dismissive Instagram post after serious allegations in The Sunday Times showing how a poor crisis response can amplify reputational damage. Source: Sky News.
Thank you to Richard Bagnall, Catherine Frankpitt, Paul Hender, Alan Morrison, Sharon O’Dea, Nigel Sarbutts, Sarah Waddington and everyone who shares and debates the stories in the newsletter via our Facebook and LinkedIn communities.