✅ Rethinking public relations education: bridging theory and practice
Your week ahead in management, media and public relations
Subjects that bridge theory and practice, such as public relations, need a rethink of higher education approaches.
I joined an EUPRERA webinar on Friday inspired by a recent study of public relations higher education by Raluca Moise and Michal Chmiel. It was as much a wake for the public relations degree as a means of figuring out what might come next.
It's disheartening to note that only two UK universities now offer a specialist degree in public relations at an undergraduate level.
There are two issues: at a macro-level, higher education in the UK is facing its own economic challenges, especially related to the viability of arts and humanities subjects; and at a micro-level, the industry generally doesn’t value academia or formal education and degrees.
We've had an apprenticeship scheme for five years (higher level, not degree apprenticeship) with 130-150 students starting every year. Last year, it was too low to be recorded by the government statistics service. It should be more successful. I’m not sure why it isn’t.
A community of practice of 60,000 to 100,000 people requires at least 3,000 to 4,000 new practitioners each year to maintain its strength. The current situation is not fit for purpose. The result is that young people enter the profession with no practical or theoretical preparation.
A university going bust may act as a forcing function for disruption to re-evaluate higher education and how we prepare practitioners to work in subjects such as public relations. But the public relations industry also needs to do its own homework.
Have an excellent week.
Management
🚨 IMPORT CHARGES: The UK will impose border charges on EU plant and animal products from the end of April, sparking backlash from trade groups warning of higher food prices and reduced choice. Practitioners should monitor public sentiment and advise affected clients on communications strategies to navigate potential reputational risk. Source: Financial Times.
🌱 COVID-19 TRANSFORMATION: The pandemic created a unique opportunity for societal transformation by cultivating mass-distributed leadership and integrating humanities, arts and social sciences with science and technology. A new research paper by Prof Dr Jim Macnamara argues that it created a moment for us to reflect, rethink and strive to build a better society. Source: Wadds Inc.
🗳️ TRANSPARENCY PUSH: The European Parliament has adopted new rules to enhance transparency and limit foreign interference in political advertising during elections and referendums. The rules protect voters from manipulation and require clear labelling of ads. They also restrict targeting techniques and non-EU sponsorship of ads. Source: European Parliament. Source: European Commission.
Artificial intelligence
💬 AI PERSUATION: In an online debating experiment, AI using GPT-4 outperformed humans in persuading people to change their opinions. The study suggests companies should carefully monitor the use of AI chatbots in shaping public sentiment and develop proactive strategies to maintain trust. Source: Cornell University.
💰 GOOGLE’S GAMBIT: Google is considering charging for premium AI search features. Due to internal challenges and a cautious approach, the tech giant has struggled to maintain its lead in the AI race. Its fumbled efforts with generative AI threaten its dominant position in search as rivals such as Microsoft move swiftly to integrate the technology across their products. Source: The Financial Times.
Good and bad practice
🤐 CBI SILENCING SCANDAL: The CBI admitted to using non-disclosure agreements and financial settlements to silence staff while trying to restore trust following sexual misconduct and bullying allegations. The House of Commons Treasury Select Committee criticised this practice and called for a ban on using such agreements in sexual harassment cases. Source: The Financial Times.
Social media and platforms
⬆️ LINKEDIN UPTAKE: LinkedIn usage is rising as X continues to see a decline. It’s not just me. Multi-image posts, videos and polls drive the highest likes, shares and impressions, while brands post more frequently and leverage employee networks to boost reach and interaction on the platform. Source: Social Insider.
📰 ONLINE NEWS: Social media platforms have a growing influence over the news people see online, leading to news diets lacking diverse viewpoints and containing polarising or false content. Interventions to improve the breadth and quality of news consumed on social media are challenging as users' ability to control their newsfeeds is limited. Source: OFCOM.
🔍 HASHTAG UPGRADE: Instagram has updated its hashtag search functionality to show users the full search results related to a hashtag when tapped, rather than just the top posts feed. This change aims to improve profile discovery and expand user search behaviours by connecting them to Accounts, Audio, Places and Reels. Source: Instagram.
Book review
📚 INTERNAL COMMS: Internal Communication Strategy by Rachel Miller provides a practical, step-by-step guide for developing a robust internal communication strategy. It offers a structured framework, real-world case studies, expert insights and advice on tackling contemporary issues such as neurodiversity, culture, AI and diversity. Source: Wadds Inc.
Media
📰 CONTENT CONSOLIDATION: Reach plans to create a central team of around 300 journalists to produce traffic-driving content for multiple websites, reducing duplication of effort on trending topics. The proposal aims to increase efficiency while allowing brand teams to focus on more audience-specific content. Reach emphasised that it is not a cost-cutting measure. Source: Press Gazette.
📅 WEEKEND BOOM: The gap between weekday and Saturday UK newspaper sales has widened significantly over the past decade, with Saturday editions now outselling their weekday counterparts for all major national newspapers. The Daily Mail's Saturday edition sells almost double the copies of its weekday paper, while the Financial Times Weekend circulation is almost double its weekday readership. Source: Press Gazette.
Thank you to the following members of our community for sharing and debating stories covered in the newsletter over the past two weeks: Andy Barr, Stuart Bruce, Julian Christopher, Karl Connor, Catherine Frankpitt, Alan Morrison, Sarah Waddington CBE and Deborah Wroe.