PRSA International Conference Hotel, San Diego
Posted by Tom Gable
In an era dominated by millions of corporate, institutional, government and other voices clamoring for attention through every communications channel possible, members of the PRSA Counselors Academy responding to a national survey, ranked “demonstrating return on investment,” “providing authentic counsel” and “mastering social media” as the top three issues to be addressed in helping their clients and advancing the future of the public relations profession over the next two years.
The survey was conducted online during October among 450 members of Counselors Academy, a professional interest section of the Public Relations Society of America dedicated to providing principals and senior counselors of public relations firms with the resources to grow their firms and the counseling skills of their people. Membership is limited to accredited counselors (PRSA or Canadian Public Relations Society) or consultants with 10 or more years experience in the profession. Eighty-nine responded, or almost 20 percent of those surveyed.
The results were released on Nov. 9 during the PRSA International Confernece in San Diego and served as the foundation for a panel discussion on “How to Tackle the Three Toughest Issues Facing PR Counselors Today.” The panel was chaired by Tom Gable, APR and PRSA Fellow, CEO of Gable PR, who designed the survey. It included Sydney Ayers, APR, president and CEO of Ayers Public Relations and chairwoman of PRSA Counselors Academy, and Joel Curran, APR, senior vice president and managing director, Manning Selvage & Lee, Chicago.
The survey asked respondents to rank from 1 to 5 their impressions of different internal and external issues facing the profession in 2009-10 in four major categories, with 1 being “Very Unimportant” and 5 being “Very Important.” The top four issues in each category:
Client Relations: demonstrating return on investment (ROI), 4.60 and No. 2 overall; providing authentic, strategic counsel, 4.55, No.3 overall; measuring results, 4.43, No. 5 overall; and connecting PR to the C-suite, 4.25; and raising agency fees, 3.63.
Media and Technology: mastering social media, 4.70 (No. 1 overall); enhancing technology capabilities, 4.53 (No. 4 overall); the 24/7 news cycle, 4.31; and decline of traditional media, 4.24.
External Issues: the economy, 4.34 (No. 6 overall); government regulation, 3.59; losing business to consulting firms, 3.20; and dominance of the biggest multinational firms, 2.80.
Partnerships and Resources: values and ethics management, 4.23; developing strategic partnerships, 4.18; recruiting and retaining talent, 4.13; and expanding agency services, 3.98.
Respondents represented a cross section of agency sizes: under $500,000 in annual billings, 27.3 percent; $500,000 to $999,999, 42.4 percent; $1 million to $4.99 million, 21.2 percent; $5 million to $9.99 million, 9.1 percent; and over $10 million, no responses.
Those responding were largely senior practitioners: less than 10 years in the profession, zero percent; 10 to 15 years, 6.1 percent; 16 to 20 years, 3.0 percent; 21 to 30 years, 57.6 percent; and more than 30 years, 33.3 percent.
From the data, the panelists provided insights and action plans for addressing Client Relations, Social Media and Changing the Way PR Firms do Business. Next: lessons from the panel; connecting with the client.
Tags: creative, planning, positioning, PR, reputation, ROI, social media
