Brexit: Is the comms industry ready?

The CIPR has issued new Brexit guidance to help PRs prepare for Brexit.

The guide delivers information relevant to the profession on matters such as data protection, copyright law and travel. It also highlights the role public relations professionals can play in helping businesses prepare for every eventuality, particularly if the UK leaves with no deal.

The practical guidance has been published ahead of the UK’s scheduled exit from the European Union on 29 March and tonight’s crunch vote.

Emma Leech, CIPR President said: ‘Despite the frustrating lack of clarity surrounding the impact of Brexit on professional services, it is crucial that PR professionals familiarise themselves with the basic details of the process and the potential outcomes for businesses. Whether you work in an agency, in-house or as an independent practitioner, there are likely to be significant changes to the way your clients or business operates. This guide will equip you with a basic understanding of how to help clients and organisations navigate the complexities of Brexit.’

View the CIPR Brexit guidance here

There’s a lot of uncertainty about how Brexit may affect the comms industry, so we asked some top PR bloggerss for their views:

Sarah Hall, founder of Sarah Hall Consulting said: ‘Whether we like it or not, Brexit offers a great opportunity for strategic PR professionals. Our role is to help organisations navigate change but to do this you need the appropriate training and qualifications. It’s why I’ve been talking about public relations as a management function via my #FuturePRoof community and latterly via the CIPR to encourage practitioners to upskill accordingly.’

Scott Guthrie, marketing consultant said: ‘Brexit is affecting comms in two ways: by seemingly keeping all other news from front page for almost two years; and, by heightening a sense of anxiety. My clients are typically small businesses. Small business accounts for over 99% of all private sector businesses in the UK. Yet, just 6% of small and medium-sized businesses feel the Government is listening to their concerns about Brexit. That is causing them anxiety and preventing them from making any significant business decisions.’

It was also the topic of our recent webinar Emergency Brexit with Iain Anderson, executive chairman at full-service communications and market research agency Cicero Group; Gill Morris, chief executive of DevoConnect; Matthew Elliott, who was chief executive of the Vote Leave campaign; and our host lobbying supremo Lionel Zetter.