Archive for: PR

‘One of the comments on social media in reaction to our report, ‘The Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) opportunity for public relations’ was “actually, you lost me at ESG”,’ said Dr Jon White on our webinar with Stephen Waddington, Rebecca Zeitlin and Michelle Goodall yesterday.

While Environmental, Social and Governance is a main trend in PR in 2021, the meaning of the term is still vague for many and, as found in our recent study, two-thirds of PRs still don’t have an ESG strategy in place.

Download ‘The Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) opportunity for public relations’ report here

Here’s the video for those who were unable to attend the live event explaining the practicalities of ESG and the opportunities for the PR industry.

It was a wide-ranging discussion about a large and complex topic, but here are some of the key takeaways.

What is ESG?

As summed up by Dr Jon White, it’s ‘a new way of referring to a set of concerns that have been with us for many years. “The triple bottom line” is how it was referred to in the 90s.

‘ESG as a label has been in use for about 20 years now, and the term has been given new force by the Covid pandemic. It’s how business will need to adapt.’

‘ESG – that acronym explains less that any previous terms we’ve used in comms, actually,’ believes Jon. ‘We do have a real task of explaining what’s involved. Our practice loves jargon. We have to work against that as far as we can in this area, especially now…’

As summed up in the report, it is, at its core, ‘a call for companies to account for and report on their contribution beyond financial metrics within their scope of operation’.

ESG is a combination of environmental and social risks.  For example, the business supply chain and its environmental impact, how employees are treated and human rights acts compliance.

It also includes business governance – from how legal issues such as bribery and corruption are monitored and managed through to ensuring that the board act fairly for all shareholders.

What is the difference between ESG and CSR?

The complex of concerns grouped as ESG are significantly more far reaching than the Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR programmes.

‘Corporate Social Responsibility is a class of initiatives that’s typically led by a marketing function,’ explains Stephen Waddington. ‘The challenge there is that it’s sometimes seen as masking other activities – it can be a veneer that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Fortunately, we’re moving on from that.’

‘ESG considers in the absolute whole – the financial value, and environmental and societal value, also.’

Why is ESG so much more important now?

‘ESG undoubtedly one of the primary issues facing PR at the moment,’ believes Stephen Waddington.

‘This conversation was spearheaded by the UN, but why it’s so important in the last 18 months? Covid. PR has shown itself in a leadership position to help organisations integrate with complex stakeholders through difficult transitions, like moving to working from home last March, for example.

‘Covid has highlighted flaws in the use of financial metrics to measure the health of an organisation. Everyone in society has been impacted, and that impacts how companies are managed.’

Hybrid Air Vehicle’s Rebecca Zeitlin agrees that crisis has led change:

‘Obviously, crisis is an accelerant. But even pre-Covid, we saw massive change during 2019 in how people were perceiving aviation for pleasure, for example. A lot of this was driven by climate-related concerns and humanitarian issues, right through to emissions; that critical mass was building anyway.

‘In this time of crisis, PR has become aware of its potential – it hasn’t realised it yet

Whilst there has always been socially responsible investment, there has been a marked change in the investor community and the number of investors considering ESG issues will likely lead to more complete investment analyses and better-informed investment decisions.

2020 was the year that ESG investing came of age. According to data provider Morningstar, by the end of 2020 total assets held in sustainable funds hit $1.7trillion – a 50% rise on where they started the year.

What are the risks of not engaging with ESG concerns?

‘Environmental damage, exploitation of labour – the risks are enormous,’ warns Jon. ‘A large percentage of organisations will not be prepared.

‘The opportunity for public relations is alerting those making decisions to the broader range of risks that need to be considered.

‘There’s new kind of stakeholder capitalism, new demands on management. For years, we’ve been saying that you need to consider all stakeholders, or you’re running huge risks.’

Practical advice on getting started with ESG?

Hybrid Air Vehicles is already on its ESG journey, and Rebecca had some advice for the two thirds of PR leaders who don’t yet have a strategy in place:

‘Scrutiny will be on a whole company and there are so many factors to consider – you have to find the most important ones, then maintain that framework throughout the scaling process. Pick the things that matter and work on them first; you can’t do everything at once.’

Research for the report found that ESG was led by the Head of Communications/PR in 19% of the organisations surveyed.
Should comms leaders take charge on this?

‘My argument is that PR practitioners, as senior advisers, should absolutely be involved,’ said Jon.

‘In the past, it’s true that it’s been managed by issues management external departments. I would say that’s now passe. The absolute key thing from the PR point-of-view – they should be involved in these discussions.’

Rebecca added that everyone has to be on board, company-wide: ‘Your CEO must be a figurehead for this as well and your whole organisation has to have buy-in. PR owns a lot of the relationships involved in this, but be aware that these conversations have to go beyond you.’

How can PR professionals contribute to ESG?

The ‘The Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) opportunity for public relations ’ report covers 8 ways that public relations can contribute to an organisation’s strategic response to ESG planning and risk.

Stephen pointed out that anyone attending the webinar and reading the ESG report are already contributing by raising their knowledge.

‘In the survey data, we had a whole range of responses – I think you’ve got to start small with each of the dimensions. Any organisation has to recognise the reach and opportunity it has. We put together a framework in the report where we suggested where you could become part of these conversation, ranging from strategic planning and risk assessment. This has to reside and be owned by leadership and board level. But PR as a department can be a conduit to bring stakeholders together.

‘Much of the work of ESG involves reporting within an organisation transparently and plotting the journey and framing meaningful metrics. It’s important that any metrics an organisation sets are meaningful and then held accountable to those through reporting via the comms team.’

What about ESG and the PRTechstack?

Stephen and Michelle discussed the importance of having the right tools in your PRTechstack to benchmark, scan, monitor and measure ESG concerns in the media and from various stakeholders and publics.

‘A shout for Vuelio. Your interest in this area is you provide media intelligence to help organisations understand both earned media and conversations in the public sphere as they relate to organisations. So that ‘horizon scanning’, both from a risk assessment and an operational perspective, is important.’

Michelle added ‘Pulsar [our sister platform] can provide early warning signs around issues and activism through all forms of social media, and that’s important because, particularly with a younger, more diverse audience those conversations are no longer just taking place in one or two of those social platforms. They’re taking place on TikTok, Instagram and the list goes on.’

How to get employee engagement on ESG?

‘Every organisation has values – values help staff make decisions,’ Rebecca believes. ‘We as communicators need to bring that to life; we have to help staff understand what their role is. We’re organisational glue and can help glue those layers together. I think we can also be a more visible and accessible champion for the cause – when your executives are further away, comms can make things real.’

Download The ESG opportunity for PR report by Stephen Waddington and Dr Jon White here.

Looking for more on current trends in PR and comms? Here are ten more from industry thought leaders including Ronke Lawal, Sarah Waddington, Ella Minty and more.

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) have teamed up to address mental health challenges within the public relations and communications industry.

Working in partnership with Opinium, the industry bodies have launched a survey to gauge the wellbeing of those currently working in PR. Results will be used to form a cross-industry joint summer programme with the aim of tackling the mental challenges PR practitioners face as part of their jobs. Opinium’s Workplace Mental Wellbeing Framework will provide support.

‘The impact of the stress attached to working in public relations needs no introduction,’ says CIPR chief executive Alastair McCapra. ‘The fast-paced, public-facing nature of our work means it can be incredibly rewarding but also hugely taxing. It is the single biggest threat to the profession as a whole – whatever sector, whatever discipline, and whatever level you work in – it shouldn’t have to be this way and collectively this is something we can only change by working together. The pandemic has only served to heighten existing pressures which is why now is the right time for our respective bodies to work together in playing our part to support our members and the wider profession.’

PRCA director general and ICCO chief executive Francis Ingham agrees that the pandemic has magnified existing issues:

‘There is no doubt that the industry’s mental health challenges have been compounded by the pandemic. Our people have worked under extraordinary pressure and we must now do everything in our power to establish policies and foster cultures that prioritise mental health. Every employer has a responsibility and a duty of care towards their staff in this regard. I’m pleased that the industry bodies will be working together to create positive change. This is our opportunity to create the change our industry needs.’

Opinium CEO James Endersby sees the joint initiative as a real opportunity to make meaningful change for the industry at large:

‘This has been a challenging year for everyone, with the pandemic impacting so many areas of our lives including our mental health and work lives. Given the challenges we have all faced this year, businesses now have an even bigger role to play in supporting their employees with their mental health. We are delighted to once again be partnering with the PRCA, ICCO and the CIPR to conduct our workplace mental wellbeing audit amongst their members, both agency and client side. If you don’t listen to employees, you can’t effectively help support them with their mental wellbeing – we hope our insights will help accelerate change across the sector at a global level.’

Everyone working within PR and comms are invited to complete the survey to aid the initiative – take part here.

For more on mental health stresses in the public relations industry, here are 7 ways to protect your mental health in PR and communications and these tips for staying motivated at work.

Worried about burnout? Watch our accessmatters session with KDP Consulting’s Katie Phillips on her experiences and what you can do to look out for yourself and your coworkers.

The second set of results from Carta Communications’ and The Pulse Business’ quarterly PR and Communications Tracker show an increase in optimism among PR leaders for Q2.

Reinventions of approach and services is one of the biggest trends in the latest survey of in-house PR leaders, which found that 45% have made ‘significant changes’ and a further 41% have made ‘some changes’ to the way they operate since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

A third (32%) of respondents reported feeling ‘very positive’ about the future of their business over the next year, with another 58% feeling ‘quite positive’. Only 24% had felt ‘very positive’ and 63% ‘quite positive’ at the start of the previous quarter.

Carta Communications founder and director Matt Cartmell said: ‘Our industry has now embraced what I call ‘perma-pivot’, in which any sense of stasis has been banished with leaders forever finding new ways to deliver their storytelling and reputation management capabilities. It’s never been a more exciting time to be working in the world of PR.’

Imogen Osborne, owner of The Pulse Business, is glad to see the spurring of innovation: ‘What a relief to see some good news in terms of an upbeat industry that has thrived on re-invention and is taking bold steps to maintain growth. At the start of the pandemic, many comms leaders spoke in cautious tones, daunted by the prospect of remote working and managing seemingly disparate teams. In fact, this new hybrid model is clearly producing results and makes a sound business case for constant innovation.’

To offer your own insights for the next PR and Communications Tracker, email Imogen Osborne via [email protected].

Catch up on previous results from the PR and Communications Tracker here.

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has published a guide in association with Current Global to aid PR and communications professionals with the delivery of content accessible to people of all abilities. 

Research from Current Global, MAGNA and IPG Media Lab has revealed that 15% of the global population live with a disability and that 64% of those who use assistive tools experience challenges when accessing content.

The PRCA’s 35-page guide features case studies, advice and tools for PR practitioners who want to make their content fully accessible, including how to develop accessible content and campaigns whether visual, text, social media-focused, influencer-led or a physical or virtual event.

‘As professional communicators, it is incumbent on us to make communications inclusive for people of all abilities so we can reach every member of society,’ said PRCA director general and chief executive of ICCO Francis Ingham.

Co-founder and CEO of Current Global George Coleman added: ‘The technology and tools to help us do this are readily available, so the key priority is to update the way we work to adhere to best practices laid out in the guidelines.

‘Every day content is published that isn’t accessible to all. It doesn’t have to be this way. Over a billion people worldwide have some form of disability, a significant audience many are excluding. We have a moral duty to address this – and we hope the guidelines provide a practical starting point to instigate change to the way the industry works.’

For more on accessibility in PR, read our previous post on 5 ways to make your workplace more inclusive for dyslexic individuals.

Three-quarters of senior business leaders believe ESG – Environmental, social and governance – issues are more important than ever this year, according to research from comms agency Grayling.

The survey of 500 business leaders included in Grayling’s whitepaper New Collectivism: Building Better Business found that 45% of senior leaders in big businesses agreed that ESG would be more important than in any previous year. 82% also believe the decisions they make in 2021 will be more important than in previous years.

Reflecting the move from the ‘profit first’ approach of the 70s and 80s to modern ethics-led aims, 63% of the senior leaders surveyed agree that businesses have a responsibility to society at large, with 85% also saying collective responsibility is important for future business success.

Sustainability is also an important factor for modern business, as 43% of all large business leaders consider it a priority. Challenges cited by respondents to the Grayling survey included COVID-19 limiting sustainability conversations (26%), politicisation (14%) and customer, consumer and Government pressure (14%).

Grayling head of corporate, UK & Europe Tom Nutt said that the report findings ‘confirm what we have been observing for some time now – that businesses are reassessing the wider role of their organisations in society. This is being driven by three things – concerns about climate change and the environment; social unrest around the world and the simple fact that sustainable business is good business.

‘It’s an understatement to say that the last year has been a momentous one for business. But the effect has been to speed up and add greater urgency to existing trends, rather than new ones emerging. I expect this sense of urgency to be on display at COP26 this year which is undoubtedly the most important UN Climate Change conference ever.’

Grayling’s whitepaper New Collectivism: Building Better Business can be downloaded here.

For more PR trends to be ready for this year, check out our round-up of insight from 13 PR thought leaders.

Considering your own ESG strategy? Read our report The Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) opportunity for public relations.