Tag: cipr (page 1 of 5)

31 July 2014 / 1 Comment

Learning to measure and measuring to learn

PR measurement and evaluation
The CIPR is in the process of updating its research, measurement and evaluation guidelines (PDF). The current edition is dated March 2011 and harks back to when I used to chair the CIPR's measurement deliberations; the current initiative is being led by Matt McKay and Martin Turner.

Here's a short but important extract from the current guidance:

Every organisation should have a mission (why we exist), values (guiding behaviour), a vision (what do we want to be), objectives (breaking down the vision) and strategy (how we intend to get there / achieve the objectives). Given that measurement isn't just the detached collection, analysis and presentation of data but a powerful management tool in itself, a powerful way to align each employee’s day-to-day activities with the strategy, this cascade must continue robustly, transparently and visibly.

People perform as they are measured, so the measures must drive strategically important behaviour.

And as each marketplace is unique and as your organisation is unique, your strategy will be unique. And so, therefore, will be the suite of measures you design, deploy and manage by.

9 September 2013 / 0 Comments

Share This Too

Ever since we started the CIPR Social Media Panel we've been a pro-active bunch. I haven't got the stats to prove it, but I'd bet the panel is the most active CIPR group. We launched the successful "Social Summer" sessions, developed Wikipedia guidance (subsequently adopted by equivalent organisations in Canada, Australia and South Africa), created CIPR TV, published the CIPR Social Media Guidance, updated the CIPR's own social policy, published the CIPR Guide to Social Media Monitoring, and much more.

Social Summer was the genesis for the 2012 book, Share This, currently listed by Amazon amongst its UK Top 50 books in the PR category, and US Top 100. (Note to Amazon: PR is not a subsidiary discipline of Marketing, so the PR category should not be subsidiary to the Sales & Marketing category.)

Having had the distinct pain of editing Share This, Stephen Waddington demonstrated his masochistic side by proposing a follow up this year. Fortunately, Rob Brown volunteered as co-editor, and tonight is the launch party at the British Library of Share This Too.

Here's the blurb from the CIPR:

"The book is split into 33 chapters over eight topic areas, covering the future of public relations, audiences and online habits, conversations, new channels, new connections, professional practice, business change and opportunities for the public relations industry, and future-proofing the public relations industry.

"Each chapter has been contributed by one of the foremost experts in the given subject area, and the foreword for the book is from Brian Solis, digital analyst and author of What’s the Future of Business (WTF).

"Share This Too has been edited by CIPR Board Members Rob Brown and Stephen Waddington with contributions from Dominic Burch, Robin Wilson, Ged Carroll, Kate Matlock, Adam Parker, Mark Pack, Sharon O’Dea, Paul Fabretti, Michael Litman, Russell Goldsmith, Stephen Davies, Scott Seaborn, Dan Tyte, Matt Appleby, Kevin Ruck, Hanna Basha, Chris Norton, Becky McMichael, Rachel Miller, Stuart Bruce, Richard Bailey, Jane Wilson, Julio Romo, Jed Hallam, Katy Howell, Gemma Griffiths, Philip Sheldrake, Richard Bagnall , Drew Benvie, Andrew Smith and Simon Collister."

5 April 2013 / 0 Comments

How dare they!

[Written originally for the CIPR Friday Roundup.]

You should not make edits to a Wikipedia entry when you have a conflict of interest, as any PR practitioner does in relation to their employer or client. Simple.

This Wikipedia rule is reflected precisely in the CIPR's Wikipedia guidance, published by the social media panel last summer and supported by PR bodies in Canada, Australia and South Africa. (Although not yet in the US.) Read more

18 January 2013 / 0 Comments

Do you believe it?

[Originally written for the CIPR Friday Roundup.]

The 2007 report from the Arthur W. Page Society, The Authentic Enterprise, identified four new leadership priorities and skills demanded of the Chief Communications Officer:

Leadership in defining and instilling company values
Leadership in building and managing multi-stakeholder relationships
Leadership in enabling the enterprise with ‘new media’ skills and tools; and
Leadership in building and managing trust, in all its dimensions.

The report marked the beginning of a rethink at the Society that culminated last year in Building Belief: A New Model.

I'm a fan of the Society and made sure to reference the four leadership priorities in my book The Business of Influence. I'm slightly obsessed with defining the role, skills and traits of CCOs, if only because this matter appears to be mission critical when it comes to making an organisation fit for the 21st Century. If you share this interest, do take time to familiarise yourself with Building Belief if you haven't already done so.

As we approach the first anniversary of Building Belief, I'm very interested in gathering reports of the model in practice, particularly as it complements aspects of the Six Influence Flows model. If you have a story to tell in this regard, do please drop me a line.

Arthur W. Page Society Chairman, Jon Iwata, on Building Belief

24 October 2012 / 2 Comments

Are you a professional or a user?

I've never been fond of the word 'user'? It lacks the caring qualities of a much more appropriate word, customer, and even evokes images of substance abuse.

On making this point, I'm asked what I'd call people benefitting from a service or application without handing over their hard-earned. Well, customers of course. In such situations they're simply paying with a different currency, such as their personal data and/or attention, which the supplier of the service does its utmost to monetize.

But in one instance, I like that evocation of substance abuse. Of addiction. Of misuse.

Do allow me to explain and let's see if I've just been critical of you or a colleague. Please go easy on me if I have, my intentions are honourable.

I had the privilege of speaking with 150 Masters students at Imperial College London yesterday, taking their Technology in Marketing module. All marketing activity in 2012 is underpinned or impacted by technology, and thousands of tech vendors tempt us with thousands of marketing and PR applications, tools and services. And we buy them. Lots of them. The question is, are you a professional or a user?

What's the difference?

14 September 2012 / 0 Comments

Internal communications discussed on CIPR TV

The latest episode of CIPR TV went out live yesterday afternoon, with plenty of interaction from the audience. The programme's guests are Jenni Wheller (@jenniwheller), Internal Communications Manager at SSP UK, and Mike Grafham (@mgrafham), Head of Customer Engagement at Yammer.

I think you'll agree the audience's questions and the guests' responses make for an interesting show. Rather than repeat anything covered in the show, I'll just take a few paragraphs here to make another observation.

9 July 2012 / 0 Comments