How we make the future bright for PR?

The “3 billion new traders challenge” also means than we need to have a global approach, a global footprint, and a multi‐cultural approach. It can’t be a one way street forever, from West to East or from north to south. I mean by that: helping companies from fast‐growing markets ‐ India, China, Russia, Brazil ‐ to navigate the Western world and to develop their business in Europe or in the US. This is also a fantastic opportunity for our companies.

To seize this opportunity we have to hire talent from these countries. Our agencies have to welcome diversity in a genuine way, to be able to host many different cultures under one

roof. This is certainly what we are trying to do at MSLGROUP. We want talented people who speak several languages, who have travelled the world and, ideally, who have worked in several countries.

We need people who can manage ambiguity.

What about the “One billion journalists” challenge? What does it mean for us?

1. First, I think that, pretty soon, we will not talk about digital, what we call digital will be embedded in everything we do. There will be no work, in consumer PR as well as in Corporate Communication, without a strong social media component.
2. Social media is erasing boundaries between marketing and communication disciplines. We, in PR need to fight hard to demonstrate that we have specific skills that should put us at the center of the conversation economy.
3. 0ne billion people using social media: it is the largest jury in the world. We need to help our clients to learn what true transparency and authenticity mean.
4. In a digital world, companies can collect mountains of data about behavior, preferences. We need to show that we can be better than other potential competitors at filtering and interpreting data. We live in a world where there is no lack of data. There is a lack of superior analysis.
5. Social media platforms could become direct competitors if they hire the right skills. They will have more data about consumption habits and brand perceptions than anybody else.
6. Since conversations are taking place 24/7, storytelling is more important than ever. We need to immerse ourselves in those conversations.
7. In the cloud, on the web, people expect to find new, exciting or surprising stories every day. The life span of news is quite short. Creativity is a must. Who said: “Technology is shifting the power away from the editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite. Now it is the people who are in control”? Answer: Rupert Murdoch.

Who said: “Consumers are beginning in a very real sense to own our brands and participate in their creation. We need to begin to learn to let go”? Answer: A.G. Lafley, former Chairman and CEO of P&G.

Now, on to the “9 billion survivors challenge”.

1. My view is that we must take it very seriously and all our clients will have to adapt their strategy to tackle this challenge. Because the young talent they want to attract take it very seriously. Green‐washing is very counter‐productive
2. Ten years ago, when I was in London, managing the FT, CSR was mostly a boxticking exercise. Listed companies had to write a CSR report with their annual report and most of them considered CSR as a burden.
3. Today, CSR has to be embedded in the company’s strategic thinking, it must influence every aspect of what HR, IT, Finance and other functions do.
4. Young talent will go to companies that have a real willingness to change their business model and to embrace sustainable development.

Who said: ”We see sustainability, both social and environmental, as a powerful path to innovation , and crucial to our growth strategies”? Answer: Mark Parker, CEO, Nike.

As you can see the formidable challenges that our clients are confronted with are also formidable opportunities for the PR industry if we know how to seize the day.

We need to choose our battles, following very ethical guidelines, sticking to our values and above all, we need to make our companies “learning companies”.

A learning company is one that encourages people to test new approaches, to share best practice, to be open to new ideas.

Thank you so much for your attention.

Kaynak;

Olivier Fleurot

ICCO 2011 Zirvesi

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