sobre public engagement (III)

Há uns anos atrás fui apresentar uma comunicação sobre gestão de crises num congresso em Espanha. Estava cheio de sentimento pátrio e rigor cientifico. Esbracejei e entusiasmei-me com a minha "ponencia" e fiquei satisfeito com aquilo que apresentei. No final, um grande professor catalão, Antonio Nogueró i Grau, disse que nada de novo tinha sido acrescentado naquela sessão, e que embora muito interessantes, as apresentações não tinham acrescentado valor ao que já se sabia sobre a matéria. Fiquei chocado e reagi emocional-nacionalmente na altura. Passados estes anos voltei a lembrar-me deste episódio e, reflectindo, tenho que dar razão a Nogueró i Grau: no campo da comunicação e das RP desde 1985-1990 não há nada de novo. Não existe qualquer acrescento teórico ou prático que seja verdadeiramente inovador e que tenha posto em causa o paradigma existente. Quando Khun na "estrutura das revoluções científicas" falou sobre mudança de paradigmas, afirmava aquilo que são as caracterísiticas dos processos de mudança e como estas se processam. No campo da comunicação nada disso tem acontecido. Continuamos a funcionar no mesmo paradigma de há 20 anos e aquilo que tem vindo a surgir são variações do tema com umas quantas buzz words interessantes que permitem vectorializar os posicionamentos dos prestadores de serviço. Estou convencido que o esforço da GCI vai dar os seu frutos e vai colher resultados, ainda por cima porque já têm em curso alguns projectos muito interessantes. Mas não é uma mudança de paradigma, nem é uma inovação...é uma evolução, tal com tão bem confirmou hoje o seu presidente no seu blog. felicidades nesta nova fase de vida.

sobre public engagement (II)

Os nove principios de "public engagement" enquanto teoria sócio-política defendida pela Universidade de Newcastle:

1. Participants should join those organising the process in setting terms of reference for the whole exercise, and framing the questions that they will discuss.

2. The group organising, or in overall control of, the process should be broad based, including stakeholders with different interests on the subject being discussed.

3. There should be a diversity of information sources and perspectives available to participants.

4. There should be space for the perspectives of those participants who lack specialist knowledge of the area concerned to engage in a two-way exchange with those possessing specialist knowledge.

5. There should be complete transparency of the activities carried out within the process to those both inside and outside it.

6. Those without a voice in policy-making should be enabled to use the consultation process as a tool for positive political change. This should be embedded in the process by sufficient funds being made available for follow-up work after their initial conclusions have been reached.

7. The process should contain safeguards against decision-makers using a process to legitimise existing assumptions or policies.

8. All groups involved in the process should be given the opportunity to identify possible strategies for longer-term learning, development and change on a range of issues relating to their conclusions.

9. The group organising, or in overall control of, the process should develop an audit trail through the process, to explain whether policies were changed, what was taken into account, what criteria were applied when weighing up the evidence from the process, and therefore how the views of those involved in the participatory process may have made a difference. This should be explored together will as many those involved in all levels of the process as possible.

sobre public engagement (I)

Há menos de 2 semanas Richard Edelman fez esta apresentação sobre "public engagement"

"The Third Way--Public Engagement

I am speaking this morning at Edelman’s fourth New Media Academic Summit, jointly hosted by New York University and Syracuse University, attended by more than 100 professors from 10 countries. My bold assertion is that there is a Third Way for companies to communicate, beyond paid and earned media, by embracing Public Engagement.

Today, there is a dispersion of authority, away from the mainstream media and classic sources of influence toward open platforms and new voices driven by passion and personal experience. Smart companies are changing their games, moving from strict message control to a more open discussion with stakeholders. Mike Slaby, who just joined our firm as chairman of Edelman Digital, said, “We are moving from speaking at audiences to participating with them by drawing them into organizations with authentic communications.”

The Third Way asserts that companies need to complement their usual paid and earned media strategies by embracing new, social and owned media. The Third Way envisages:


• Utilizing the evolved mainstream media, with its numerous opportunities for participation, such as video, commentary from mid-level employees and shared experiences of customers.
• Reaching out to new media with the convening credibility of expert voices. Recognize that Polito or Tech Crunch may be the best starting point for media outreach.
• Utilizing social networks as essential spaces for company embassies. Be an aggregator for discussion. Connect members to related stories. Provide multiple entry points for relating to personal experiences.
• Helping every company become a media company (thanks again, Andrew Heyward, for this quote) via an owned channel. This offers a faithful representation of the present situation while providing context that enables viewers to understand the full story.


The change from impression-based interactions to long-term relationships with clients’ stakeholders requires nothing short of a major reevaluation of our role as PR counsel. We need to provide strategic advice, not simply communications tactics. Our profession must now embrace research to distinguish among idea starters, amplifiers and viewers. We should create the central idea and enable the full exploitation across four screens (TV, PC, Slate and smart phone). Since online platforms and spaces are at the root of the current evolution of media, digital strategy can no longer be seen as a specialty area; it must become a core competence for all PR people.

The new principles adopted by Edelman practitioners in order to maintain our clients’ license to operate, are termed the rules of Public Engagement. These include:


• Open advocacy (why you are here),
• Listening with new intelligence,
• Participating real time in conversations,
• Create and co-create content,
• Socialize media relations,
• Build partnerships for the common good, and
• Embrace and navigate complexity.


We should aim for measurable outcomes beyond media impressions and advertising equivalencies, including Building Trust, Changing Behaviors, Deeper Communities and Delivering Commercial Benefit. At the same time we must draw a clear line between journalism and public relations, as we rely on a discerning media sector as a cornerstone of our work.

We will proceed along two dimensions—to encompass a broader set of media options, from Mainstream to New to Social to Owned; and engage stakeholders in deeper, long-term social relationships, as all communications become public. In this way, PR can assume its proper role as the organizing principle for strategy and communications."

Edelman em maus lençóis

"Green campaigners this week descended on the European headquarters of PR agency Edelman in an attempt to ‘reclaim the PR machine for normal people'.

PR Week, 17.07.2008


Activists from Oxford Climate Action arrived at the London office of Edelman on Wednesday morning, alleging a massive 'greenwashing' campaign by the agency's energy client E.ON.

Several protesters gained access to the PR firm, while others climbed on to the roof to unfurl a banner.

Labour MP John McDonnell stopped by to lend his support to Oxford Climate Action's stunt.
It said the demonstration aimed to 'highlight the insanity of investing in new coal power stations such as Kingsnorthin the face of human-caused climate change'.

The group also described Edelman as having 'a long record of involvement with ethically questionable companies, including AstraZeneca, Wal-Mart and Pfizer'.



Click HERE to watch Edelman CEO Robert Phillips talking about the protests.



Protester Debbie Locke said: 'Edelman is telling E.ON to say that Carbon Capture and Storage [CCS] can help, but CCS is an unproven technology and 20 years away at the earliest. We are here to reclaim the PR machine for normal people who want to see real action on climate change, not another dose of corporate greenwash.'

Edelman's UK CEO Robert Phillips posted a blog entry and video after the protest, but expressed disappointment that the campaigners did not want to speak to him. 'I would be absolutely happy to have a free and open debate with them, but they aren't interested,' he said. 'We are proud of ukour work with E.ON in tackling climate change issues.'

The PRCA hit out at the protesters. Director general Francis Ingham said: 'These people should stop childishly ranting against things they disagree with, and start talking."

Negócio do dia

PRWeek reporters 03-Jul-08

WPP has drawn up secret plans to create a global super-agency in a bid to rival the likes of Edelman, Weber Shandwick and Ketchum.


The new venture is being formed out of existing WPP agencies Cohn & Wolfe and GCI. It will trade as Cohn & Wolfe.

WPP bosses were understood to be putting the final touches to the plan as PRWeek went to press.

Media statements have ­already been drafted and an announcement is expected in the next few weeks. WPP is currently seeking new premises in London to house the UK arm of the merged consultancy.

The marcoms giant is mer­ging the two agencies to gain a global reach and consolidate overlapping practices.

In the UK, the move will see C&W's 100-strong outfit merge with GCI's 40-strong unit by the end of the summer. It will bring an estimated 14 C&W offices in Europe and the US together with an estimated 43 GCI offices worldwide. As yet, no redundancies are ­expected.

The new company will have a combined UK fee income of £14.25m - placing it at number 11 in this year's PRWeek Top 150. Other WPP agencies Hill & Knowlton and Burson-Marsteller are at numbers six and 15 respectively.

Global CEO Donna Imperato is believed to have instigated the move. A source close to the business said: ‘It is definitely going to happen and it's imminent... Donna Imperato is running the show.'

C&W UK chief executive Fiona Noble will retain her role in the new venture following her recent appointment from Freud.

GCI chief executive Mark Cater will take on an as-yet-unspecified new role. C&W and GCI have forged close links since WPP bought GCI in 2004.


Time line
July 2008 Final preparations for merger of Cohn & Wolfe and GCI Group
June 2008 Fiona Noble starts as CEO at C&W London
April 2008 C&W buys tech shop Axicom
July 2006 Mark Cater made UK CEO at GCI
January 2006 GCI Health­care team moves into C&W offices
April 2005 Donna Imperato named CEO of C&W/GCI holding company

trends # 6 euroblog

A EUPRERA patrocina desde 2006 uma iniciativa chamada euroblog. Os resultados das sondagens que eles têm vindo a fazer sobre web 2.0 são interessantissimos, já para não falar dos papers que lá são apresentados e outros ideias trocadas(aqui e aqui). A não perder para quem anda nestas ondas.

trends # 5 nuvens no horizonte?

A propósito da Edelman, vale muito a pena atender áquilo que David Brain, CEO para a EMEA aconselha aos que gerem os destinos das consultoras de PR. Conselho ssábios de quem anda há muito neste negócio e que já passou pelos piores tempos da indústria:

>Get your business in shape now. PR people are always optimistic that this win or this new project will bring in the revenue that will hide the costs they are carrying and deliver the right profit. Maybe in good times, but easy wins will be harder to find. If you are not making the right profit now, take the hard decisions now because they will be harder the longer you leave them.
>Don’t assume that the existing revenue you have committed will be there. Discount it by sector (high if its financial services or pharma) and by the quality of your relationship/offer.
>Scrub the cost base. Don’t accept last year’s costs and then add a percentage.
>Look at everything and haggle with suppliers and renegotiate.
>Incentivise your financial team to find cost savings. They will love it and they will find them.
>Have a biscuit policy. Find something symbolic to cut that is high profile but not really that important to the business and cut it to drive home the message that we are entering different times that require a different attitude (from everyone). At one firm in my past I became unbelievably unpopular for banning biscuits at internal meetings (pathetic I know but you get the point).
>Big clients that have low margin may be an OK thing because they cover a lot of your fixed costs. Small clients that have low margin are not. Shoot them dead. And then shoot them again to make sure.
>Credit-rate all your clients and re-set terms with them now that mean, as far as possible, that cash arrives as the hours are spent working on them.
>Check your debtors levels. Set the dogs loose now on those behind and incentivise your financial teams to reduce your average debtor days.
>You can’t hire your way out of a downturn so don’t plan revenues around new mystery superstar joiners.
>Identify the people that really bring in revenue and hold onto clients. They may well be the quiet ones you don’t always notice as the stars.
>Your biggest asset is your existing client base. Check now the relationship and get it sorted because our clients will be asked to look for savings and you need to be part of the discussion on that rather than get a nasty surprise from a client who feels safe to cut you because they don’t know or rate you.
>Identify those sectors that will grow . . . . we are placing our bets now on these and investing pretty heavily despite fears for some European markets.
Hone the case for PR. If you are in consumer PR now is the time to dust off the case for why advertising just does not cut it and why what we do is so much more cost-effective (through us, the client can do better for less). Remember, the ad boys still account for most of the budget and a 10 per cent shift from them to us will have a big impact.
>Refresh and re-define the practice areas that will help clients in their downturns; employee engagement, crisis management, CEO communications for example.
If you are at a mid manager level in your firm, check that you and your team make as near as you can to three times (at least 2.5 times) your total employee costs in fees. If you are not then develop a plan to get there.
For anyone in the business who has assumed that pay rises turn up every year and are always ahead of inflation . . . . those days (in the UK at least) could well be over. But if you can be become a person who brings in fees and manages to a profitable level this could be the time your career really takes off. There are a lot of mediocre companies and a lot of mediocre talent in our industry now and a short, sharp recession will sort the quality from the rubbish.

trends # 4 edelman trust barometer 2008

Já está disponível e com conclusões engraçadas que podem ser de muita utilidade para quem faz das PR a sua vida. Consultar aqui