Austria focuses on quality in PR; installs new trust seal based on ICCO CMS criteria

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Summary

The Austrian organizations PRVA Public Relations (Public Relations Association Austria) and PR Quality Austria recently Launched a new trust seal for PR agencies and communications departments within companies and institutions, the “Austrian PR Quality Seal.” The trust seal is based on the ICCO Consultancy Management Standard (CMS) and private design at Ensuring high quality and ethical standards for the Austrian PR industry. 

 

Within the past few years the PR industry has been faced with scandals and image problems. Ethical standards and quality criteria have become more and more important for agencies to assure potential and existing clients of their trustworthiness. Certifications based on ICCO CMS have been a useful tool to do so.

 

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With the development of the Austrian PR Quality Trust Seal, the Austrian organizations PRVA and PR Quality Austria, have gone one step further. They developed a new system based on ICCO CMS, suitable for agencies as well as communications departments in companies und institutions.

In order to be awarded the Austrian PR Quality Seal, ethical, content matter and organizational criteria are assessed, as well as guidelines for corporate governance / departmental management. The requirements are clearly formulated. Agencies and communications departments decide on how to implement the standard as required by their own specific benchmarks, all of which ensures the highest degree of flexibility

 

 

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“We are delighted that Austria has shown that our CMS-criteria can easily be adapted to local conditions and are seen as a role model for a national trust seal. The industry needs transparent and high quality standards as an answer to the scandals it was facing. With the Austrian PR Quality Trust Seal, the Austrian PR industry is on its way to ensure trust in the industry again.”
David Gallagher, ICCO President; Senior Partner and CEO EMEA of Ketchum
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About ICCO

ICCO is the voice of public relations consultancies around the world. The ICCO membership comprises national trade associations in 29 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia. Collectively, these associations represent over 1,700 PR firms. ICCO is a proud sponsor of the Young PR Lions competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

www.iccopr.com

Education key to agency integration

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Guest blog post by PRable

Somewhat bafflingly, there are many people in the PR industry that disregard social media or view it as a flash-in-the-pan that doesn’t complement traditional public relations.

Unfortunately this view is likely to limit their lifespan in PR and act to the detriment of them and their clients. The key to this is education, and it is never too late to learn.                                                                                   

An Integrated Campaign

The concept of an ‘integrated campaign’ is a misnomer – every campaign should be integrated. With newspaper sales dwindling, more people watching on-demand TV, and an increasing number of people only sourcing news from the web, the demographics of media consumption have completely changes in the last decade.

Social media allows you to reach a dedicated audience of unlimited size. Most importantly, if they follow you, they want what you are offering and want to hear what you have to say. Can you say this of any other media form?

 

Journalists online

We all know that journalists are almost always up against a deadline. Few want telephone pitches, and emails can easily get lost in the pile.

Increasingly journalists prefer to be contacted via Twitter. Aside from being a source of breaking news, on a PR front it keeps pitches concise, aids relationship building and offers an instant source of quotes.

While some are put off by the public nature of Twitter, it is now a fundamental part of journalism and subsequently PR. If journalists are using a service to source story ideas and listen to conversations, surely you want to be a part of it!

Client communications

Some clients will already be on top of social media, while others will undoubtedly be more reserved.

PR professionals are employed to offer advice and best practice on promoting a company or a product. If you aren’t knowledgeable about the benefits of social media, your clients will either turn to someone else or will overlook it completely.

Social media is a great way to supplement your monthly fees, as well as helping your client to reach a dedicated audience. Miss out on understand this medium and you are missing out on money. Simple as that.

Never too late

Early uptake of any new social media network is usually led by younger generations. Yet, it is never long before parent come join in to see what their kids are up to, bringing older age groups with them.

Simply believing that social media is for the young completely misses its universal appeal. While it may be true that social media management in PR firms is often led by the younger members of staff, everyone in the company must be au fait.

It is all about generating client confidence in your abilities. Do you want the youngest member of staff to be the social media ‘expert’? What message does that send?

If MDs promote an a nurturing atmosphere then all will benefit and you can unlock a new revenue stream that will not only support traditional PR campaigns, but set you apart from your competitors.

 

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PRable is a PR blog charting how the industry is developing and how communications will change in the future:

http://thisisprable.wordpress.com/

Follow PRable on Twitter @ThisisPRable

Ketchum and Ogilvy PR Pledge Young PR Lions Support

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“It is a real testament to Ketchum and Ogilvy PR’s leadership of the global industry that they are our first official supporters. We look forward to announcing other consultancy support very soon.This is a golden opportunity for our industry to establish a true, distinct presence at Cannes. And ICCO is incredibly grateful to Ketchum and Ogilvy PR – and others too – for enabling us to do just that.”

Francis Ingham, ICCO Chief Executive
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The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) today unveiled Ketchum and Ogilvy Public Relations as the first two official supporters of this year’s Young PR Lions programme.

The programme, part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is officially sponsored by ICCO, representing its agency members in 29 countries around the world.

The inaugural Young PR Lions competition will see teams of PR professionals aged 28 or under representing their country in teams of two. Following the national pre-selection process, finalists will be sent to Cannes to compete at the international level, delivering a presentation for a non-profit organisation client in 24 hours that will be judged by a selected jury. Unlike its larger PR Lions equivalent, only professionals working in PR consultancies will be eligible to enter. Both Young PR Lions and PR Lions Award ceremonies will take place on Monday 16th June.

In February 2014, ICCO was announced as the official sponsor of the Young PR Lions competition, making it the first public relations professional body to establish close links with the Festival. As part of its Cannes sponsorship, ICCO will produce an online Guide to Cannes, highlighting best events for PR delegates; exhibit at the Palais de Festival during the Festival week; hold a social event before the PR Awards on Monday 16th June; and host post-Festival events and webinars showcasing Cannes best practice and winning campaigns.

Following the call to PR agencies to co-sponsor the initiative, Ketchum and Ogilvy PR are the first industry leaders to be confirmed as financial supporters.

 

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“Ketchum is powered by the souls of young lions, and we’re delighted to be a part of this global celebration of the best and brightest of the industry.”
David Gallagher, ICCO President; Senior Partner and CEO EMEA of Ketchum
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“Ogilvy PR owes its success to talented young minds who challenge us and themselves every day to think bigger and brighter. We are thrilled to be supporting ICCO and the Young PR Lions in celebrating the future talent of our industry.”
Michael Frohlich, UK Managing Director and EAME Brand Marketing Practice Managing Director, Ogilvy Public Relations
twitter  Linkdin

 

ICCO is now calling on more leading PR agencies to support the project. For information about available sponsorships please contact ICCO General Manager Anastasia Demidova at anastasia.demidova@iccopr.com.

 

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About ICCO

ICCO is the voice of public relations consultancies around the world. The ICCO membership comprises national trade associations in 29 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia. Collectively, these associations represent over 1,700 PR firms. ICCO is a proud sponsor of the Young PR Lions competition at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

www.iccopr.com

The importance of integration

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Guest blog post by PRable

It seems that almost every day a new consultancy dedicated to social media pops up, under-cutting agency prices and claiming to offer a better service than traditional PR professionals.

While many agencies have been slow to diversify, and the desire to reduce costs is always a considerable factor, having a fully integrated PR structure is essential to the success of any campaign, as outlined below

Managing the mix

PR professionals have spent years honing their messages, their manner and learning about a wide range of B2B and B2C audiences. They know how to position a brand or a product and are there to consult at every step to provide the best business outcomes.

By keeping social media management with your PR provider, you can be assured of a fully joined-up approach that considers every angle and creates a consistency in messages and tone of voice. This is integral in creating brand recognition and customer loyalty.

A good PR professional will incorporate social media as part of a fully integrated PR campaign, blurring the lines between media relations, events, internal communications and social media. This will provide you with the best return on your investment and avoid a disconnect between various agencies.

A social crisis

Crisis PR is where keeping social media with your PR provider comes into its own. Having a coherent, joined-up approach to PR is never more apparent or exposed than when things go wrong.

Developing a considered and refined plan for crisis PR is essential both off and online. However, with the speed at which things can develop in the socialsphere, swift action is a must. Both the client and PR staff should know who is responsible for what, the tone and manner in which to respond and who should be kept informed about developments.

By keeping social media with your PR provider will save valuable time, ensure a consistency in message and tone, and will ultimately avoid further crises.

Made to measure

Social media has redefined how the impact of PR can be measured. It offers near instant analysis and feedback on a campaign, promotes engagement in a way traditional PR doesn’t, and allows for rapid market research.

By keeping your campaign integrated, with social media managed by your PR provider, you can track the direct effect of PR on your business. Whether you want to increase sales, raising awareness of your brand or product, or see how people are talking about you, you can track it at every step of the way.

Effective PR will enable your business to grow and keeping everything in one package offers the best chance of this. Keep it simple, keep it transparent and keep it connected. Keep it with your dedicated PR professionals.

 

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PR Able is a PR blog charting how the industry is developing and how communications will change in the future:

http://thisisprable.wordpress.com/

Follow PRAble on Twitter @ThisisPRable