Author: Danny Whatmough

Is this the PR agency of the future?

For the last two years, the PRCA, the UK’s professional body for the PR industry, has run a project looking at what the PR agency of the future might look like.

We’ve debated topics around revenue models, structures, specialisms and employee motivation and, while looking to the future is always a fascinating pursuit, this year we decided to look a bit closer to home and investigate and celebrate examples of innovation that are already happening within the industry.

Today, we’ve released a series of case studies looking at five UK PR agencies that have already taken steps to innovate. We hope they will prove to be a source of inspiration to agencies looking to futureproof themselves.

Here are five key themes that run throughout the case studies and, of course, the case studies themselves.

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Five considerations for social media crisis planning

It seems that hardly a week goes by without another social media gaffe or crisis for brands.

At a time when a tweet can go viral quicker than the time it takes to put a press release together, the role of reputation management in social strategies is more important and yet more challenging than ever before.

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10 New York Times innovations that digital marketers can learn from

It’s been a tough week for the New York Times.

But, while Jill Abramson’s contract termination made the headlines, it’s another revelation about the inner workings of the world’s most respected newspapers that has caught my eye.

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Five takeaways from Facebook’s News Feed algorithm update

Last night Facebook revealed changes to the algorithm it uses to determine which stories appear in a user’s news feed.

This was an interesting development for a number of reasons. Here are my five takeaways and learnings for brands

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Why it’s time for PR professionals to embrace paid media

PR professionals seem to embrace an air of superiority when it comes to the owned/earned/paid debate.

PRs have traditionally crafted stories that win or lose by their storytelling craft. If the story isn’t powerful enough then the journalist will slam the phone down in a rage and never speak to you again.

Whereas on the paid side of the fence, the feeling is that content with a big media budget behind it can reach (or be pushed in front of) a wider audience, whether or not it is any good. And that that’s just wrong.

Truths and flaws abound on both sides of this summary.

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Why co-creation is the next big digital PR trend

Whether it’s a leading consumer brand employing a celebrity as creative director or a major B2B tech firm collaborating with a psychologist on a best practice guide, co-creation is a bandwagon that the world’s leading brands are rapidly jumping onto.

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The five don’ts of social media ROI

There’s been a lot of ink spilled on the subject of social media ROI. Is it possible? How to go about it? What to measure?

At a #socialcloud event last night I outlined what I believe are the five pitfalls that everyone should try and avoid when approaching social media ROI.

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Tell me you love me: use of ‘favouriting’ on Twitter soars

Do you favourite tweets on Twitter? Has your use of this feature increased over the last year?

If the answer is yes, then you are not alone.

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About time: Nike moves social media in-house

The announcement this week that Nike has decided to move all social media activity in house has been met with surprise by many in the industry and has been trumpeted in the trade press.

The surprise is, in itself, surprising. Because it makes total sense. And I say that as someone that works in an agency where we advise on social media activity for a vast proportion of our clients.

Danny Whatmough

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