There are mobile business apps designed to make users more productive, more organized and more collaborative, but now there is an app to help guide public relations professionals in making ethical decisions. Ethical decision-making has never been easier thanks to PRSA taking the Code of Ethics (Code) mobile.

PRSA, in partnership with MSLGROUP, has brought the Code to the palm of your hand. The PRSA Ethics app is available for free in Google’s Android Market and Apple’s App Store and can be accessed from iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Continue reading " There’s an app for that "

Editor’s note: This is the 10th in a series of 12 guest posts from industry thought leaders predicting key trends that will impact the public relations industry in 2013. Hosted under the hashtag #PRin2013, the series began Jan. 7, 2013, with a compilation post previewing some of the predictions.

Last year in her #PRin2012 blog post predicting key trends for the public relations industry, MaryLee Sachs predicted that convergence would continue as “organizations’ brands and reputations merge. . . making the most of a blended approach to marketing and public relations.” Of course, she was right.

Continue reading " Connecting the Dots with Content "

Most public relations practitioners who are members of professional associations are likely familiar with industry codes of ethics; however, familiarity with codes does not imply that practitioners know what to do when faced with an ethical dilemma.  In an academic study recently published in the Journal of Mass Media Ethics, my coauthor Dr. Minette Drumwright and I conducted in-depth interviews with 30 senior practitioners from 10 states in the U.S. and Australia, who had an average of 27 years of experience.  We identified multiple techniques that anyone could use to raise red flags.

Practitioners’ Motivation

Continue reading " Why and How Senior Public Relations Officers Raise Ethical Concerns "

Editor’s note: This is the 1st in a series of 12 guest posts from industry thought leaders predicting key trends that will impact the public relations industry in 2013. Hosted under the hashtag #PRin2013, the series began Jan. 7, 2013, with a compilation post previewing some of the predictions.

In looking back over the past 12 months, one challenge comes through loud and clear for those of us charged with shepherding the communication process for our client or employer in the coming year…that of accountability.

Continue reading " Challenges Facing Public Relations in 2013…Demand for Accountability Will Rise "

Simply put, this past year has been one humdinger from the public relations point of view.

• The continuing fallout from the BP disaster remains a news media staple and reminds us not only of the importance of communicating with our stakeholders but also of actually demonstrating that we care about their welfare.
• The varying political catastrophes in the Mideast and elsewhere remind us that, no matter how much “polish” we put on the frog’s public persona, it’s still a frog with all its warts and icky-feeling skin.

Continue reading " The “Year That Was”…PR’s Challenges and Opportunities "