PR Studies

Busy for some

There have been some mighty spats and some strong themes doing the rounds while I've been away. Here are some of them:

• Well-known blogger Tom Coates hates press release spam. It's fallen to Stephen Davies (among others) to stage a defence of PR.
• I hate spam like the next person, until it's personal and then it's no longer spam. One news release I welcomed receiving was, interestingly, from Stephen Davies himself. It's a social media news release. Another was from two recent PR graduates who've taken part in a photo shoot with their team (see picture) in support of 'National Stockings Day'.
• Senior industry figures have been thinking about the merits of young graduates entering the business. David Byrne, CEO of Weber Shandwick writes:

  We want people with good analytical skills and an understanding of how to make a case. We need people who can actually write - more and more important as PR and the media we deal with change - and we need people with a real interest in the world around them. We increasingly need people with specialist sectoral knowledge as content becomes more important than just contacts.

  And we need people who actually want a career in PR in its many forms, and see it as a profession rather than just a brush with glamour.

  As more kids with socially diverse backgrounds work hard and get good A levels, and more good quality communications-related degrees become available, this will help our business.

• Meanwhile Edelman's European President and CEO David Brain advises job seekers to go global in search of valuable experience.

Comments

Busy for some

There have been some mighty spats and some strong themes doing the rounds while I've been away. Here are some of them:

• Well-known blogger Tom Coates hates press release spam. It's fallen to Stephen Davies (among others) to stage a defence of PR.
• I hate spam like the next person, until it's personal and then it's no longer spam. One news release I welcomed receiving was, interestingly, from Stephen Davies himself. It's a social media news release. Another was from two recent PR graduates who've taken part in a photo shoot with their team (see picture) in support of 'National Stockings Day'.
• Senior industry figures have been thinking about the merits of young graduates entering the business. David Byrne, CEO of Weber Shandwick writes:

  We want people with good analytical skills and an understanding of how to make a case. We need people who can actually write - more and more important as PR and the media we deal with change - and we need people with a real interest in the world around them. We increasingly need people with specialist sectoral knowledge as content becomes more important than just contacts.

  And we need people who actually want a career in PR in its many forms, and see it as a profession rather than just a brush with glamour.

  As more kids with socially diverse backgrounds work hard and get good A levels, and more good quality communications-related degrees become available, this will help our business.

• Meanwhile Edelman's European President and CEO David Brain advises job seekers to go global in search of valuable experience.