A fireside chat participated in between the UK and Argentina is appropriate for the head of the largest global PR association. Francis Ingham – who fits in his duties as ICCO Chief Executive alongside being PRCA Director General and LG Comms Executive Director – speaks to Carlos Diaz, General Manager, Globalnews Group during Day Two of the AMEC Virtual Global Summit on Measurement.

 

“Everything has changed and yet nothing has changed,” Francis tells Carlos, pointing to the latest ICCO World PR Report into global PR industry attitudes. Despite the challenges of the last year, the signs for the future are “incredibly encouraging”.

 

“The industry is incredibly optimistic about the future. Essentially, it’s already growing strongly, albeit at different rates in different places around the world.”

 

This growth and increasing confidence is being driven by the evolving nature of the work that the PR industry does.

 

Every one of the trends apparent over the last decade has been accelerated by COVID-19. From chief executives recognising the value of investing in corporate reputation, to the PR agencies that are diversifying their offerings. From the incredible shift to digital that is fast becoming a core element of practitioners’ offerings, to the rich blending of disciplines.

 

Other developments include the acceleration towards flexible working, with as few as one in 20 agencies around the globe reporting that they will require their staff to be back in the office five days a week.

 

Covid has also made a huge impact on consumers’ expectations of the companies that they buy from. Authenticity is on the rise, and people want to see companies that have values at their heart. That’s a demand that will not go away.

 

And finally, the movement towards better measurement practices continues apace. Recognition of AMEC’s Integrated Evaluation Framework and Barcelona Principles increases in every region around the world. Francis points out that this remains core to the communications industry’s continued success, because it is the only way to prove its strategic value.

 

“We’re all on the same journey, we’re just on slightly different stops along the way. But we’ll all get there in the end – and that’s down to the work that AMEC does.”