News

The intermediate results of the research of PR sphere were presented to the participants on June 23, 2011 in the coffee house of Bookvoed bookshop chain in St. Petersburg.

The research is being conducted for the third time (previous surveys were performed in 2005 and 2008) and is a joint project of BC Communications, marketing communications agency, and analytical magazine Expert North-West. The decision has been made to consider the obtained results as midline since the data base increases and the Project will be continued in July-August 2011.

Nevertheless, the interim results (you can find the Research Presentation here) in general are consistent with the information presented in the annual report of International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO):

• Media relations have become one of determinants in assessment of PR efficiency. Quantity and quality of references in media, as well as feedback from journalists are considered to be an effect of PR activity in more than a half of all cases (in 2005 only a third of all respondents pointed this out).
• By 2011 corporate business processes have matured to achieve the European level: social programmes became a part of functionality of the most of PR divisions (soaring from 5% to 68%). The same trend was applicable to charity in the past six years (from 2% to 53%).
• Corporate communications and in-house media have formed an essential part of PR specialists’ functions by 2011, although in 2005 this did not seem to be obvious. Copywriting was eventually assigned to PR departments. It is presumably a sign of establishing professional standards – not in theory or in minds of professors, lawmakers or professional associations, but in actual practice.
• Digital communications develop intensively and Digital PR is becoming an integral part of companies’ activities.

The most active participants of the research were invited to the meeting in Bookvoed. Non-indifferent, dedicated specialists were discussing most burning issues. It was suggested these meetings were continued in various formats, thus providing for an opportunity to discuss issues, appealing to all PR specialists regardless of their companies’ specialisation, to share experiences, and to learn about new t PR technologies and tool.

Expert North-West will publish a detailed analytical article based on the received results and discussion with the research participants in a special edition in July.

The full stop has not been made in the research. The industry which has gone through a serious disturbances during the economic crisis keeps growing and developing.

The event organizers – communications agency BC Communications and analytical magazine Expert North-West would like to thank St. Petersburg bookshop chain Bookvoed for the venue provided and all the participants of the discussion: representatives of Megalit, Nienschanz, Sumtel, Tranzas, HeadHunter, Eclectica, BSGV.