EDELMAN

PUBLIC VOL.2
ENGAGEMENT
IN THE CONVERSATION AGE
EDELMAN

CONTENT

FOREWORD/FUTURE ECOLOGY: A NEW ERA OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT 3

IN AN ENGAGED WORLD, LISTENING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER 4
THE SEVEN BEHAVIOURS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT 5
THE POWER OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT. THE AGE OF PERSONAL SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 6
WHY IT’S TIME FOR THE AD AGENCIES TO ADMIT DEFEAT 8
EMBEDDING SUSTAINABILITY INTO BUSINESS AND BRAND: MAKING SENSE OF THE UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS 10
PUTTING CREATIVITY FIRST 12
IT’S POLITICS, JIM, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT 14
SOUND BITE OR SOUND INSIGHT 16
DEMAND DRIVEN DIALOGUE: DESIGNING DEMAND IN THE IT WORLD 18
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN A REGULATED ENVIRONMENT 20
LISTENING FOR RESULTS 22
EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER 2010 23
ONE WORLD, ONE AGENCY: PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT MAKES YOU THINK 24
CONVICTION OR CONVENIENCE: IS NOW THE TIME FOR BUSINESS TO LEAD? 27

ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION

This is the second volume of Edelman’s annual publication, Public Engagement in the
Conversation Age. It is a collection of thought pieces written by the UK team about the
communications challenges facing brands, corporates, politics and NGOs – as well as our
own industry, as we evolve from Public Relations to Public Engagement.

PR CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR 2009

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 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2

FUTURE ECOLOGY:
A NEW ERA OF
PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT

PR is changing. Driven at pace by the democratizing power of digital and the

continued shift from a shareholder to a stakeholder society, we are witnessing the
emergence of a new model of Public Engagement. Networks have replaced channels;
influence has supplanted audience; shared interests are moving us beyond dogma;
and multilateral connection is the new dialogue. We are faced daily with a chaos of
news and views. The golden age of broadcast is finally over.
This all has profound implications for the communications active citizenship, as calls for transparency intensify and as
world. In a parallel trend, corporate reputation and brand transparency itself is further empowered by the digital world.
marketing are converging at speed; we, the people, have Citizen politics now demands that governments and business
become media in our own right; and everyone – from citizen Act and Tell. Storytelling alone is just not good enough – and
to brand to corporation – now has the ability to participate an evolved form of communications is the obvious result.
in the conversation, anywhere and at any moment in time.
Opinion is becoming increasingly democratised and media Public Engagement is the codification of where we are today
increasingly socialized. None of this should surprise us – it is – a recognition of the new order that is emerging from the
the reality of the everyday. continued chaos. Public Engagement embraces the current
reality and faces the future, safe in the knowledge that waves
Immediacy is everywhere. We no longer wait more than of change will inevitably come again. The PR agency which
minutes for our news, in a world where the story of an sits back and watches the chaos unfold is the one which will
earthquake breaks on Twitter before it reaches the newswires. play no part in the future ecology of communications. Which
Newspapers have become ‘Viewspapers’. The old rules of is why we, at Edelman, continue to think, write and debate
audience cannot apply and the conventions of advertising are these new truths and why we are re-shaping ourselves to
understandably crumbling. The 30-second spot has become deliver in a world of cross-influence. We do not have all the
the short-form film… and it is all content for the conversation answers. Nobody does. But, as these Public Engagement
anyway. essays demonstrate, we will both stimulate and participate in
the conversation.
This is not merely a tale of technology, however, nor is it
just about the internet. Technology has begat behavioural
change and introduced the new norms. Reform is unlikely
to stop here. This is an unfolding story of society and people
– how we interact, what we prioritise and where we come
together in active coalitions. Recent Edelman Trust data (July
2009) ranked the interests of the employee and the customer
alongside those of the shareholder, while supply chain ethics,
Directors’ pay and responsible governance have suddenly Robert Phillips
become genuine influencing factors in purchasing decisions. UK CEO
Governments are increasingly held to account by a digitally- robert.phillips@edelman.com

3
EDELMAN

IN AN ENGAGED WORLD
LISTENING IS
MORE
IMPORTANT
THAN EVER

Consider a moment we have all experienced. Standing at a party, chatting amiably

with a friend, an interloper arrives, interrupts our conversation, seizes control and
turns it in an unexpected and perhaps unwelcome direction. Too often, this is the
approach that communicators and marketers label ‘engagement’.

To be sure, some people will listen for a few moments, then
make their excuses and drift away. But many will be (at best)
annoyed and the outcome will be unsatisfactory for everyone.
Brilliant grandmothers the world over have made a cliché out
of the notion that we were given two ears and one mouth for
a reason. But those who practice ham-handed attempts at
engagement behave as if they have a very large mouth and no
ears at all.
Successful engagement must begin with a realization that
might at first be uncomfortable: as communicators and
marketers, we no longer control the terms of engagement.
The decision to interact is necessarily one of mutual consent.
So before we can engage, we need to take the time to
understand the answers to several key questions:
• Who might be interested in talking with us?
• What are they interested in talking about?
• Where and on what terms would they like to connect?
Answering these questions ensures that when we do engage,
we will approach the conversation with content that is
relevant, timely and interesting.
Effective listening also provides a roadmap for deploying our
resources and ensuring that whatever approach we adopt is
practical and realistic by helping us prioritize the influencers
we might want to engage.
By listening with new intelligence, we can identify the key
idea starters and amplifiers. Idea Starters are the ones who
will spark the conversation. Amplifiers can be anyone. They
are the ones who will continue the discussion and advance it
through their networks.
Listening can also impact a business beyond communications.
Starbucks (an Edelman client), for example, has created My
Starbucks Idea, a platform for listening to, and co-creating
with, its customers that has yielded important suggestions
for improving the company’s business. Ranging from product
ideas to operational improvements, Starbucks’ commitment to
listening has driven results straight to its bottom line.
Similarly, by listening to its customers wherever they were
talking – in this case, Twitter – U.S. cable giant Comcast
improved its customer service and, according to its CEO,
changed the culture of the company, making it more
responsive and engaged.
The risks of failing to listen are massive. In a world where
everyone is a publisher and compelling content always
manages to find an audience, a crisis can appear from
anywhere. Failing to listen can leave us ignorant and
impotent.
So if we commit ourselves to listening, how should we do it?

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 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2

LISTEN

Listening with new intelligence is a uniquely human skill.

Discerning sincerity, subtlety and emotion are all instinctive
human abilities that no machine or artificial intelligence has
yet mastered – in spite of the countless over-marketed claims The Seven
Behaviours
to the contrary.

Technology can and must provide assistance, but at its core,

listening is more art than science – more a personal exercise
than a computational one. of Public
The countless platforms for listening are useful for gathering
together elements of the conversation that are relevant. But
Engagement
once gathered, real understanding only comes from immersion
1. LISTEN WITH NEW INTELLIGENCE
in the content and an in-depth understanding of the context.
And real success only comes from a commitment to act on 2. PARTICIPATE IN CONVERSATION:
what is learned. REAL TIME/ALL THE TIME
3. SOCIALISE MEDIA RELATIONS
Over the last few years, social media and similar technological
4. CREATE AND CO-CREATE CONTENT
changes have made the world more connected, interactive
and dynamic. In short, the world is a conversation. 5. CHAMPION OPEN ADVOCACY
6. BUILD ACTIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR
So at its core, the imperative to become better listeners rests
COMMON GOOD
on a simple, human truth: We cannot join a conversation
without listening to it first. 7. EMBRACE THE CHAOS

Are you listening?

Public
Marshall Manson
Director
Engagement:
Marshall is Edelman’s EMEA Director of Digital ADVANCING SHARED INTERESTS IN
Strategy. He has a diverse background in
communications and lives in London.
A WORLD OF CROSS-INFLUENCE

marshall.manson@edelman.com

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EDELMAN
THE POWER OF
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
THE AGE OF
PERSONAL
SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
‘I don’t like Mondays’ may have been a hit single for The Boomtown Rats in 1979, but
one can’t help wonder if the sentiment reflects the feelings of much of today’s workforce
following months of challenging business conditions and continued uncertainty.
We can hardly question the deep rooted effect that events
of recent times have had on us all and one thing is clear: if
business is to rebuild trust, this must begin with employees.
As employees, we want our employers to communicate
and engage us with greater transparency and authenticity.
Moreover, the licence to operate for business has changed,
our perspectives as individuals have changed, and, as a result,
we expect business to recognise its role in driving greater
socioeconomic development in a new era of what we call
‘mutual social responsibility’.
So, if we expect a higher level of social and environmental
engagement from employers as well as from ourselves as
individuals, is there any merit in bringing these two things
together? And can business genuinely improve employee
performance and motivation by harnessing a shared
responsibility for doing good?
In order to try to answer these questions we must first look at
the evidence for prioritising effective employee engagement,
and then the case for creating effective engagement to drive
performance – what engages and motivates employees today?
Employee engagement strives to create an emotional
connection that an employee feels about the organisation
which influences him or her to exert a greater effort in the
6
work they do. It is about establishing mutual respect in the
workplace for what people do and can be. But it goes beyond
this: to engender pride to work for a company not only drives
motivation and productivity but creates ambassadors for your
business who in turn help attract the best and the brightest to
your organisation.
The recently released MacLeod report ‘Engaging for Success:
enhancing performance through employee engagement’,
commissioned by the UK Government, states that employee
engagement practices can actually help a company deal
with the impacts of recession and emerge stronger. It reveals
that employees are often a source of knowledge and ideas
which lead to operational efficiencies and, by providing
employees with a platform for sharing these ideas, a company
will establish trust and loyalty. These are two qualities
that it is critical for a company to foster, particularly when
there are difficult decisions to be made that impact the
workforce. Recent Trust Barometer data show that employees
and customers should rank as the CEO’s most important
stakeholders when making business decisions (July 2009).
Yet employers still have work to do when it comes to meeting
these engagement requirements. The Trades Union Congress
surveyed 3,000 workers in 2008 and found that almost one in
three (30%) felt that their organisation does not fully engage

them and less than half (46%) of those questioned felt that
their employer deserves their loyalty.
Perhaps part of the reluctance to address this situation is due
to the fact that meeting these aspirations seems so daunting.
It can’t be ignored that, with fast changing technologies,
the immediacy of communications, and the rise of Citizen
Journalism, many employers are cautious of committing to
open channels of communication and true dialogue with
employees. But, for those that do, the benefits can be seen
well beyond loyalty and employee retention.
So, what should we be engaging employees with and how do
we motivate them? The result of the recent crisis has meant
that conventional rewards such as pay rises and bonuses are
either simply not there or perhaps, more importantly, as we
return to the point of our individual and collective need for
business to drive mutual responsibility, do not go far enough
to drive loyalty. Sylvia Ann Hewitt, economist and member
of the World Economic Forum Council on the Gender Gap
and founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy,
has published research which shows that high potential
employees are motivated by a desire to give back to their
communities and these employees are seeking out employers
that allow them to do so ‘on the job’.
Traditionally, companies have viewed employee engagement
in terms of corporate social / environmental responsibility
programmes, such as allowing employees time off work in
order to get involved in community initiatives, or encouraging
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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2
continuing education. Today’s workforce, and particularly the
younger generation of workers, look for personal relevance
in the fabric and meaning of their jobs. A sense of personal
responsibility for the state of the environment, the state of our
finances and retirement options, the state of our health and
education systems is increasing.
Business must move beyond these traditional models of
corporate responsibility to a more strategic and integrated
approach based on sustainability across social, economic
and environmental parameters. It must be driven from the
core of the business and commitment must come from the
top of the organisation. It must transform the values of the
organisation into programmes that employees will be inspired
to participate and engage in and ultimately engender a sense
of pride and purpose in working for that organisation beyond
simply taking home a salary every day, week or month.
Perhaps in understanding our own personal role we can learn
from Sir Winston Churchill who said “We Make a Living By
What We Get, We Make a Life By What We Give”.
Pamela Fieldhouse
Managing Director
Pamela leads Edelman’s corporate reputation team.
She has been passionate about understanding
how to influence behaviour change since studying
psychology at university.
pamela.fieldhouse@edelman.com
EDELMAN

WHY IT’S
TIME FOR
THE AD
AGENCIES TO
ADMIT DEFEAT

When ad agencies are rebranding themselves as “short form content agencies” and
media agencies are suddenly sprouting production arms, you know the jig is up.
You can’t rename a 30 second spot a viral, or seed an ad online, pretending it’s pure
content and then bump it onto TV and expect no one to notice. The very ethos of a
piece of entertainment that audiences self select is that it is MADE to engage, to be
relevant, to provoke conversation – not to sell, not to shout. It has to be entertaining
first and commercial second to court and invite participation – that way lies proper
loyalty from the audience.

This is an age where appointment to view is dead, where
viewers are in control and someone broadcasting from their
front room can reach a global audience. In the world of public
engagement, a brand, product or service can and must be a
media channel in its own right, in order to have ownership
and to start – and keep – the dialogue. This means authoring
content, embedding the message and/or the ethos within the
actual content – and not in the zappable space around it (and
that includes bumpers and sponsorships).
Exclusive content is the fuel for engagement and the
opportunity to gain audience participation and traction. But
to get that engagement, you need experts. And they are
not 30 second ad creatives. And they are not media buyers.
They are the professionals of the entertainment industry –
production experts – together with those (yes, people like
us!) that understand that the campaign does not live only by
the content itself. Expertise that works on the distribution,
the conversation, amplification and exploitation online, in
media, on networks – pulling eyeballs back to the content
and fuelling discussion, driving participation and enjoying the
momentum of sharing, while nailing publicity, fame and sales.
This is what PRs have always done, being agnostic in our
choices of channel but greedy in our desire to deliver.
The X–Factor phenomenon shows how entertainment
and content can work beyond broadcast. It is all about
participation and even lack of control, as the production
company themselves load excerpts onto YouTube,
understanding that they need to play freely in the digital
space in order to command the control (and money) with
the phone voting when they do broadcast. They will make
£20million on this series (Broadcast, 30/10/09) and are nailing
over 20 million viewers.
But X–factor aside, the entertainment industry is in trouble.
The loss of audience figures means advertising revenues are
smashed, so production budgets get slashed and the content
is diluted or programming gets cut completely. In September
2009, the government announced it would review legislation
around product placement allowing brands to become inte–

8

grated into existing TV shows. But we know from the US
experience that this is a weak alternative, accepted from a
position of financial stress and where creative delivery is often
compromised by commercial pressure, leaving neither partner
satisfied.
However, what the production company really wants is
brand relevant partnerships that can take their content and
build it online, in–store, in media, via downloads and on new
influencer platforms with new consumer experiences beyond
the TV screen – and the money they will accept for access
and exploiting exclusive content is not that expensive. This
approach is way beyond product placement, bumpers or name
checks – more intelligent, more integrated, more shared. And
it builds audience, loyalty and revenue for the brand and the
networks, and is a new model for working that can replace the
ad agency relationship.
A consumer brand recently paid £500k to sponsor a TV
broadcast film – but the deal allowed the film to be released
in weekly 10 minute segments for 9 weeks, airing the entire
film at 10 weeks. After only 2 weeks, the film was nailing
an audience of 5 million. The online power of garnering
audiences before a programme airs traditionally (or instead
of) is immense. Networks will kill for this. And brands enjoy
audiences that positively replace the centre breaks of old, and
add value to the consumer experience. The time has come
for corporations and brands to have the belief and vision to
make the leap and break out of the marketing silos of old
and embrace an opportunity that allows them to play on the
screens of their target influencers in a way that is multi–
platform, multi–experience, driving loyalty and participation
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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2
that is priceless. The time for commercial selling and dubious
product claims are over – audiences expect companies to
interact with authenticity and transparency. Companies
need engagement. Both will only achieve these if driven
by compelling content that courts, plays and engages with
credibility and professionalism. As Peter Whitehead wrote in
the FT “...Web 2.0 is a world in which anyone can have a go
at generating content; Web 3.0 is where professionals take
the lead in shaping that content”. And those professionals are
the production experts and the multi–channel, multi–media
engagement experts. A new world, needing a new marketing
offer. It’s all for the taking...
Jackie Cooper
UK Creative Director
Jackie is Creative Director & Vice Chair and has
spent nearly 30 years in brand marketing. She
established the (already award winning) Edelman
Content offer to deliver a unique combination
of contacts and expertise in the entertainment,
production and digital space. Her passionate
belief is that stellar clients deserve world class
production and exploitation collateral.
jackie.cooper@edelman.com
David Fine
Director, Content
David Fine, Director of Content joined Jackie on
her quest to identify and realize new opportunities
for brands to reach and motivate audiences in the
non-zappable space after 15 years in consumer,
entertainment and endorsement PR.
david.fine@edelman.com
EDELMAN

EMBEDDING SUSTAINABILITY
INTO BUSINESS AND BRAND
MAKING SENSE
OF THE
UNKNOWN
UNKNOWNS

I never thought I would find myself recalling Donald Rumsfeld’s infamous words:
“There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known
unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we now know we don’t know. But there
are also unknown unknowns. These are things we do not know we don’t know”.
Most laughed out loud at the time, but somehow the words • what a company sells
still resonate. And perhaps none more so than in an age when • how it operates
we hear endless warnings of climate change and we try to • who it is.
comprehend the abstract consequences of what action (or
inaction) today will mean over the next 40 years. At its heart, sustainability is about meeting the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future
As businesss and brands grapple with their commitments to generations to meet their own needs.
sustainability, a survey by PwC of 140 chief executives of US-
based multinationals found that 85% believed that sustainable Can a company really have a ‘green’ product line if it doesn’t
development would become increasingly important to their have a grip on employment practices in its supply chain? Is a
business models. Despite this, a recent MIT Sloan Review and CEO a climate change hero because he tells the world his firm
Boston Consulting Group study highlighted a lack of under- offsets its carbon emissions but does nothing at all to quantify
standing of what sustainability is and a growing disconnect the impact and actually reduce them? Is a firm really ethical
between corporate sustainability concerns and actions. As a if it donates millions to charity every year but continues to
result, many organisations perpetuate a superficial model of develop products whose raw materials deplete the rainforests
corporate responsibility as some kind of salve to those they at ever increasing rates?
think are paying attention. Increasingly, it backfires. And a
new activist is born. Does that mean a CEO should abandon any attempt to
conduct his business in a more transparent, accountable and
So what are we talking about when we say ‘sustainability’? responsible manner? Not at all. But it does mean that we
need to be very clear on what we mean when we talk about
Sustainability, in so far as it can be universally defined, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, or sustainable
is measurable and effective strategy in execution at the development – and their limitations and genuine opportunities
intersection of three domains: for systemic change.

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 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2

ii. Measurable outcomes for business, policy and

public – that incorporate social, economic, environmental
and ethical equity and justice at local, domestic and
international levels for enterprises of all sizes and
ownership structures.
iv. Innovation: Thinking the unthinkable. Sustainability
is about deep, long term transformation. Let us not
accept anything less as corporate reputation becomes the
democratised brand.
v. Public Engagement as role model – Systems cause
their own behaviour. The very substance and function of
communication must evolve to make engagement more
sustainable and meaningful.

PwC says responsible leadership means integrating

ethical considerations into company decision-making, and
managing on the basis of personal integrity and widely-held
organisational values. And here’s the crux – the rules of the
game have changed since Milton Friedman wrote about the
‘social responsibility of business’. Social, environmental and
ethical issues are not so much tangential to the business
of business as fundamental to it. This year’s Edelman
goodpurpose study found that more than half of consumers
(56%) believe the interests of society and the interests of
businesses should have equal weight in business decisions.
We must exhibit what Lord Browne of Madingley called “clear-
We don’t quite know what governance models will shape
eyed realism” at what can be achieved in the face of the known
business of the future, how convergence will shape
unknowns of climate change and world poverty. Coherence in
conversation and debate, what consumer habits and
four areas will drive strategic change towards sustainability
expectations will drive product innovation or what the leaders
– domestic regulation, industry standards, capital markets
of tomorrow will learn in the hallowed halls of our great
and consumer behaviour. Navigating this journey will require
learning establishments. But engagement will be responsible
courageous leadership, clear measurement and the continuous
for the success or failure of conversation and debate.
engagement of all stakeholders.

We must all develop what, author and psychologist, Daniel

And this will have a transformational impact on the role and
Goleman, calls ‘ecological intelligence’. It is about our ability
responsibility of communications.
to accept that we live in an infinitely connected world with
finite resources. If we knew the hidden impacts of what we
Robert Phillips has said elsewhere that the PR industry stands
buy, sell, or market, we could become shapers of a more
at the threshold of achieving what it has always aspired
positive future by making our decisions better align with
to. Through the elevation of strategic insight and content
our values. We as communicators must make sense of and
expertise, we need to adopt a ‘systems thinking’ approach to
mainstream this nascent ecological transparency for our
communication that starts with a fundamental re-evaluation
collective future.
of the structures and behaviours inherent in the discipline.

And that would make those unknown unknowns just that

The new model of Public Engagement (PE) can clarify and
little bit more familiar.
amplify the most important and far reaching conversations
that business, government and citizenship need to engage
in to make sustainability mainstream. This model of PE for
Sustainability has five dimensions: Anne Augustine
i. Mutual responsibility & accountability – a better Head of Sustainability
alignment with business, civil and national objectives and Anne joined Edelman in November 2009 to
values, communicated with integrity and honesty. spearhead its Sustainability practice. She was
previously EMEA director of corporate sustainability
ii. Platforms for shared conversations – they are for a global IT services business. Anne thinks John
happening everywhere, all of the time. PE can become the Peel Day should be a national holiday.
network in a world of abundant cross influence. anne.augustine@edelman.com

11
EDELMAN

PUTTING
CREATIVITY
FIRST

It’s a tough job as a brand or marketing manager. The fast pace of change in the
communications world is clearly outstripping the marketing model of years gone
by – the one that manifests in a prescriptive, traditional ATL and BTL split. Yet there
is little room for manoeuvre for marketing teams. Where online conversations shape
brands, and with communication as much from the bottom up as it is top down, new
approaches, strategies and skills are required. However, as long as brand managers
are still accountable to the old ROI marketing measures and channel planning models,
the freedom to create genuinely innovative solutions that drive positive brand
engagement via the new world order are a long way off.
So, based on where we are now, whether agency or client, including The Science of Sexy, an online film featuring Dita
imagine the next integrated agency planning meeting. The Von Teese discovering the formula for sexy. This was then
brand challenge for 2010 is set from above: find the next seeded online via partnerships with various sites and bloggers
creative idea that’s going to propel the brand to No 1 in the such as Perez Hilton. The on-going social media outreach,
category... see sales rises of 25% and make it the nation’s print, radio, TV editorial coverage and experiential campaign
favourite. However, here lies the dichotomy. With the channels saw brand collateral disseminated to influencers online
often already selected, the constraints to creating that big idea and offline to drive real brand awareness and engagement.
are already in place. A case of tail wagging dog that restricts Dita appeared on TV and radio as well as print and
creativity and the opportunity to capitalise on what is now a magazine interviews and the viral became the most viewed
complex network of cross influencers – much of this through entertainment film on YouTube in the UK. The results spoke for
social media. But that’s what we’re trying to do... around themselves. With no traditional advertising, the product had
that table, come up with the killer idea and get the target sold out as it hit the shelves.
demographic to buy.
Look at the ‘Bring Back Wispa’ campaign that relied on
Some of the most recent marketing successes started online Facebook, Bebo, MySpace and You Tube and a social media
through social media, in partnership with print, radio and outreach campaign to galvanise support. The activity was
TV editorial coverage, and then called on advertising at backed by a heavy-weight press, TV and radio editorial
the tail end of the campaign – simply as a reflection of the campaign to encourage influencers including journalists, DJs
views of those who started the conversations. In other cases, and TV presenters to back the campaign. 14,000 Facebook
advertising has been ignored all together and the brand still fans and a photocall with Rula Lenska sparked a two year
managed sell-out activities. So why do brands still insist on campaign culminating in the recent, and more traditional, TV
shouting at people via the old model when we’re now in an advertising campaign ‘For The Love of Wispa’ featuring a cast
age of conversation and engagement? of hundreds of real people. The re-launch via social media and
editorial activity boosted Cadbury’s sales by 5%.
The award-winning Wonderbra campaign to launch Dita
Von Teese’s limited edition range is an excellent example Measuring these sorts of campaigns is getting more
of breaking traditional boundaries in a world of public sophisticated. Edelman is already creating a series
engagement. JCPR created a unique integrated campaign, of sophisticated algorithms, such as TweetLevel, and

12

measurement tools to go head-to-head with the traditional
advertising measurement models used by media buying
agencies. With a fast-moving communication climate and this
complex network of cross-influence, the challenge is now to
keep up with these rapid changes and measure accordingly.
And fast they are. According to new insights, teenagers
apparently reject advertising, particularly digital, as well
as sites such as Twitter (Morgan Stanley’s How Teenagers
Consume Media Report). Research from AdWeekMedia and
Harris Interactive back this up and show that 46% of US net
users ignore banner ads. It’s clear therefore that fresh thinking
is required to reach the brand’s key demographic – especially
when it comes to creating online momentum.
Furthermore, with AVE falling rapidly, marketing budgets
being cut and consumer behaviour changing when it comes
to how they receive information, the time is right for the bold
and adventurous marketing teams to harness the opportunity.
So for all those brand and marketing managers wanting to
make a real difference, and be known for creating that one
memorable campaign... what’s the advice for the advent of
Brand Bravery?
Talk about ‘channels’ in a different way – the new era
of public engagement relies on a complex web of influencers.
Challenge agencies to see if they truly understand how to
layer a campaign effectively to create bottom up dialogue and
conversation.
Explore and encourage creativity – use your agencies
effectively and efficiently and regularly develop creative
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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2
ideas... free yourselves from the shackles of prescriptive
marketing models and media buying agency channel plans.
Let your creative agencies (and not just the ad team) lead the
way here and throw the gauntlet down to them. You might be
surprised.
Forget the money at the idea stage– much creativity
and idea development is constrained by talk of money at the
brainstorm stage, and also the fight between the agencies for
their slice of the pie. Start with the position of ‘the sky’s the
limit’ – it will pay dividends and will enable you to assess true
value for money when you’ve developed the concept.
Marketing is not an exact science – predicting a success
is virtually impossible. Whatever happened to gut feeling and
risk? Who would have thought that the meerkats for confused.
com would build a brand profile and position the comparison
site at the top of the nation’s mind? After all, we are all
consumers. The best marketers instinctively know when
something will work. And it’s based on their instinct. The new
world order of public engagement requires marketers to be
brave, so take the leap of faith – it might just work!
Emma Nicholson
Director
Emma heads up the Leisure & Lifestyle team in
Edelman’s consumer division, JCPR. She has been
creating consumer campaigns for leading UK and
international fmcg, retail and service brands for the
past 15 years.
emma_nicholson@jcpr.com
EDELMAN

IT’S POLITICS, JIM

BUT NOT AS
WE KNOW IT

The new world of public engagement in which we have witnessed an explosion in

new networks of influence; the emergence of new influencers and niche online
forums (such as ConservativeHome, Guido Fawkes); the continuing decline of
traditional media; and a move away from a top down approach to communication
to a world where anybody can be an influencer via their blog, Facebook or Twitter
account, has profound implications for the main UK political parties and our political
system as a whole.
Here are four trends for what this new era of communications
means for political parties and, as we look ahead to 2010,
future general election campaigns:
1. The rise of the ultra micro-group. All three main
political parties employ the Mosiac marketing system
which divides Britain into 155 types of individual, 67
different households and 15 other groups as a way of
targeting different voter types (remember Mondeo Man
and Worcester Woman). However, the rise of social
media, which creates both small and large online activist
communities - usually based around just one single issue,
that don’t conform to traditional demographics - means
that political parties will have to rethink how they target 3. The continuing decline of two Party Politics. The
the voter.
Brockley Central (http://brockleycentral.blogspot.com/) –
run by an Edelman colleague – is one example of an online
network that demonstrates these shifts. The site appeals
to a wide cross-section of voters who are not necessarily
connected by demographics, but by local community
issues. Parties who offer a one size fits all model, and don’t
take account of these networks of influence, will simply not
survive in the new world of public engagement.
2. It won’t be the Sun wot won it. While people will
debate whether it was The Sun’s endorsement that won
the 1992 General Election for the Conservative Party,
the continuing decline of traditional media and the
rise of online networks and influencers mean that print
newspapers’ endorsement will no longer be the holy 4. A Manifesto for the people by the people. While Tony
grail for any political party. As that sage of the internet
John Prescott tweeted at the time: “It will be the son,
daughter, uncle, mother and friend wot will win it in 2010.
Endorsements from ordinary people NOT media barons.”
It will be the endorsement of these ordinary people (peers
with a small ‘p’), who are shaping and influencing the
debate through niche networks, that political parties will
increasingly seek. Party leaders are already beginning to
recognise the influence of sites such as Mumsnet (http://
www.mumsnet.com), a parenting forum that attracts over
800,000 unique users. Both David Cameron and Gordon
Brown fielded questions on the site in 2009.
new world of public engagement will see yet another
nail hammered into the coffin of the traditional two party
system. While back in the 1950s, 95% of votes cast went
to one of the two main political parties, by the last general
election in 2005, they were only receiving 69% of the vote
– today that number is only in the mid 60s. This decline is
set to continue with the demoncratising power of the web
and the rise of single issue groups. People no longer see
themselves as a lone voice protesting about a particular
issue but rather part of a group who are no longer catered
for by the traditional two-party model – and whose shared
interests can be advanced through the power of the web.
The rise of resident associations, of extreme groups at
local government level or UKIP at a European level, are
manifestations of the changing nature of the Party system.
Blair’s Big Conversation initiative was widely criticised as

14

nothing more than an election gimmick, the collapse of top
down communications, the fragmentation of the media, the
empowerment of the voter via the web (digital democracy)
and the rise of consumer politics mean that any Party that
adopts a strategy that sees an election manifesto emerge
from on high and expects it to excite and engage the
voter is surely a strategy doomed to failure. Empowered
citizens will expect, if not demand, an ability to help shape
and influence the content of any manifesto. While political
parties will no longer be able to count on the reach of
traditional media to communicate their policies, they will
need to use the principles of public engagement to reach
out and engage the voter.
So there you have it. Four trends for what the changing
communications landscape means for political parties and any
future General Election campaigns. However, it’s not just the
parties who will have to adapt, change and embrace this new
reality if they are to survive and prosper. The political system
itself will also need to change or face a crisis of confidence –
more traumatic than the recent expenses scandal.
It’s a new world in which transparency and accountability
are central. The democratising power of digital means that
citizens will no longer tolerate advice being kept secret or
decisions being taken behind closed doors. Indeed, one only
needs to look at the increasing demands for independent
inquiries across a broad range of issues and incidents to
gauge the mood of an increasingly sceptical public when it
comes to believing what they are told by Government.
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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2
The MPs’ expenses were a painful example of this new era of
transparency and accountability but this is just the beginning.
Soon, the public sector will be forced to reveal the detail and
value of its contracts and another bout of soul searching will
begin and questions will be asked about how the body politic
can regain trust.
The new Speaker and some enlightened thinkers from
both sides of the House of Commons have begun to talk
about how Parliament and the wider political system needs
to change. However, none has yet grasped, or perhaps
even fully understood, the magnitude of how society is
changing, brought on by the rise of new technology, the
empowerment of the citizen and the thirst for transparency
and accountability.
Alex Bigg
Managing Director
Alex is Managing Director of Edelman’s award
winning Public Affairs practice.
alex.bigg@edelman.com
EDELMAN

SOUND
BITE
OR
SOUND
INSIGHT

I am often struck by just how close to the wind some high-profile political speakers can
sometimes sail. It seems rather unfair that our political masters – or those who would aspire
to be so – can make what appear to be rash statements and claims based on little more than
the failure of another group of politicians to deliver on a manifesto promise and the fact that
the speakers’ party would somehow ‘do it better’ with little substantiation of how.

In the world of medical communications, we are constantly
on our guard to ensure that we work within strict guidelines,
do not make unsubstantiated statements, ensure that the data
support our arguments and operate with full transparency with
our clients and the doctors and other health-care professionals
that we work with. It seems unfair at times that we cannot spe-
culate on the data too far, we cannot criticise competing drugs
because they haven’t delivered on all of their endpoints when
ours have – after all if our politicians can, why shouldn’t we?
Well, obviously, there are big differences between political
rhetoric and scientific accuracy. Medical communications
professionals aim to prove their points through evidence;
politicians, more often than not (particularly on the Today
programme!), tend to beat down an opposing view based
on who can shout the loudest and for the longest without
giving in to another’s perspective. In medical communications
this should not happen; sure, there are disagreements about
study design, data interpretation and statistical validity but
the majority of scientists and clinicians generally have an
appreciation for what the data reveal and of their limitations.
• well trained – they know how to use small gestures, voice
intonation and pauses for maximum effect
• well rehearsed – they never leave anything to chance and
have well prepared answers for difficult questions
• charismatic – on the whole they project personality
• engaging – they deliver a speech that audiences feel
drawn to listen to
• speaking with few notes – very few are distracted by
shuffling of their notes
• using few, if any, visual aids – you’ll see very few
PowerPoint slides!
In a controlled profession like ours, the basic rules of
presentation and communication still apply. However, the
industry often falls into the trap of relying on presenting large
volumes of data and slides without thinking about audience
engagement – this can do a disservice to the doctors that we
work with and become a barrier to open debate. As impressive
as it might be, the data will not always speak for itself – it
must be supported by clear messages, suitable platforms and
compelling delivery to meet the company’s objectives.

Nonetheless, can we learn anything from the political speech

It is incumbent upon us, as medical education professionals
meisters? On the whole, the notable speech makers have
and communicators, to develop more engaging programmes
several attributes that can be applied more thoroughly in
and think more insightfully about how we truly engage with
medical communications; more often than not they are:
our audiences. Should it be a traditional passive style or

16

should we be looking for opportunities to open up discussion?
Perhaps we should even get perspectives from other groups
that we might not normally reach. Our audiences might
traditionally be a closed group of professionals, but the
principles of public engagement apply to them as much
as any other group – something that can sometimes be
overlooked in order just to continue the churn of data.
At BioScience Communications – Edelman’s specialist
medical communications group – we believe that the
principles of public engagement that we apply across the
Edelman business to audiences of all types do also apply
fully to doctors and scientists in health-care. The value of
true engagement with our audiences can be impactful for
pharmaceutical companies, such as:
• profiling the organisation’s willingness to open up
findings for discussion and critique
• demonstrating openness and transparency
• seeding debate that can provide valuable customer
insights
• potentially exposing the data to a wider audience
through ongoing debate
These might seem very obvious points to make, but in order
to increase the levels of transparency in the communication
of medical data, engaging with, and listening to, audiences
is critical. Ultimately this will begin to increase the levels of
trust in the pharmaceutical industry – the reputation of which
has suffered in the wake of a number of poorly managed drug
failures and issues around clinical trials in recent years – much
of which has been due to lack of debate – and the apparent lack
of willingness from the industry to engage in discussion.
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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2
Now what I am not suggesting based on my comparison with
politicians is that we dumb down medical communications
to a few sound bites – clearly key messages need to be
communicated around the therapeutic value of a drug, but
sound bites should never replace real insight about the benefits
of the drug, its place in clinical practice and the difference
it could make to patients. Broadening our world view to
engaging with audiences beyond our immediate community
of physicians also provides an opportunity for pharmaceutical
companies to demonstrate a responsible attitude towards
patient education and a commitment to engage.
We have to acknowledge that medical communications
is something of a conservative discipline, but perhaps the
time has come to move forward confidently and invest in
opportunities that provide clients with the most important
return on their investment in a medical communications
programme – a high profile for their brand through genuine
engagement with their target audiences and, importantly,
with a broader audience than they might be used to. Now that
would be a real innovation for medical communications.
David Noble
Managing Director
David is Managing Director of BioScience
Communications – Edelman’s specialist medical
communications group. David has two children
who ensure that his debating and influencing skills
are tested daily.
david.noble@bioscicom.net
EDELMAN

DEMAND DRIVEN DIALOGUE:

DESIGNING
DEMAND IN
THE IT WORLD

The growing impact that the internet and the current economic climate are having
on the attitudes and behaviours of all users of modern technology is not in doubt. In
maturing markets, where products are becoming more commoditised, customer groups
are fragmenting into communities which share common values and idea. For those of us
selling technology it means traditional sales techniques are insufficient, because these
groups are emboldened to demand more from vendors.
The ultimate goal for boardrooms across the IT sector does priorities and interests. This can be conducted even before a
not change – the chief executive still has to prove two things product exists, or can be used to help a company entering a
to shareholders. Firstly, how the company can sell more to new market to understand how it can marry its offering with
existing companies and secondly how the company can the needs of the market. This process should be seen as a way
credibly convince new customers to buy their products. to refine traditional marketing techniques. By giving greater
access to information, the internet enables companies to be
But given the landscape, there are two deeper questions that more precise in their assessment of and engagement with key
the chief executive must answer: influencers –the individuals who crucially will help to make
1) How do I talk differently to existing customers in mature marketing events more enticing to customers and prospects.
markets to sell more? The Demand Driven Dialogue model follows four stages,
which are split into two parts. Phase one (Stages One and
2) How do I talk credibly to a prospect who does not know me?
Two) is about designing demand for a product or service.
Phase two (Stages Three and Four) is about driving demand.
For the technology industry it means communicators can
act as powerful catalyst for change, because vendors must
find new ways to engage and compelling storytelling is PHASE ONE – DESIGNING DEMAND
the tool to achieve this goal. Edelman has developed the Stage One – Understand the Conversation and Identify
concept of Public Engagement, which at its highest level, the Influencers: Others have written elsewhere about the
advances shared interests in a world of cross-influence. In importance of listening with new intelligence in a world of
the enterprise IT market, this can be specifically focused on cross-influence. Identifying the most important conversations
helping companies to design a conversation that will appeal and who is having them, where, is a critical starting point for
to stakeholders and, more importantly, drive demand for companies because (even though some IT companies still
products/services. believe it) most customers do not spend their entire time
talking about their products.
This is what we call ‘Demand Driven Dialogue.’
Stage two – Engage the Influencers and Build the
At its heart, this process is about helping companies to Conversation: Influencers range from producers of content
better understand the genuine interests of their audiences by to commentators and sharers, as well as watchers, who simply
engaging with those people to build a clear picture of their want to understand what is being said. The key group at the

18

heart of any debate are the curators and they perform a vital
role. Often they have no allegiance to one vendor, and are
prepared to manage content as an amateur pastime, purely
because they are passionate about a subject or product.
Companies must participate in the conversations – in real
time and all the time. By engaging these individuals in
dialogue, and then working with them to have conversations
with a wider network of influencers, it is easy to quickly
reach an understanding of the on-going debates and more
importantly how your company can fit into these discussions.
PHASE TWO – DRIVING DEMAND
Stage Three – Test and Evaluate: Once a company is
confident of its story it needs to be tested in the market
place. Targeting a smaller sub-set of prospects and existing
customers, a company can engage these influencers to co-
create products and services. This is a consultative process
and should be seen as an ideal opportunity to test proof-of-
concepts so that suppliers can create a strong picture of the
features and functions their customers really need. Based on
our experience there are some key principles to remember:
i) Be brave: do not duck controversy and learn to embrace
the chaos
ii) Be frank (and transparent): transparency and open
dialogue must be the default - eg a bank should be upfront
about why it is handing out bonuses
iii) Listen and participate: but do not expect the discussion
to be all about you
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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2
iv) Act: be seen to respond to feedback that is received, such
as adapting product roadmaps or adding functionality
Stage four – Go to Market – and embrace the chaos:
Armed with the knowledge of the key influencers and
confident of the demand in the market, all that is left is to
announce the product or service to the wider market. In a
complex world of multiple stakeholders and networks, this is
not always as simple as it sounds. Throughout the market roll
out, on-going interaction with the influencers and constant
re-evaluation are needed – but above all, a commitment to
participate in the conversation.
With a willingness to participate in dialogue, companies can
open doors to engage differently – more meaningfully – with
their customers and influencers, resulting in excitement,
brand loyalty and fresh demand from unexpected quarters.
It really is good to talk.
Cairbre Sugrue
Managing Director
Cairbre is Managing Director of the UK’s Technology
practice and is an unashamed champion of all
things IT. Particularly pleasing to him is the growing
acknowledgement (and some envy) among his
non-techie colleagues that there is nowhere more
exciting than the tech industry today.
cairbre.sugrue@edelman.com
EDELMAN
PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT
IN A REGULATED
ENVIRONMENT
If we accept the hypothesis that we now live in a world of democratised cross
influence where public engagement should be the mantra for meaningful
communications, where does this leave highly regulated environments? How can
companies meaningfully engage with their publics without incurring the wrath of
industry watchdogs?
These questions make it tempting to excuse heavily regulated
sectors from the new world order. “It doesn’t apply to us”
was the essence of the health industry’s early response to
the ascent of bloggers, tweeters and other social networkers
over the last few years and, on first glance, it seems easy
to agree. As well as the restrictions set by governments
and independent regulators to control communications
by healthcare companies about their treatments, external
communication is restricted even further by the industry
itself, both in terms of internal legal and regulatory experts
and competitor companies keen to use the stifling regulatory
environment to remove any advantage.
All of which can lead to the perception of an industry which
is out of touch and unwilling to listen to its end users. But
we would suggest that the problem is not so much that the
pharmaceutical industry is unwilling to listen, rather that due
to regulation it is wary of truly engaging. The pharmaceutical
industry has always been a big advocate of listening to the
marketplace; however, it can be over-reliant on listening to
sources, such as traditional market research, which relies
on one-way expressions of opinion in a highly controlled
environment. Market research can be valuable for providing
a snapshot of opinion at one moment in time, but it cannot
meaningfully engage with stakeholders in a two way dialogue
and, without this, one is not really listening, but rather under-
taking a process designed to deliver what one wants to hear.
20
The pharmaceutical industry may wonder if this is necessarily
a problem; after all, companies know their own treatments and
disease areas – so surely they know what they need to
communicate? This no longer holds true; it is not acceptable
to just tell the world what we think it wants to hear. If we
don’t know what people want, we cannot respond to, or deliver
against it. Pharmaceutical companies can produce great
medicines that appeal through their functional benefits to expert
consultants and early adopters but without understanding and
engaging with the broader group of end-users, there is every
chance the brand won’t ever reach its full potential. And in an
industry with a limited window of opportunity to recoup the
substantial investment in getting brands to market and, more
importantly, maximise the number of patients reaping the
medical rewards, the stakes are considerable.
But how is the new world of democratised information
relevant to health audiences specifically? There is a palpable
sentiment in the industry that doctors do not participate in the
new world of online communication. Not only is this not true,
it is no longer relevant; the key opinion leaders with whom
the industry is used to having contact are only one of many
influencers which it now needs to engage with, including
‘rank and file’ physicians, regulators, governmental payers,
advocacy groups and, of course, patients.

This brings us back to where we started. How can the
pharmaceutical industry realistically hope to engage with its
publics, such as patients, in the face of the strict regulatory
landscape? The answer partially lies in a fundamental
rethink of what constitutes successful messaging. In today’s
environment, separate messages for separate audiences do
not work; peer-to-peer communication leaves companies that
continue to do this looking manipulative and untrustworthy.
All types of stakeholders have the potential to be opinion
formers for brands and they will seek validation from a
wide range of sources before the information provided by
companies is validated.
In today’s world, the role of public engagement is to be the
facilitator and creator of a central narrative, joining the pieces
together to ensure the company and stakeholder can engage
in a meaningful way which is mutually beneficial and builds
trust and ultimately equity for the brands and company. This
can be done without broad communication about brands;
indeed, the days of being entirely reliant on carefully worded
brand key messages are over.
It is of course fine for companies to convey their point of view,
but it should be aligned to what the market and individual
stakeholders want, and should always be transparent. Brand
building still exists but the context in which it occurs has
changed; first we must understand environments and then
interact with them to convey our point of view and forward a
mutually advantageous proposition to advance shared interests.
External communication will always be curtailed for the
pharmaceutical industry to a certain extent and this is
necessary, but it does not mean the industry cannot listen to,
and participate in, the conversation. It is our job to help the
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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2
pharmaceutical industry to truly engage with its stakeholders
in respectful ongoing relationships which will help companies
to tell a story that is heard, believed and has resonance with
the communities they want to reach. Public engagement in
a regulated industry isn’t the challenge it first appears to be;
if the industry is prepared to look forward and understand
this new environment, the opportunities far outweigh the
disadvantages of engaging.
Steven Spurr
Managing Director
Steve is Managing Director, Health. He read
economics at the LSE and it was here that he
became fascinated with the concept of perfect
information and how it influences every choice and
decision in our lives.
steven.spurr@edelman.com
Ross Williams
Associate Director – Editorial
Ross leads a new editorial offer in Health, created
to provide dedicated editorial counsel, guidance
and content development for Edelman’s Health
clients.
ross.williams@edelman.com
EDELMAN

LISTENING FOR
RESULTS

As Marshall Manson wrote at the start of this publication, in an evolving world of

cross-influence, listening is more important than ever. Genuine, compelling and
transparent engagement can drive brand awareness, customer loyalty and, ultimately,
sales. Our listening, however, can be easily subsumed by the constant barrage of
messages received. In today’s world, we need to listen to more stakeholders more
often than ever – not just tune in to one voice. There is a whole echo chamber of
influencers around our brands, businesses, issues and communications to consider,
such as the media, NGOs, policy makers, opinion elites, employees and consumers,
all of whom have strong opinions.

Surrounded by this cacophony of sounds, voices and messages, what actions companies are taking to show they are good global
how we can properly tune into what is being said, where and citizens or employers of choice.
by whom? Listening with new intelligence means focusing our
attention on three things: Public engagement is about advancing shared interests. This
• what people think requires us to find new ways of observing and measuring those
• what people say interests. It is imperative that, as an industry, we evolve the way
• what people do that we listen to conversations and measure the impact of our
communications so that they properly reflect the new world
order. The age of top down, command and control messaging
Some of the tools we need to use are tried and tested, while
is over and the decline of advertising overthrows AVE-centric
others are evolving to reflect the fast-paced changes to the new
measurements. There is still space for activity tracking, media
ecology of media and influencers:
coverage or direct response but we need to go further to
understand with greater reach and finesse the outcomes
What Do They Think? – Use primary research to understand
and impact that those programmes have on all stakeholders.
people’s awareness, interest, attitudes and ideas. We need to
Results-based measurement requires asking hard questions.
engage influencers and customers on topics of their interest –
Have we moved the needle on how people think, speak and
not just ours.
act about the company, brand or issue? In the age of public
engagement, no one person has all the answers.
What Do They Say? – Go to where the dialogue is happening
– online and offline. Be in the conversation to listen and
understand, as well as talk. Use media monitoring tools and
RSS feeds to cost-effectively capture conversations across
channels and networks, from print and trade press to social
media such as blogs, twitter and forums. Another route is to
tap into new research tools like hosted online communities.
These are recruited communities of brand aficionados who
help companies like Procter & Gamble or Unilever to co-
create new products, or provide feedback on brand actions or Laurence Evans
communications. President, StrategyOne
Originally from New Zealand, Laurence has lived in
5 countries and worked in 23 countries in 27 years
What Do They Do? – Be a people watcher and a trend
while staying married to Rochelle. He has licenses
watcher. Observe what consumers are spending their money to drive on both left and right hand sides of the
on, what their media or entertainment viewing habits are and road so now he drives down the middle.
where they are going for information. For business, observe laurence.evans@strategyone.net

22
Edelman
Trust
Barometer
2010
• An annual global review of
the state of trust in Business,
Government and Media.

• An analysis of the implications

for leadership in addressing
the big issues of our time

• 10 years of trends, published

in January 2010

• www.edelman.co.uk/
trustbarometer
EDELMAN

ONE WORLD & ONE AGENCY

PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT
MAKES YOU
THINK

Twelve months ago, a number of us argued that this would be a ‘good’ recession
for PR. Advertising monies seemed set to migrate towards the more engaging and
relevant of the two disciplines. Marketers began to realise that, to borrow from Lord
Lever’s famous phrase, a lot more than half their monies was simply being wasted
in a world of ‘continuous partial attention’, where social media had entered the
mainstream.

What started as a re-alignment of spend in difficult times has
inadvertently accompanied a fundamental shift in the wider
agency landscape. The convergent agency is the necessary
reality now. It is, at heart, a manifestation of the one world
of cross-influence which we all inhabit. As we emerge into a
post-crisis world, we would do well to heed our own advice to
clients and re-consider where we stand in our own industry
landscape.
Why?
First, because the digital revolution has driven
profound and permanent behavioural change. Of course,
we all know this. The new ecology sees a hard re-alignment of
interests and a far less stable (and less easily identifiable) set
of influencers. Old agency models (including advertising, DM,
Media and others) historically relied on this stability to both
target audiences and sell to clients. We can no longer be in
the audience business; we all have to learn instead to ride the
ripples, waves and occasional tsunami of influence.
Second, because only an evolved form of PR can
deliver against corporate and brand needs across
this new sphere of influence. In a hyper-connected world
where citizen activists and/or NGOs can hold both businesses
and governments to account and where the continued rise
of the peer, the employee and the customer has confirmed
the shift from a shareholder to stakeholder society, there are
just certain parts that advertising and other ‘old’ disciplines
cannot reach. The urgent need to Act and Tell demands a
mix of policy and communications skills; digital outreach
and content development; a new kind of intelligence and
insight altogether. Communications firms today must be able
to embrace the regulatory, government, employee and NGO
agendas with equal and balanced aptitude. It is no longer a
simple issue of customers, consumers and consumption (if it
ever was). This, fundamentally, is where the current ad agency
model falls woefully short.
Third, because the myths of advertising have been
exposed by this enforced new age of austerity. What
started as an inquisition over total cost has thankfully evolved
into a more rigorous questioning of the role of advertising
itself. Sure, this is not un-connected with Point 1 above
– but some of the mythology around agency supremacy
has been properly laid bare. The One Agency Solution will
indeed emerge in the next five years – but it will be content,
conversation and influence-led and not by those insistent on
producing a 30-second film at any cost and simply calling
themselves ‘the agency’. ‘Right’ must start with Insight,
Planning and Strategy – and no one discipline or agency,
properly constructed, holds the monopoly here.

24
 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2

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Fourth, no client should afford the luxury of multiple
agency partners. In one world of cross-influence, why
on earth are clients paying for five (advertising, PR, Media,
CRM, Digital) agencies, five teams, five programmes etc?
‘Holistic working’ is nothing more than a buzzword reflection
of companies trying to stitch together their own silos and
inefficient corporate structures. We should be giving clients
best advice. And the best advice is that reform needs to start
from within the client organisation as well as from within the
agency itself. It is not merely a question of reducing spend;
it is about finding efficiencies and building future-facing
communications teams that are multi-skilled, not expensively
and silo/ discipline/ audience focussed. Planners and
Creatives are available to all. Production is easily outsourced
– and can be more competitively partnered and priced. The ad
industry has hidden behind a certain mythology for years. We
know we can all create and co-create content. So, the model
is already there in the making.
The symbolism of the global financial crisis should not be lost
on the Communications sector. Living on the luxury of Wants
Not Needs was one of the reasons we all ended up in this
mess. Too much was taken for granted; not enough questions
asked. We sleepwalked into disaster. Real reform has to start
here and now if we are to evolve with the new ecology of
influence and interests. PR firms have to re-consider their own
structure and purpose, to re-configure as vociferous leaders
and champions for what we are calling Public Engagement.
This will require adding new skills and changing working
practices, for sure. We must do this with speed and with relish.
The alternative is to sit tight, pretend the moment will pass
– and behave like smug dinosaurs at the centre of a rapidly
changing ecology. And we all know what happened to them.
Robert Phillips
UK CEO
Robert is the UK CEO of Edelman. He is also the co-
author of Citizen Renaissance (2008) and a frequent
contributor and columnist on issues facing the
communications, corporate and brand worlds.
robert.phillips@edelman.com

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Consultancy of The Year 2009

 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT VOL.2

CONVICTION OR CONVENIENCE:
IS NOW THE
TIME FOR
BUSINESS
TO LEAD?

As 2009 came to a close, Simon Schama described the year as
‘the most grisly, powerful, monstrous moment in the history
of capitalism’. During the course of 2009, Charlie Mayfield,
Chairman of John Lewis, called for new models of business
ownership, while economist Noreena Hertz argued that
business can supplant government and enjoy a mandate to lead
in the post-crisis age. Aviva Investors UK CEO Paul Abberley,
speaking at the UN, urged Global Stock Exchanges to take real
action on Corporate Responsibility: his rallying cry to promote ‘a
global listing environment that requires companies to consider
how responsible and sustainable their business model is, and
encourages them to put a forward-thinking sustainability
strategy to the vote at their AGMs’. The FT’s Stefan Stern
meanwhile asked poignantly whether companies are speaking
such language out of ‘conviction or convenience?’
Almost forty years since Milton Friedman published that
article in the New York Times Magazine – arguing that
the social responsibility of business is to maximize profit –
communications industry leaders must today ask questions
of ourselves. Are we advising clients out of conviction or
convenience? Do we have a responsibility to lead, or should
we merely serve as collaborators in compliance culture? Are
there cynics among us who are monetizing this moment of
responsibility, or should we be transformative and future-
shaping? Is this even our place?
is how we interpret the data and work with clients to address
the most urgent issues of our times. Can PR really change its
traditional mandate and, wearing the new clothes of Public
Engagement, step into the historical domain of management
consultants and accountants – engaging, modeling and
planning, rather than just broadcasting and storytelling?
In an evolved form of Public Relations, my personal belief
is that we can step forward and lead. But we must acquire
new skills; and our own industry leaders must work with the
Mayfields and the Abberleys to confront change. Together,
we can shape a new business and communications ecology
which, to paraphrase Danone’s CEO Franck Riboud, should
serve as both a social and an economic project. Profit can be
maximized and used in active partnership for common good -
as we embrace Schama’s monstrous moment and step into a
more powerful and exciting future.
Robert Phillips
robert.phillips@edelman.com

Edelman Trust and goodpurposeTM surveys reinforce the

pre-eminence of the stakeholder society and the centrality of
Mutual Social Responsibility to business. The real challenge

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