Leave The Boss Behind When It Comes To PR

The CEO or Minister should be the last person speaking publicly for your organisation. 

That's if you believe the results of the Edelman Trust Barometer 2013.  

Australian results show only 41% of people find the CEO (or equivalent) credible as a spokesperson. And government officials rank only marginally higher.

Yet most PRs reflexively put forward their top leaders when it comes to communications.  That may be counter productive because less than half the people trust them, and even that level of trust is down 8% on 2012 results.

So if the CEO lacks the credibility who could be your communications champions?

Topping the list are academics or experts. 74% of people would believe them. Followed by:

• A technical expert from your organisation (71%)
• A person like yourself (62% and up 31 points from 2012)

• A representative from a non government organisation (62%) 

• A financial or industry analyst (57%)

• A regular employee (51%)

• A government official or regulator (47%)

... and sitting at the very bottom of the trust totem is the CEO (41%).  

It goes against conventional wisdom for anyone but the CEO to speak on behalf of your organisation. But if your communications struggle to cut through, it may be time to consider someone who enjoys more public respect.  

   

Media Beats Out Social in Trust Ratings

We previously reported the Edelman Trust Barometer 2013 which surveys the institutions and individuals people trust.  

Edelman asked 1200 Australians about their confidence levels in media, government, not for profits and business. 

Well ... the latest results for traditional media are surprising and seem to go against prevailing wisdom. For example:

• 83% of the general public trust TV or trust it a great deal
• 78% trust newspapers and radio, with both enjoying exactly the same trust levels
• 75% trust magazines
• 64% trust corporate communications

But levels of trust for social media are way, way below traditional media: 

• 41% of the general public trust Youtube and content sharing or trust it a great deal
• 40%  trust blogs
• 38% trust microblogs like Twitter

 And while crazies of all sorts have invaded the web confidence levels in it as a source of information remain high:

• 78% of the general public trust search engines or trust them a great deal
• 71% trust news/RSS on the web

 So Aussie communicators ....don't trash your media releases just yet.

  
 

Sharing Stories and Knowledge On The Web

This video offers insights into how we share knowledge and information on the web.

Watch Harvard scholar David Weinberger explain.

Survey Shows Government Communicators Likely To Struggle

Each year the powerhouse American PR company,Edelman, surveys what institutions and individuals people trust.  

As part of its 2012 global efforts Edelman asked 1200 Australians about their confidence levels in media, government, not for profits and business. 

Some of the findings suggest people working in government communications are likely to struggle in the coming 12 months because:

• 60% of Australians do not trust government to tell the truth.
• Only 13% of the public believe government communicates honestly and frequently.
• In the last three years trust in government has fluctuated but trust in media, not for profits and business has steadily increased.
• At the same time traditional media - which some pundits say is dying - has enjoyed an increase in trust up from 23% in 2011 to 32% in 2012.

The survey also reports 56% of Australians need to be exposed to information 3 to 5 times to believe it is true. Yet many public sector campaigns are short lived or even still born because Ministers and staffs are continually shifting the PR focus to meet the latest crisis. 
 

AUSTRALIA: 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer Data by Edelman

Your Boss Needs To Be PR Savvy

Ever wished your boss knew more about PR?

A CEO who "gets" the value of communications is priceless. But to date there has been little opportunity for them to learn the how to of PR.  

Well thank goodness someone is finally doing something about it.

This year the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is partnering with leading US universities to introduce public relations and reputation management into MBA courses. 

Great initiative.  Are there any Australian university doing something similar for senior managers?