Francis Ingham is the Managing Director of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), operating out of London, Dubai, and Singapore; and Chief Executive of the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO), operating in 66 countries across the globe.
Representing over 30,000 practitioners, the PRCA is the largest PR association in the world. ICCO comprises 41 national associations, collectively representing over 3,000 PR firms.
Media Marketing: How do you see the public relations industry in 2021?
Francis Ingham: In a word? Growing.
2020 has been a year of incredible, unparalleled stress. But our industry has proved its value and its resilience, and the agency heads I speak with around the world say that recovery is already with them -I’d say about half of them have reported fresh staff recruitment over the past quarter -which bodes very well indeed for PR and communications.
We’ll have regained all lost ground, and probably won more besides, by the end of 2021.
Media Marketing: To what extent has the corona crisis repositioned public relations? Did it weaken or strengthen them and why?
Francis Ingham: We’ve seen different stages. The initial shock and the simple question of ‘Will we survive?’. Then the complete business proposition remodelling, alongside the necessary financial restructure. Followed by the realisation that this wasn’t the end of the world. And now the recovery.
I’d say it definitely repositioned and strengthened PR. Smaller during this period, but absolutely central to every organization. It’s shown the essential value of reputation -something we’ve been talking about for years.
It’s also speeded up pretty much every positive change within our industry -a phrase I’ve heard so often is ‘We’ve advance a decade in less than a year’. I believe that to be true and to be permanent.
Media Marketing: What is the biggest threat in publishing fake news? How do you think we can prevent them? What do you see as threats in the public relations industry other than fake news?
Francis Ingham: The biggest fake news threat right now is the anti-vax brigade in truth. We need to address that directly, and ICCO and the PRCA have plans to do so.
And other threats? I genuinely don’t see that many in all honestly. This has been a year where if you can survive, your prosperity and growth is pretty much assured.
