CIPR publishes crowdsourced 2014 trends ebook #PR2014

One of my pledges as CIPR President for 2014 is to foster a stronger sense of community within the CIPR. The organisation is the sum of its members who hail from its 14 regional and national, and 11 sector groups. To kickoff 2014 we've asked each of the groups to look forward to the next 12 months and share what hot topics and issues are on the horizon for their members. Their viewpoints are contained in a 30-page ebook published today. It’s a powerful snapshot of the state of the public relations profession in the UK.

Download #PR2014 (PDF, opens in a new window) or view it via Slideshare.

There are many common themes: organisational storytelling, changing media consumption and disintermediation, an increasing recognition of the strategic value of public relations, the blurring of internal and external audiences, and measurement of the economic contribution of public relations.

Some of the specific issues highlighted include:

• The importance of the NHS as a barometer for gauging the public support and trust of politicians at a local and national level ahead of the 2015 General Election
• How the power of science, engineering and technology can drive economic growth and quality of life
• The changing attitudes of financial regulators to social media
• The impact of the 2014 Independence Referendum and the XX Commonwealth Games in Scotland
• The launch of new local television networks in Nottingham and Birmingham
• The 2014 Tour de France as an opportunity to bring inward investment and help boost the local economy in Yorkshire

Ours is a profession adapting to media change and coming to terms with uncertainty in the global economy. It is a profession confident of its purpose and future, underpinned by the CIPR’s drive to improve professional standards.

Thanks to all the contributors and Andy Ross at the CIPR for managing this project and developing this report. His drive and determination is the reason that this project has realised fruition. I'm confident that that you will find it useful.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. See you in 2014.