Video: Heathrow boss on the value of public relations
The CIPR has made a concerted effort to engage with business this year. Its latest campaign seeks out bosses directly.
The CIPR has forged relationships with the Federation of Small Business and the Confederation of Business Industry in the past six months in a bid to assert the value of public relations.
A new #PRpays campaign aims to highlight the strategic value of public relations to the business community. The campaign is set to champion the benefits of PR through a series of exclusive video interviews and podcasts with senior business leaders.
The first interview with John Holland-Kaye, CEO of Heathrow Airport, explores the role of public relations and impact on Heathrow's operations. It also reveals the role of PR in securing the go-ahead for the third runway.
“Just ten years ago, Heathrow was rated one of the worst airports in the world and that is the impression that many of our international travellers still have of us and yet the reality today is vastly different. We’re now rated as one of the top ten airports in the world,” said Holland-Kaye.
“Being able to communicate how we’ve changed to a global audience is hugely important and that is where public relations and communications become a strategic value to us in managing our reputation and encouraging people to choose us as the hub of choice for travelling for Europe.”
“The public relations role is incredibly difficult and poorly understood role. You have to understand the strategic vision for the company but you also have to understand the detail of the operations. You need to be incredibly flexible and able to respond in the right way at short notice.”
“The Heathrow Airport communications team has done a fantastic job of making sure we had a clear plan that had integrity and that we could communicate it very clearly so people could have confidence that we’d do what we said we would do. “
The CIPR #PRpays campaign aims to encourage a shift in the perception of public relations from a tactical discipline to a strategic function for modern businesses. According to the CIPR, the campaign forms a focal part of CIPR's ambition to assert the value of public relations as a strategic management function.
