As I watched the winners being announced at the recent PRWeek Awards (as a "civilian" rather than as one of the judges), there were few surprises in what won and why. What was surprising, and potentially a danger sign for our industry, was the fact that no awards were made in seven categories. I applaud the judges' decision to keep the standards high. Their action gave greater significance and legitimacy to the entries that did win, and also left the overall perception for the future that the awards have "teeth" and integrity.
So what is the problem, and how can it be addressed? One answer: public relations is not innovating continuously or fast enough here in Asia Pacific. In the late nineties, booming local economies and the adoption of best practice and international business models drove a strong surge. The result at the Awards seems to indicate that the development of world-class, locally effective agency and client teams and truly ground-breaking campaigns has plateaued.
The problem, if not addressed, is likely to result in positions of ever-lower influence for in-house communications people and even more brutal price-based competition for agencies.
How must PR in Asia move ahead? Some lessons can be learned from the mundane act of shaving. Continuously re-invented since 100,000BC the business of shaving has kept on booming. The straight razor (first iron and then stainless steel) gave way in 1901 to King Gillette's double-edged safety razor blade. Then came the disposable razor, and then the twin-bladed razor, followed by the three-bladed Mach 3, and even four-bladed models on the market today.
A constant string of improvements to shaving cream and gel, razor handles, comfort strips, and wire wrapped blades have fuelled growth – and kept the threat from electric razors at bay. Today "wet" shaving is still a more than $ 7.1 billion annual business worldwide. The global PR industry in 2001 was a US$ 4.3 billion a year business – 40 percent smaller than shaving.
PR is still largely stuck in the equivalent of the disposable twin bladed razor era. Although there is some exciting work now being done to help businesses and governments use strategic communications effectively, much PR in Asia is still based on re-deployment of the same media relations and lobbying tools that have been around for decades.
As with the shaving business, the answer to reinvigoration is clearly continuous micro innovation. We need to daily refocus PR away from simply devising increasingly complex tactical ways to distribute information, and find new ways to communicate better.
Whether you are on the agency or client side, look for opportunities to create PR-driven campaigns that truly shape perceptions and influence behavior. And with the economic climate brightening, take the opportunity to hire great people and lead them strongly. At the 2004 PRWeek Awards, let's give the judges so much quality to chose from that they will not only present every award, but also leave behind a string of Honorable Mentions.
This article appeared in the November 28 edition of PRWeek Asia Pacific (www.prweek.com). Reproduced with permission.
