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.
