Archive
Navigating Covid-19
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Toward tangible change: the power of campaigning for modern sports activists
August 26, 2021
“Everything,” as the German novelist Thomas Mann observed, “is politics”. Sport in particular, with its enormous appeal across borders, cultures and classes, combined with the truly global reach of its showpiece events, is a very effective and oft-deployed diplomatic tool. As an industry or career, it is also intensely meritocratic. More than almost any other, its professionals have tended to be promoted and revered on account of their ability – rather than their race, class...
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Authentic leadership and the new CEO agenda
August 16, 2021
Today’s consumers have a complex view of authentic leadership and when and why they believe CEOs should take a public stance on complex issues such as public health, climate change, diversity (and diverse representation within a company's workforce and its leadership). Three-quarters (74%) report it’s important for CEOs to take a stand on issues that ‘reflect the collective views and actions of the organizations they lead’, while only 60% say CEOs should take a stand...
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The role of a joint agency-client charter in mental wellbeing
August 10, 2021
Mental health and the PR industry The numbers in the PRCA’s mental wellbeing report in October 2020 made for grim reading: nine out of ten PR professionals reported struggling with their mental health. With little improvement from the previous year, the report also showed that few were willing to take time off to reset, citing work pressures and poor work-life balance. And, while more PR professionals were willing to talk about their mental health than...
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Fintech M&A: buying or just browsing, here’s what brands need to know
August 9, 2021
Gemma Lingham, associate director The incumbents are on a shopping spree. And what’s top of the list? Fast growth fintechs. With a few “unexpected items in the bagging area”, but with plenty of high-in-demand purchases too, it’s safe to say fintech M&A is hotting up. I’d be lying if I said this was something we weren’t completely expecting. At the end of 2020, our ‘Fintech Driving Global Change’ report predicted this would be coming. Developed...
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Cyber security communications: Preparing for and managing a ransomware attack
August 6, 2021
Jud Moore, Senior Partner and EMEA crisis lead Last week President Biden made a stark prediction “I think it’s more than likely we’re going to end up, if we end up in a war—a real shooting war with a major power—it’s going to be as a consequence of a cyber breach of great consequence and it’s increasing exponentially, the capabilities.” A rather sobering thought but perhaps not a wholly surprising one. Closer to home, the...
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The future of brand authenticity — leadership, inclusivity and activism
August 2, 2021
Nicole Harris, research manager, TRUE Global Intelligence After the hot mess that was 2020, it’s no surprise that social responsibility is now a more important aspect of brand identity than ever before. In fact, a business’s impact on societal outcomes now accounts for almost one-third of informed consumers’ expectations, according to FleishmanHillard’s latest Authenticity Gap study. But while 64% of informed consumers internationally – and 61% of Brits – say that a company must talk...
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What does it mean to adopt an authentic approach to measuring PR and communications?
July 1, 2021
By Ben Levine, Director & Partner, TRUE Global Intelligence, FleishmanHillard UK Last month, we launched our latest edition of FleishmanHillard’s Authenticity Gap research and insights. The Authenticity Gap surveyed more than 10,000 informed consumers across five markets, polling their expectations and experiences of 200+ companies across 20 industries. This authenticity research provides unique insights into the emerging opportunities and threats facing some of the world’s most well-known companies and brands – and, crucially, what consumers expect...
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Crisis Management: What to do when you know it’s going to be bad news
June 25, 2021
Hannah Cambridge, Director I hate to admit it, but comms alone can’t fix a really bad business issue. You’ll know the kind - when it would be fair for a regulator to come down hard, when you’re completely going against the popular opinion or when you were just in the wrong. We help our clients to navigate all types of issues. Our latest Authenticity Gap research for 2021 placed data security and data privacy as...
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Does your brand have an authenticity problem?
June 17, 2021
Stephanie Bailey, Senior Partner, Managing Director, Corporate and Head of FleishmanHillard COP26 Unit Does your brand have an authenticity problem? If what a brand does is different from what a brand says, then yes. You have what we call an authenticity gap. If, say, you are the CEO of a disruptive craft beer brand then what you say versus what you do really matters, particularly if your narrative is a core part of what distinguishes...
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The impact of grassroots sports closures on communities
June 14, 2021
Following the second postponement of sport at all ages, local communities were struggling to keep grassroots sports alive. Participants across the country were left with a sporting void, denying them the chance to exercise, socialise and meet. The impact on local communities was massive, but what can external stakeholders such as brands and organisations do? Community impact Over 5,000 grassroots sports clubs could cease to exist post-lockdown. Feasibly, over 100,000 children and hundreds of local...