Fresh from the Autumn meeting of the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN), now 40 agencies on multiple continents, it’s inspiring to experience the energy being devoted to communications that can help energize business and financial success of clients these agencies serve.
Several top-line themes emerge for me, our firm being a member and one of the host agencies here in New York City along with Adam Friedman Associates and Cooperkatz&Company.
1. Central to commercial communications today are the themes of trust, integrity, honesty and sustainability. While always important, they have become top-line priorites as a result of the economic melt down, governments’ response, and the roaring disaffection and cynicism of consumers and citizens.
2. The responsibility for formulating trustworthiness, cultural integrity and commitments to honesty in our institutions is falling to a new generation of executive leader and communications consultant — those in their mid 40’s (the tail of the Baby Boom Generation) and the 40+ group in the Generation X tribe ( from the mid 40’s to early ’80’s). Looking at our PRGN members, our corporate guests and speakers from Dragon Search Marketing, Coldwell Banker, Guardian insurance, Polar USA, Davis & Gilbert law firm — there is a wave of intelligent and responsible leaders coming to the bride and taking over the tiller of our institutions.
3. And point No. 3 here involves my reflection on the last meeting the PRGN held in 2005 in New York. We recalled the then president Peter Sewell, a good friend of the earier generation, who has passed away and whose firm has morped from his son Adam Sewell to a new identity (Beyond PR) and most recently new owners, then the ”pioneering” (for PRGN) survey we conducted about the emerging importance of new media, and our own first media tour — a kind of “coming out” for the group founded in 1999.
As it 2005, it has been a rainy in New York as it moves across the threshold from fall to winter, as we in PRGN move to a new season and a strong position of leadership in a field that has become increasingly crucial in this world. These are my recollections.
Tags: Communications, Public Relations