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For the first time, SEC Newgate this year had a formal presence at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Positioned as a ‘festival for forward thinkers’, it is where the advertising and communications industry meets to see the world’s best work and to hear ideas from innovative companies, and to find inspiration from every corner of the creative marketing community.
Therefore it was appropriate that SEC Newgate participated in two panels where we discussed the findings of PR2030: The Future of Global Communications, our collaborative assessment on how communicators should adapt to technological, societal and macroeconomic changes.
PR2030 is a year-long initiative involving nearly 500 colleagues from across the SEC Newgate global footprint. There was a feeling that the communications industry is at a pivotal moment and required more than commentary. It called for a moment of collective global reflection. The aim of PR2030 was to explore how our profession must evolve to remain relevant and ethical in a world defined by increasing complexity, misinformation and poly-crisis.
After two days of networking, day three of the festival kicked off with simultaneous panel discussions with PRovoke and the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (‘ICCO’).
Facilitated by Paul Holmes, CEO and editor-in-chief of PRovoke, Maurizio Maione, Chief of Staff to the CEO and a stellar group of Chief Communications Officers from some of the world’s biggest brands, including Shell, Manchester United and Monumental Sport, the panel discussed some of the key findings of the PR2030 report.
Opening the discussion, Maurizio said; “We’ve recognised that our industry will face significant changes in the coming years. We’re proud to be part of this global conversation and to be advising corporate affairs leaders on how to build modern, resilient communications functions that are fit for purpose long into the future.”
The conversation covered ‘the communications function of the future’ and explored the staff and resources required in a landscape dominated by the ‘do more with less’ paradigm. According to one the attendees, training and preparing staff for new challenges has always been and will remain an agency focus. The future of communications, which is largely impacted by uncertainty and quick changes, also reflects how the role of CCOs shall evolve. Another stated: “…nothing prepares you to be a CCO. What is needed is a bit of mindset fuelled by curiosity and flexibility and a couple of good mentors along your career”.
All participants agreed on the need to build trust and be an ‘arbiter of truth’ over the years to come. One attendee stated that the challenge is to present solid evidence of the truth to mitigate those who are not telling the truth, a task where AI can help with in terms of research and the fact checking.
The second event was a panel organised by the ICCO on the Little Black Book Beach and chaired by Sarah Waddington CBE, CEO of the PRCA. Joining Alistair Kellie, Practice Head Communications, SEC Newgate UK on the panel was David Blois, CEO of M&A Advisory, Lauren Winter, Global MD & Brand/Culture leader at FleishmanHillard and Michael Frohoff, CEO Kruger Media.
The focus was ‘what’s next for PR agencies’? In a wide-ranging conversation that spanned legacy models to future readiness, there was broad agreement that we are going through an era of rapid change. Technology is changing the operational structure of agencies; clients are under greater pressure which is increasing demands on agencies and the talent required to navigate the future is likely to fundamentally change.
The panel agreed that the ‘PR’ industry faced an image problem, with many regarding it as tactical and media relations focused. David Blois stated that the firms that focused on higher end strategic consultancy, based on rigorous data and insight, would be more likely to thrive. There was also agreement that in an era of geopolitical uncertainty it was important to have global reach and an ability to understand local cultural nuance and policy.
Alistair stated that our PR2030 project had revealed that in this era defined by misinformation, volatility and rapid global shifts, only those who act as ‘guardians of truth’ will shape a resilient and credible communications landscape. There was agreement that misinformation and declining trust in media posed a significant future threat.
On talent there was broad agreement today’s communicators must fuse creativity with data fluency and ethical judgment. The other panellists were interested in our finding that that professionals must now blend creativity, data analytics and AI literacy to become a mix of ‘organisational strategists‘ and ‘communications technologists‘.
All-in-all, it was a successful Cannes Lions and debut for our PR2030 findings. We look forward to further discussions with clients and prospects over the coming weeks.