Valérie Carayol, President of Euprera The results of the European Communication Monitor 2012, conducted by eleven universities and your association, are now available in a YouTube video. Please share with us the top three findings. The study has been led by Professor Ansgar Zerfass, director of Euprera, in association with the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD). The international survey, sponsored by Ketchum Pleon, a leading European public relations agency, is based on replies from almost 2,200 communication professionals in 42 countries. Here are the top three findings of the survey: 1 Shaping the same and consistent image for all stakeholders (a core idea of integrated communications) is nowadays less popular than the concept of polyphony, meaning a simultaneous and sequential stimulation of several perceptions to address different stakeholders. 2 Mobile applications on the social web are seen as important tools, but there are large gaps between their perceived importance and real implementation in most European organisations. 3 Ethical challenges are more prevalent than ever in the field, but current codes of ethics are seldom used and rated as outdated by many professionals. A free PDF report with full results as well as a YouTube video with the most important highlights is available at www.communicationmonitor.eu. Coping with the digital evolution and linking communication to business strategies are the most important topics. What assistance/advice do you give to international associations? The survey reveals a large gap between the perceived importance of social media tools for communication and the actual rate of implementation in European organisations. Online communities or social networks are considered by far the most important social media tool available. With more than 75% support by respondents, they are leading the list of important social media tools, followed by online videos (67%), mobile applications like apps and mobile webs (65%), micro blogs like Twitter (56%) and weblogs (45%). However, less than 56% of the communication departments actually use online communities in their communication, a gap of more than 20% compared to the importance this tool is given by practitioners. International associations have to increase their skills for using digital technologies. Eight out of ten European professionals think that the best way to learn about online tools is to use them as part of the regular work as well as privately. On the other hand, the complexity of communication is increasing. Organisations are interacting with more stakeholders through more media in more directions. 82% of the respondents say that their organisation, compared to five years ago, has more touchpoints with its publics. More strategic skills are needed for all organisations and this is true for international associations. Many people suffer from an information overflow. How do public relations professionals cope with that? This is a subject that is beginning to be seriously considered by communication professionals, as conditions of receiving messages have changed considerably in recent years. I conduct research on this subject in France at the University of Bordeaux. We study how managers use mobile technologies in particular, and we have found that the use of professional and personal time is scrambled. Everyone feels a pressure due to the urgency and speed of communication transactions, and many implement disconnection or filtering tactics because of this information overflow. We are studying psychosocial risks and technostress in conjunction with ICT. Moderation in the solicitation of publics with personal media will soon be seen as an ethical attitude. What are the main challenges for Euprera these days? Three factors are very important these days for the evolution of communication practices: globalization, digitalization and the demassification of markets (goods and information markets). Public relations practices and, more generally, communication practices are expanding and becoming more and more complex. The need for new skills and new insights is leading Euprera strategy. We propose to our members to share the best research and to explore new challenges to improve our reflexivity and to build new knowledges. How important is your upcoming Annual Congress from 20 to 22 September in Istanbul for your association? The Euprera Annual Congress 2012 chaired by Prof. Dr. Aydemir Okay takes place from 20 to 22 September at Istanbul University, Turkey. The theme is "Researching the Changing Profession of Public Relations". We are expecting more than 250 delegates from all over Europe and the world. Many well known academics and professionals are expected. Among the keynote speakers, we will listen to Prof. Dr. Philip J. Kitchen, from Brock University, Canada and Prof. Dr. Joachim Klewes, Ketchum Pleon, from Germany. The European Public Relations Education and Research Association (Euprera) is an autonomous organisation that aims at stimulating and promoting innovative knowledge and practices of public relations education and research in Europe. Euprera is a network where the members – both academics and practitioners – attract, convey, disseminate and create innovations in public relations and communication. Euprera has 260 members (170 individual members; 90 institutional members, with up to 10 staff members each) in 52 countries. www.euprera.org | ||||||