Public relations practitioners around the world are focused on using new media more aggressively, and on measuring and demonstrating the value of public relations to business leaders, according to an international survey of the leaders of the world's PR industry associations[...]

The survey was conducted by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management, the umbrella organization linking public relations professional associations worldwide. The survey, which received responses from 16 countries, also shows that members see international collaboration as critical to their success, particularly through efforts to raise standards of public relations education, credentialing and practice, share knowledge, and advocate for the profession with media and business leaders.

"These international priorities - raising standards, sharing knowledge and advocating for the profession - form the foundation of the Global Alliance's new strategic plan," said John Paluszek, the incoming chair of the Global Alliance. "To these three priorities, we have added a fourth: the strengthening of public relations associations, which bring together practitioners to do all of these things."

Here are the survey's key findings:

•·Leading trends: new media landscape; challenging macroeconomic environment; and need to demonstrate value of public relations to CEOs, executives and managers.

•·Greatest opportunities for practitioners: use social/digital media to reach audiences more effectively; own a larger functional role within an organization; and greater need for PR in recessionary and post-recessionary times.

•·Greatest threats: Failure to stay current; insufficient adherence to professional standards; and challenges to PR's reputation and relevance.

•·Highest priorities for GA: Raising standards in education, credentialing and practice; sharing knowledge between associations and practitioners; and advocating with media and business leaders.

"With this survey, the Global Alliance took the pulse of the public relations profession," said Daniel Tisch, the Global Alliance's new chair-elect, who led the survey and the subsequent strategic planning process. "The message is clear: PR professionals seek to use new media strategies to reach audiences, and new measurement strategies to demonstrate value. It's clear the Global Alliance - and its 77 member associations - can do much to support professionals in pursuing these directions."

The survey was conducted between March and May of 2009. Respondents included PR association leaders and professionals in Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Slovenia, Turkey, the United

Kingdom and the United States of America. The results were presented to members at the Global Alliance's annual general meeting on June 6 in Vancouver, Canada.

About the Global Alliance for PR and Communication Management (www.globalalliancepr.org)

The Global Alliance is the umbrella organization linking PR professional associations around the world. By partnering with associations in more than 70 countries, the Alliance works to increase professionalism in public relations and enhance the global influence of the profession. The Alliance's activities focus on raising standards, sharing knowledge, advocacy for the profession and strengthening associations of PR practitioners.

For more information:

Daniel Tisch APR                                         

Chair-elect, Global Alliance                          

dtisch@argylecommunications.com                        

Nina Volles or Jennifer Hayes

GA Center, Lugano, Switzerland

info@globalalliancepr.org

To read this Media Release in Pdf please click HERE.