Manila, Philippines – The Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), the country’s premier organization of PR professionals, unveils the framework for a 5-year Philippine PR roadmap aimed at elevating the practice of PR in the country and growing the industry further.
To mark this year’s PR Month celebration, PRSP has partnered with several local organizations, namely the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC), Global Alliance of Public Relations and Communication Management, International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines, Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE), Philippines Communication Society (PCS), Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA), Philippine Press Institute (PPI), United Print Media Group (UPMG), and Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) for its roadmap plan. The roadmap initiative has also earned the support of international communication organizations such as Edelman Singapore and the Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), and ASEAN PR Network (APRN).
The roadmap, a first in PRSP history, aims to address issues faced by PR agencies and professionals. It is anchored on four pillars: relevance, which aims to upscale the value of the profession and the industry; professionalizing the profession, which will outline professional and capability development programs, including industry-academe partnership; measurement, which aims to calibrate the current approach used by agencies in measuring the success or failure or a PR campaign; and, payment, which aims to address remuneration issues.
It must be noted that these industry-wide issues are not unique to the Philippines. “Across the globe, for instance, brands have given little regard to the selection process of PR agencies, which is a clear telling of the current brand-agency relationship. More often than not, brands make haste decisions in the selection process by defaulting to agencies they know without giving much consideration on their expertise. The blame, however, cannot be pinned on brands. I strongly believe that agencies play a huge role in setting a proper mindset in selection process. The roadmap plan aims to streamline the request for pitch (RFP) process,” said Ana Pista, PRSP Vice President-External.
As a preliminary effort, PRSP conducted an initial survey of PR and communication professionals from agencies, brands, academe, as well as internal PR practitioners from private companies to gauge awareness and sentiments on industry issues included under the four pillars of the roadmap. All survey respondents agree PR remains very much relevant today, with PR efforts still having an impact on brand building, awareness and public perception. As much as 61.11 percent find APR, the industry’s professional accreditation administered by PRSP, significant, with respondents saying that obtaining an APR will increase their market value and remuneration and fast-track career growth. The survey also revealed PR professionals’ wish for a higher remuneration levels and their view that an industry-wide body tasked to review and set an industry salary structure could help improve salary levels.
While PRSP admits that the initial survey is non-conclusive, it maintains that the initial findings are enough to trigger a more extensive survey that will guide the organization in drafting the PR roadmap. “PRSP eyes to partner with international organizations such as Talkwalker, a global social media analytics and monitoring tool, to conduct a nationwide survey. We have earned the support of renowned communication organizations that have expressed their intentions to help us in realizing this vision,” said Andy Saracho, APR, PRSP President.
Ana Pista, PRSP vice president-external, said that the plan will also be revealed before delegates of the 26th National Public Relations Congress, an annual 2-day conference spearheaded and organized by PRSP, on September 24 and 25, 2019 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OF THE PHILIPPINES
The Public Relations Society of the Philippines is the country’s premier organization for public relations professionals with dedicated programs in professional development and continued learning, PR excellence, student PR education, social outreach and partnerships with institutions. Annually, it confers the Anvil Awards, the Oscar of PR in the country and holds the National PR Congress in September, the National PR Month.
