Given the speed at which information now flows, it’s tempting to think that companies operating in the 1990s and early 2000s had it easy when it came to crisis communications. After all, bad news could actually be contained.
It’s no longer enough for businesses to simply buy and sell their products and services without considering the world in which they operate. Companies must voluntarily do business in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner to be sustainable over the long term.
A few years ago, PR Week sat down for an interview with Hans Bender, then manager of external relations for global household care at Procter & Gamble. Bender had just completed a large study on the return on investment (ROI) of public relations.The study looked at the marketing mix for six different brands and found something interesting. The ROI for public relations averaged 275%—much higher than advertising. And PR drives the same level of sales as advertising—but at a lower cost.
Building a strong reputation can take years, but it can fall apart in just minutes. An environmental crisis, executive scandal, unreliable product, employee tweeting a damaging picture, improper behaviour by a celebrity spokesperson—those are just a few very real examples.
The professional services industry is in trouble: senior talent, especially women with children, are resigning. Many of these valued practitioners are walking away from their careers (and in many cases high salaries) because their employers are unwilling or unable to provide them with the flexibility they need to balance their work and family lives.
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) today announced that it has selected Broad Reach Communications as one of only 24 winners of the prestigious Gold Quill Award of Excellence − the highest level of professional acknowledgment in business communication today. This is the second year in a row that Broad Reach has won a Gold Quill, this time for writing a Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (Deloitte) thought leadership report entitled Unplugged: Electric Vehicle Realities Versus Consumer Expectations.
The national chapter of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) presented Broad Reach Communications with two prestigious Awards of Excellence today, recognizing Broad Reach’s outstanding achievement in public relations and writing. Established in 1962, the annual CPRS National Awards of Excellence recognize and reward outstanding public relations programs and projects from across the country. This year, 129 submissions were received in 13 categories. An expert panel of 41 jury co-ordinators and judges from the 14 CPRS member societies evaluated the submissions and selected one gold, silver and bronze winner per category.
The Toronto chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) announced today that Broad Reach Communications has been awarded two 2012 OVATION Awards. The awards were presented last night at an awards gala at the Liberty Grand. The OVATION Awards recognize the best the communications industry has to offer in the Greater Toronto Area. Judging was performed by a panel of senior communications professionals, accredited practitioners and technical specialists. Two separate judges carefully reviewed each entry independently and then jointly reviewed the submissions and results across all 19 award categories.
The Canadian Public Relations Society Toronto (CPRS Toronto) today announced that Broad Reach Communications has won a prestigious Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) Award in the “Best Use of Media Relations” category for its “Creating Eminence for Deloitte Canada by Leveraging its 2011 Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions” media relations campaign.
The Toronto Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) today announced that Broad Reach Communications has won two prestigious IABC Toronto OVATION Awards for exceptional media relations campaigns: “Creating Eminence for Deloitte by Leveraging the 2010 Canadian Federal Budget” (Award of Excellence) and “Home for the Holidays with Cadbury® branded Home Entertainment Products” (Award of Merit).
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) today announced that it has selected Toronto-based Broad Reach Communications for a Gold Quill Award─the highest level of professional acknowledgment in business communication today. Broad Reach won this award for its media relations campaign entitled “Creating Eminence for Deloitte Canada by Leveraging its 2010 Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions.”
Broad Reach Communications, a full-service communications firm based in Toronto, is thrilled to announce that is has been awarded a national, 2010 Silver Leaf Award of Merit from the International Association of Business Communications (IABC) for the agency’s “Home for the Holidays with Cadbury® Home Entertainment Products” media relations campaign.
