Mobile social media and backing by Asian MNCs will shift future PR growth to Asia

Speakers at the 2014 ICCO Summit at New Delhi said that the PR market will be clearly shifting to Asia, following the rise of Asian companies in this region. Bob Pickard, Chairman for Asia-Pacific of The Huntsworth Group, said that 188 of the Fortune 500 companies are now based in Asia, 95 of these are Chinese and 8 Indian. This next wave of Asian corporate titans represents the biggest opportunity for the global PR industry.

A lot of this growth will take place as Asian companies use PR in a mobile social media led world:

Source: Bob Pickard

But, Bob cautioned that Asians embrace of PR cannot be taken for granted. After listing some of the questions that Asian firms typically ask, he said that PR consultancies that can answer these questions – that include queries about measurable results from PR and requests for case studies – will be able to crack the market.

Source: Bob Pickard 

Bob Pickard also pointed out that Asian companies will have to fight to create an impact internationally, many are known for the wrong reasons:

The relationship between brand purpose and brand communication

Ian Rumsby, Chief Strategy Officer, Asia Pacific & Chairman, Australia, Weber Shandwick, discussed the meaning of purpose for a business and the opportunity it represents for communication.

There has been a shift to the human age globally which has resulted in the emergence of market societies rather than markets. This makes purpose very important as citizen consumers ask questions about the ethics of a product or a company:

Source: Ian Rumsby

Ian described three kinds of purpose for a business: moral, institutional and personal values. Within this triangle, businesses can find purpose that must be authentic, simple and visible.

Ian said that purpose must then be used as the anchor point of every story told as decision making is an emotional process.

Unconventional career advice

During his speech, Fred Cook, Chief Executive Officer, Golin, said that seeking experiences, especially outside their comfort zone, is key for people to grow.