The Chartered Institute of Public Relation’s announced today that it has brought together some of the UK’s most eminent social media thinkers “to provide input into the Institute’s policy guidance, education and training.”
Led by CIPR Board Member and Stainforth MD Rob Brown the advisory board is charged with looking at the impact of social media on “online reputation developments, convergence in marketing communications and best practice social media measurement.”
CIPR President Jay O’Connor said: “A core theme in our three-year strategic plan is social media and the impact on the public relations profession. Rob joined the CIPR board to lead our efforts in this area, feeding into our policy, research and training. As part of this, Rob has set up the Social Media Panel – a group of some of the UK’s foremost social media contributors, who will debate and input, ensuring our guidance reflects the very best thinking and practice.
“Things are moving quickly. Reaching out to practitioners who can offer their insight so that we can guide our members and the profession appropriately is key.”
Members of the advisory board include:
- Daljit Bhurji ACIPR – Managing Director, Diffusion (@Daljit_Bhurji)
- Mark Borkowski – Managing Director, Borkowski (@MarkBorkowski)
- Rob Brown FCIPR – Managing Director, Staniforth (@robbrown)
- Stuart Bruce MCIPR – Managing Director, Wolfstar (@stuartbruce)
- Dominic Burch – Head of Corporate Communications, ASDA (@dom_asdaPR)
- Simon Collister – Head of Non-Profit and Public Sector, We Are Social (@simoncollister)
- Gemma Griffiths – Client Director, Racepoint (@GemGriff)
- Katy Howell – Managing Director, Immediate Future (@katyhowell)
- Marshall Manson – Director of Digital Strategy, Edelman (@marshallmanson)
- Beccy McMichael – Head of Corporate & Technology, Ruder Finn (@bmcmichael)
- Danny Rogers – Editor, PR Week (@dannyrogers2001)
- Julio Romo MCIPR – PR and Communications Consultant, twofourseven (@twofourseven)
- Philip Sheldrake – Partner, Influence Crowd LLP (@sheldrake)
- Stephen Waddington MCIPR – Managing Director, Speed Communications (@wadds)
- Robin Wilson – Director Digital PR & Social Media, McCann Erickson (@robin1966)
You can keep up to date with debates and developments by following the #ciprsm hashtag.
ASA #fail to understand social media
Friday, September 3rd, 2010The Adverting Standards Authority (ASA) siloed approach to regulating social media highlights this regulatory body’s lack of understanding of real-time communication channels.
On 1st September the ASA announced that the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) had empowered it to police ‘marketing communications online, including the rules relating to misleading advertising, social responsibility and the protection of children.’ The statement from the ASA added that, ‘the remit will apply to all sectors and all businesses and organisations regardless of size.’
It all sounded very well, apart from one specific paragraph, which stated, that journalistic and editorial content and material related to causes and ideas – except those that are direct solicitations of donations for fund-raising – were to be excluded from the remit.
And here lie the problem. The guidelines and regulations that the ASA wishes to apply to social media and networking channels appear to have been written from a 20th centaury perspective, where marketing disciplines where siloed – advertising was the big beast, direct marketing was direct marketing and public relations was, well, media relations. There appears to have been little understanding of the fact that social media and networking crosses all these marketing disciplines. In fact, it brings them together and maximises message penetration.
You would have therefore thought that the ASA would have consulted widely before announcing that it was to regulate social media channels. Well, its statement said that the regulations that it would be enforcing were formed as a result of ‘formal recommendations from a wide cross-section of UK industry.’ Very odd thing to say given that the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and it’s Social Media Advisory Board, which I should declare that I sit on, had been omitted from any consultation even though numerous requests were made.
Without a doubt social media has to a certain extent be regulated – best practice needs to promoted. The CIPR is currently reviewing its social media guidelines and has uploaded these to a wiki where people can register and share their thoughts.
Online and social media has changed the way that companies, brands and consumers interact with each other. Transparency has a higher value than ever before, especially in a world where the old ‘broadcast communications model’ is taking a back seat to a ‘conversational’ one where consumers and stakeholders can cross examine business.
The ASA is right, there is a need to regulate. But before doing so there needs to be a clear understanding of what one are trying to regulate, and why. Marketing communications is changing. Six months, the time until 1 March – when the regulations are currently due to come into force, is a long time in social media terms.
Engagement, dialogue and understanding comes through dialogue. So lets start here.
Tags: #ciprsm, advertising, asa, cipr, communications, guidelines, marketing, pr, public relations, regulation, social media, social networking
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