eacd european communication monitor 2009

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A n s g a r Z e r f a s s , A n g e l e s M o r e n o , R a l p h Te n c h , D e j a n V e r č i č & P i e t V e r h o e v e n

A s t u d y c o n d u c t e d b y t h e E u r o p e a n P u b l i c R e l a t i o n s E d u c a t i o n a n d R e s e a r c h A s s o c i a t i o n ( E U P R E R A ) , t h e E u r o p e a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f C o m m u n i c a t i o n D i r e c t o r s ( E A C D ) a n d C o m m u n i c a t i o n D i r e c t o r M a g a z i n e



I M P R I N T

PUBLISHED BY:EACD European Association of Communication Directors, BrusselsEUPRERA European Public Relations Education and Research Association, Brussels

CITATION OF THIS PUBLICATION (APA STYLE):Zerfass, A., Moreno, A., Tench, R., Verčič, D., & Verhoeven, P. (2009):European Communication Monitor 2009. Trends in Communication Management and Public Relations – Results of a Survey in 34 Countries. Brussels: EACD, EUPRERA.

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Please contact any member of the research team or the advisory board in your country/region if you are interested in discussing the insights of this survey or in joint research projects. Questions regarding the overall research, including sponsorship opportunities for future surveys, may be directed to the lead researcher, Prof. Dr. Ansgar Zerfass.


CONTENT

C O N T E N T

FOREWORD AND INTRODUCTION 6

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 8

RESEARCH DESIGN AND DEMOGRAPHICS 17

ROLES AND CONTRIBUTION TO ORGANISATIONAL OBJECTIVES 26

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS 35

IMPACT OF THE RECESSION AND MEDIA CRISIS 41

DEVELOPMENT OF DISCIPLINES AND COMMUNICATION CHANNELS 49

INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION: OVERALL TRENDS AND ONLINE COMMUNITIES 58

STRATEGIC ISSUES 65

EVALUATION AND COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE 69

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION TRENDS 76

SALARY AND QUALIFICATION NEEDS 80

REFERENCES 92

AUTHORS, RESEARCH TEAM AND ADVISORY BOARD 93

PARTNERS AND SPONSOR 94


FOREWORD

F O R E W O R D

While our economic world is facing enormous challenges and adjustments in the course of the global crisis, the com-munication profession is experiencing tremendous change. Communication, with all its facets and features, is playing an increasingly strategic role within corporations. This has been proven, in addition to other fascinating insights, in the European Communication Monitor 2009.Despite heavy budget cuts, staff reductions, and other changing frameworks, European PR professionals are still optimistic for 2010. Communication strategies and tools are being implemented accordingly. They are gaining im-portance and relevance. Communication disciplines such as Internal Communication, Change Management, CSR, Sustainability, and channels like Online Media and Social Media will become even more essential in the coming years. Although this is an important step towards successful communication, the implementation of these methods bears various challenges for communication management in Europe. Even more challenging, as the results show, is the

link between business strategy and communication. A clear prioritisation is necessary for implementing communication that helps to survive the recession.I strongly believe that rebuilding trust and confidence by being authentic is a key factor for successful communications and running a success-ful corporation. With the communications world currently in a volatile period, this intent seems to be indispensable for getting the focus back on growing prosperous businesses.The EACD has joined forces with EUPRERA, the organisation of European communication researchers, and Communication Director magazi-ne to conduct this extensive survey. A truly international group of renowned professors from 11 countries has gained valuable insights into the structure of the field and the future of the profession. I hope you find this report as interesting and useful as I do.

Dr. Herbert HeitmannPresidentEuropean Association of Communication Directors (EACD)


INTRODUCTION

I N T R O D U C T I O N


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RESEARCH AIMS AND DESIGN

Throughout the last years, research into communication management, strategic communication and public relations (which are used as synonyms here) has evolved as a broad and strong discipline in Europe. Original theories and con-cepts have been developed – ranging from overall frameworks based on socio-logical theories (Ihlen, Van Ruler, & Fredriksson, 2009) to advanced theories of corporate communication and integrated communication (Zerfass, Van Ruler, & Sriramesh, 2008), complemented by a range of research traditions linked to different cultures and regions (Van Ruler & Vercic, 2004). However, sever-al barriers have limited the possibility to draw an overall empirical picture of the structure and developments of public relations in Europe. While national surveys, some of them based on Anglo-American frameworks such as the Excel-lence Study (Grunig, Grunig, & Dozier, 2002), provide a detailed insight into re-gional developments, the overall picture needs to be based both on a theoretical framework and interpretations that cross cultural boundaries.The European Communication Monitor (ECM) has been designed to match these requirements. It was initiated in 2007 (Zerfass et al., 2007) and repeated in 2008 (Zerfass et al., 2008; Moreno et al., 2009; Tench et al., 2009) and 2009 (this report), with the intention of becoming a permanent and annual snapshot of communication management in this part of the world.The aim of the research is to identify current challenges and future develop-ments of public relations in Europe by evaluating the experiences and percep-tions of communication professionals working in communication departments and consultancies. More specifically, the study highlights:

• Challenges for communication management during the recession and the media crisis.• Strategic issues, development of the discipline and instruments.• Trends in internal communication, measurement/evaluation and interactive communication.• Communication executives’ roles and influence on management decisions.• Salaries and qualification needs.When comparing the survey presented here to previous editions, it has to be noted that we have experienced an extraordinary year. Without any hyperbo-le, it is true to say that the worlds of business and politics have been turned upside down. Furthermore, the technological and media landscapes have seen further evolution and transformation. As a consequence, this year’s survey has great importance in monitoring and tracking the activities and insights of senior communication practitioners across Europe. At the same time, we are pleased to report that the third annual ECM survey is building on its past strengths and developing an ever more clear understanding of the communication landscape across European countries. This year’s findings are based on a sample of more than 1,850 professionals from 34 European countries, making this one of the most comprehensive transnational studies ever conducted in the field of public relations and communications worldwide.

SURVEY METHOD, SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS The European Communication Monitor is an extended quantitative research based on a multi-dimensional theoretical framework (see page 18). The survey

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS


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was conducted in English and included a questionnaire with 17 sections. Hypo-theses and instruments have been derived from previous research and literatu-re. The questionnaire was developed by the international research team and has been evaluated by the advisory board. After conducting a pre-test with 50 practiti-oners in ten European countries, more than 20,000 communication professionals throughout Europe were personally invited via E-Mail, using databases provided by the European Association of Communication Directors and Communication Director Magazine. This is the most comprehensive collection representing the profession in Europe known to us. Additional invitations to participate were sent via national branch associations and networks (partly self-recruiting). The online survey was collected over four weeks in May 2009. The report is based on findings from this data.The analysis is based on thorough empirical research and analysis. For examp-le, only fully completed questionnaires have been taken into account. Moreover, replies from participants not currently working in communication management (academics, students) and from non-European countries have been removed. 1,863 fully completed surveys by participants identified as part of the population (communication professionals in Europe) were evaluated. Despite this quality of input, it is important to recognise that the lack of knowledge and information about the population of communication departments and agencies in Europe means that the findings presented here can not claim representativeness. It is also necessary to note that economies, communication landscapes and PR professions are in rather different stages of development throughout Europe. Consequently, this survey is especially useful to identify relevant patterns and trends in the field, which may stimulate qualitative discussions.

DEMOGRAPHICS As with previous versions of this research, the 1,863 respondents of ECM 2009 are characterised by a high level of experience with an average age of 42 ye-ars. Almost 60% have more than 10 years of experience in the communication field. 83.6% are senior professionals working as head of a communication de-partment, unit leader or agency CEO. The respondents are also well educated with 68% holding a Masters or MBA or a doctorate. Only 7% held no graduate qualification. This level of experience and seniority is significant in ensuring that the survey findings are based on a solid foundation for identifying major developments in strategic communication.Within the sample, female and male practitioners are almost equally divided (50.7% versus 49.3%). In terms of corporate culture, most participants (66%) work in organisations that are characterised by participative people-orientation and proactive responses towards their environment. Different types of organi-sational culture have been identified using an instrument proposed by Ernest (1985). More than two thirds of the respondents (72.2%) work in communica-tion departments within joint stock companies, private companies, government-owned/political organisations or non-profit associations, while 27.8% have a background in agencies or as consultants. In line with the development of the communication profession within Europe, most participants are based in Wes-tern and Northern Europe, but countries in Southern and Eastern Europe are also represented in the study. Assignment of countries to regions is based on the United Nations Standard Classification (United Nations Statistics Division, 2008).

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ROLES AND CONTRIBUTION TO ORGANISATIONAL OBJECTIVES When looking at the different professional roles practitioners take inside their organisations, the findings suggest many of them do not exploit the full poten-tial of strategic communication. The survey empirically proves insights from theory (Van Ruler & Vercic, 2002, 2005; Lurati & Eppler, 2006; Zerfass, 2008) that PR professionals can foster business goals basically in two distinct ways: a) by solving problems deriving from business or functional strategies that can (probably) be solved by communication activities, i.e. selling goods by marke-ting communication, motivating employees through internal communication etc.; b) by helping to define organisational objectives by adding the communi-cative dimension to strategy formulation, i.e. by reporting results from issues management and stakeholder research, by managing reputation risks etc. This combines listening and reflection, as well as dissemination strategies and acti-vities. Overall, an 85% majority of practitioners in Europe focus on supporting organisational goals by addressing stakeholders; only 61% feel responsible for shaping the strategy. 56% declare that they use both ways to contribute to over-all goals, thus enacting the “strategic facilitator” role. This auspicious role is prevalent among heads of communication; in private companies; in NGOs; and in Northern Europe. Another 29% are “operational supporters” concentrating on addressing stakeholders, whereas a minority of 5% primarily see themselves as “business advisers” helping to adjust organisational strategies. A surprising number (10%) of respondents are “isolated experts” who do not seem to be-lieve in a clear link between what they are doing and what their organisation wants to achieve.

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS All over Europe, PR professionals are trusted advisors, with 73% reporting that their recommendations are taken seriously by senior management. This is a small 2% increase compared to the results of the European Communication

Monitor 2008. However, only 64% say that their considerations are factored into strategic decision making and planning processes.The advisory influence of PR professionals does not differ much between joint stock companies, non-profit organisations, governmental organisations or priva-te companies. The executive influence (the influence on strategic decision ma-king and planning) also does not differ very much between professionals in the various organisations either. In joint stock companies the executive influence of PR professionals is descending, as is the advisory influence. The executive influence in private-owned organisations is on the rise, compared to 2008. In general, the status discrepancy between advisory and executive influence is de-scending and the lowest discrepancy is reported in non-profit organisations. In both dimensions, European professionals fall behind their counterparts in the United States, as reported in comparable surveys (Swerling et al., 2008).Communication executives enacting the “strategic facilitator” role are more in-fluential than the average, 84% of them have advisory influence and 79% also have executive influence. Of the professionals working as “operational suppor-ters”, 69% report having advisory influence and 53% executive influence. “Busi-ness advisers” have more executive influence than the “operational supporters”, 57%, but their advisory influence on senior management is less, at only 53%. A large portion (53%) of those working as “isolated experts” report that their PR advice is not taken seriously, and only one third of this group report having executive influence. The advisory influence is lowest in Southern Europe com-pared to Northern, Western and Eastern Europe. In Southern Europe 63% of the professionals think they are taken seriously by senior management, compa-red to 76% in Northern Europe, 75% in Western Europe and 68% in Eastern Europe. The executive influence is also biggest in Northern Europe; 69% of the PR professionals in that region have influence on the strategic decisions of the organisation and the planning that results from those decisions.In general, the data shows that influence depends on the geographical location of the organisation as well as on practitioners’ experience and position, but not


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on their age and professional or academic education. Moreover, practitioners with a solid track record in the field report a smaller status discrepancy – they are not only able to catch the eye of senior management, but also to affect business decisions. Summarising we can say that, on the basis of the results of the European Com-munication Monitor 2009, the overall influence of European PR professionals depends on the roles the professionals take (“strategic facilitator” is most influ-ential), their geographical basis (in Northern European PR professionals are most listened to), their hierarchical position in the organisation and the years of practice they have in the field.

IMPACT OF THE RECESSION AND MEDIA CRISIS The qualitative and quantitative findings suggest that communicators are facing up to the current worldwide economic downturn and media crisis with identi-fiable defensive strategies. For example, both the economic recession and the crisis of the mass media sector have changed the framework for communication management in Europe. The long-term upswing of the occupational field has come to an end. 47% report budget cuts and 22% report that staff numbers have been reduced. This is especially true for joint stock and private companies, whereas governmental and non-profit organisations are less under pressure. Anecdotal evidence claiming budget shifts from marketing communications to public relations could not be verified on a large scale. Nevertheless, more than 80% of respondents are optimistic for the next year.A clear 60% majority claim they will respond to the recession by focusing on the “most relevant issues and stakeholders”. Another 40% see a stronger demand for evaluation. This means that PR strategies have not been managed up to the highest standards until now – strategic priorities and transparent measurement methodologies should already be a part of communication management. Only one third of the respondents say that they will take a proactive approach by in-

vesting in new instruments or tools. Following this approach, three out of four practitioners think that communication management will adapt to new routines evolving in journalism in times of the media crisis. Furthermore, 33% state that communication professionals will help the media to survive, i.e. by providing free content. Speaking in terms of the intereffication theory (Bentele & Noth-haft, 2008), media relations shows strong adaptations to journalism, compared to significantly less inductions.

DEVELOPMENT OF DISCIPLINES AND COMMUNICATION CHANNELS Respondents expect a changing relevance of the various disciplines within the broad range of public relations and strategic communication. For the first time in the series of ECM surveys, corporate communication has taken the lead as the most important discipline in 2009, followed by the long-time forerunner marketing/brand and consumer communication. European PR professionals expect corporate communication to stay in first position until at least 2012. Cri-sis communication, internal communication/change management and public affairs/lobbying currently rank third, fourth and fifth respectively. This order of ranking is expected to change in the coming years. Internal communication/change management is expected to take over second position from marketing/brand and consumer communication until, at least, 2012. Corporate social re-sponsibility/sustainability is expected to rise in relevance, and by 2012 this field is expected to rank as the fourth most important discipline.Both internal communication/change management and social responsibility/sustainability are predicted to be the fastest-growing fields of practice until 2012. This is consistent with the results of previous ECM surveys and can be consi-dered a trend. Personal coaching of management and other employees of the organisation on communication skills by PR professionals is also expected to be a growth area in the coming years. Reduced importance is most expected for in-vestor relations/financial communication, which is predicted to be 12% below


the average in 2012, followed by crisis communication, which will be down 8% on the average in 2012. The importance of issues management is also expected to decrease.Regarding communication channels and instruments, social media such as blogs, podcasts, online communities and addressing online journalists are on a clear upswing. Predicted growth until 2012 is 35% over the average, compared to 26% in 2008. Today press relations addressing print media is still the most important communication channel for PR professionals, but it is expected to decline by 35% below the average in 2012, even more dramatically than was expected last year (25% below the average). Online communication, ranking second today is expected to take over the lead in communication channels and instruments by 2012. The relevance of social media such as blogs, podcasts and communities has almost doubled compared to 2007, but other online instru-ments, like the more traditional ones such as websites and intranets are still way ahead. Relations with print media will be reduced in importance in the coming years. Steadily ranking third today, and expected to remain there in 2012, is face-to-face-communication, showing that PR professionals do not think that the rise of the new social media will negatively affect the importance of in-terpersonal communication. Furthermore paid information, sponsoring, events and corporate publishing/media are expected to diminish in importance as communication channels and instruments by 2012.For the first time the European Communication Monitor 2009 has taken or-ganisational culture into account. The results show that the valuation of com-munication instruments is linked to the culture of an organisation. Whether an organisation has an integrated, interactive, entrepreneurial or systemised culture seems to be meaningful for the use of communication channels and instruments.

INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION: OVERALL TRENDS AND ONLINE COMMUNITIES Only three out of ten professionals in Europe think that online communities (social networks) and online videos are important for public relations today. 25% say that weblogs – a much-discussed platform in the field – are relevant. RSS feeds, podcasts, wikis and virtual worlds are considered of even less im-portance. However, PR professionals think that the importance of interactive communication channels will change dramatically in the coming years. 70% say that online videos and communities will be of established importance by 2010. Although every social media platform is predicted to see an upswing in importance, predictions differ for the various types. For instance, web-videos and social networks will grow at above the average rate, while wikis, weblogs and RSS feeds will also develop at an average rate along with social media more generally. Podcasts, microblogs (Twitter) and especially virtual worlds are expec-ted to gain importance, although at a below-average rate. Despite strong reports in the media, micro blogging with Twitter is only considered important by 14% of communication professionals in Europe at present, although 39% state that it will be important next year. The Twitter platform is a long way from being well-known or accepted, and is still lagging behind podcasts and wikis.The results of the 2009 monitor show no specific patterns of motives for using online communities in communication management. Professionals state a variety of reasons ranging from demonstrating openness to establishing new relationships. Monitoring opinion building and exploring digital cultures are less prevalent. This reinforces the finding that most participants are sticking to speaking about the organisation, and that listening to the outside world and reflecting on the position of the organisation in the environment are still con-sidered less important.A clear majority of 85% of PR professionals in Europe are themselves members of social networks, with LinkedIn heading the number of professional profiles. 41% of the respondents have a professional and a private profile, 27% have a

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professional profile only and 17% manage only a private profile. In the private realm, Facebook is the most widely used.

STRATEGIC ISSUES The European Communication Monitor 2009 identifies two main issues of ma-jor importance for communication professionals throughout Europe. Half of the respondents state either that linking business strategy and communication and/or coping with digital evolution and the social web are most relevant for themselves within the near future. Whereas the business link issue has been the number one issue for the past three years (with a 2% rise since 2008), questions regarding the social web have been intensified (+7%) and now rank second, one place higher than last year. Social responsibility and sustainable development is still important, but has lost ground (-3%) since 2008, whereas more professio-nals state that building and maintaining of trust is a major issue (+4%). This may resemble the crisis in business and society. Companies and senior management have lost credibility, reputation and trust. At the same time, many CSR activities still have to prove that they are really linked to the core activities and legitimacy of the organisation. It is also plausible that budget cuts affect voluntary activities in this area.Dealing with the demands of new transparency and active audiences is also con-sidered important and ranks fifth in the list of strategic issues for the profession; 31% of the respondents mention this issue. Supporting organisational change, establishing new methods of communication, the globalisation of communica-tion, advancing public affairs and political communication, issues management and corporate foresight are all mentioned by between 10-20% of the respon-dents. Of least importance to public relations professionals is the development of communication policies to present the CEO in the public realm and to sup-port intercultural integration, which were mentioned by only 11% and 6% of the respondents respectively.

EVALUATION AND COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE In accordance with the results of the ECM 2008 survey, communication mana-gers in Europe mainly rely on monitoring clippings and media responses (84%), as well as internet/intranet usage (64%) when evaluating their activities. About half of the respondents mention that evaluating the satisfaction of internal cli-ents, monitoring financial aspects of communication projects and understan-ding key messages are also important. Stakeholder attitudes and behavioural change are mentioned by almost 40% of the professionals. Only one third of the respondents state that tracking business goals and reputation or brand value plays a role. Taking into account that self-reporting in this much-discussed area tends to be rather optimistic, the results of the evaluation of communication performance are a strong hint that measurement practice is far from ideal: large parts of the field are still dominated by a narrow view on measurement.Comparing the empirical data of the monitor with the up-to-date framework for communication measurement issued by PR associations and controller asso-ciations (DPRG & ICV, 2009), a predominance of external output evaluation is obvious, followed by exploring the direct outcome on stakeholder’s perception or knowledge. Measures that catch the far ends of the overall process, i.e. evalu-ating resources invested by the organisation and value creation that pays off for the organisation, are utilised at a substantially lower rate. Vis-à-vis the 84% of the European PR professionals that evaluate impact on the media, only one third of the professionals track effects upon their own organisation. This shows that the so-called output monitoring, based on the availability of messages/offerings in clippings and media response, is most popular, followed by outcome monitoring such as the effects on stakeholders and understanding of key messages (54%). Input monitoring ranks third (47%), including monitoring of the initiation of communication and financial costs for projects, and at the bottom of the list is outflow monitoring of effects on their own organisation and on business goals (34%). When we compare the different types or organisations, it becomes clear that joint stock companies and private enterprises are forerunners in the moni-

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toring of costs of communication and measuring the business impact.This narrow view on measurement and the lack of measures on the outflow level is coherent with the strong search for clear links between communication and organisational goals identified in this survey.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION TRENDSOverall the ECM 2009 survey presents two strong priorities for internal com-munication over the next 12 months which are firstly to link internal commu-nication to corporate strategies (69%) and secondly to support organisational change and restructuring (66%). With some irony for communicators, 55% of respondents believe that information overload is a key issue within organisati-ons and they place a priority on dealing with this.Somewhat surprisingly, one third or even less say that dealing with the social web both proactively and defensively (avoiding reputation risks through online word-of-mouth) is one of the top issues in internal communication today. At the same time, 54% think that using online communities for internal dialogue will be important within the next three years. An interesting internal strategic issue is that an overwhelming 74% of respondents suggest that training managers to act as communicators is the most relevant future action in internal communi-cation, followed by spreading authentic content instead of polished messages. Both aspects are a sharp contrast to the everyday practice of most communicati-on departments and agencies, which rely on communicating themselves with an ever expanding arsenal of tools and channels.

SALARY AND QUALIFICATION NEEDSRegarding remuneration, the most significant but predictable finding is that salary correlates with hierarchy and the professional role within organisations and agencies. Respondents were grouped into four roles and those professio-

nals enacting the “strategic facilitator” role tend to be at the top of the salary rankings, whereas a large portion of the “isolated experts” are rather more poorly paid. However, there are also some respondents with a high level of income who report that they neither support organisational goals by executing communication nor by advising the strategy process.The survey supports previous findings (EACD, 2008) that salaries of commu-nication professionals differ widely throughout Europe. Countries with a well-established occupational field in Western and Northern Europe lead the field in terms of salary and remuneration. At the same time, women are under-re-presented in the higher bands of annual income, which indicates that a glass ceiling still exists. Membership in international communication associations such as the EACD correlates positively with a basic salary of 100,000 Euros or more.Consistent with the data presented in other sections of the survey, there are three main areas for training and development: dealing with online channels (referred to by 26%), developing communication plans linked to business stra-tegies (21%) and coaching peers and consulting top managers (20%).

CONCLUSIONSThe European Communication Monitor 2009 reveals deep insights into the structure of the field, highlighting the most important issues for communicati-on professionals in different regions and organisations, as well as specific con-cerns such as strategic impact, evaluation and online channels. Some of the most important findings are:• A clear majority of professionals in Europe execute communication based on organisational goals, but far fewer are helping to define the overall strategies of organisations.• PR professionals are trusted advisers across Europe, with 73% reporting that their recommendations are taken seriously by senior management and 64%



saying that their considerations are factored into strategic decision making and planning processes.• The overall influence of European PR professionals depends on the roles that the professionals take (“strategic facilitators” are most influential), their geo-graphical base (Northern European PR professionals are the most influential), their hierarchical position in the organisation and the years of practice they have in the field.• Corporate communication has overtaken marketing/consumer communicati-on as the predominant field of practice. Runner up in the ranking of disciplines is the field of corporate social responsibility/sustainability.• Internal communication and change management is becoming increasingly important, but linking those efforts to organisational strategies is a major chal-lenge.• Professionals predict a strong growth of online channels and social media, with a clear favourability for online communities and videos on the internet, followed by weblogs. Other platforms like RSS feeds, podcasts, wikis and Twitter are valued by less than 20% of the respondents.• European PR professionals have a sceptical view of Twitter. Despite strong re-ports in the media, micro blogging with Twitter is only considered important by 14% of communication professionals in Europe at present, and 39% state that it will be important next year. • Linking business strategy and communication, and coping with the digital evolution and the social web are the most relevant issues for European PR pro-fessionals. • Large sections of the field are dominated by a narrow view on measurement of the effectiveness of communication activities. While many monitor the output and some the outcome of communication, often neither the input in terms of finances and resources nor the effects on organisational goals are tracked.In the global information society “power relies on the control of communica-tion, as counterpower depends on breaking through such control” (Castells,

2009, p. 3). Along this line, most organisations try to implement strategic com-munication, meaning that they use communication purposefully to fulfil their mission (Hallahan et al., 2007). This survey shows that this is still based on a large amount of wishful thinking. Many professionals in communication depart-ments and agencies are still trying to find ways to link communication strategies to organisational goals. Narrow conceptions of measurement, as well as role enactments that concentrate either on planning and executing communication or only on helping to define business strategies are obstacles. While the full potential of strategic communication is not exploited, most professionals have recognised the challenges. Those with profound academic qualifications, senior positions or engagements in professional associations show the way. The most successful professionals are acting as “strategic facilitators”, systematically com-bining outbound (“dissemination”) activities with inbound (“listening and re-flection”) activities. Until now, this role is practised only by 56% of practitioners in Europe. Both the strategic facilitator role and the trends identified in this survey are consistent with advanced theories of corporate communication and communication management. While corporate communication is aimed in the first instance at informing and constructing meaning, its most obvious task is in-fluencing stakeholders, thereby serving both to support the ongoing provision of goods or services and to create intangible assets within companies (Zerfass, 2008, p. 66). In order to reach these goals, communication management should include (1) counselling the members of an organisation on matters of values, norms and issues important to society, (2) coaching the members of an orga-nisation to respond communicatively to societal demands, (3) conceptualising and planning communication with important publics to gain public trust and (4) executing communication plans (Van Ruler & Vercic, 2005, p. 265).Although there is still a long way to go, the profession of communication ma-nagement and public relations in Europe has gained a strong position. It is a major asset in times of trouble and can help to develop new routes to success in a complex and changing world of business, culture and technology.

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RESEARCH DESIGN AND DEMOGRAPHICS

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E


R E S E A R C H D E S I G N A N D D E M O G R A P H I C S

Person (Communication Manager)A

Demographics Job status Education Self-perception

OrganisationB

Structure Culture Country

D Perception

Future

C Situation

Present

Communication objectives, Q8Evaluation practice, Q9Economic recession, Q1

Disciplines and fields of practice, Q4Communication channels, Q5Strategic issues, Q6 / Impact of the media crisis, Q2Emerging interactive channels, Q1Online communities, Q11Internal communication, Q12, Q13Needs for training and qualification, Q14

Position

Advisory/executive influence, Q3Personal income, Q17

Age, Q17Gender, 17Association Member, Q17Social Network Member, Q17

Experience, Q17Hierarchy, Q17

Academic, Q17Communicative, Q17

Professional role, Q7Optimism, Q16

Type of organisation/agency, Q17

Characteristics of organisational culture, Q15

European homebase, Q17

>> Research framework and questions

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www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 17.

POSITION

Head of communication/Agency CEO 53.8%

Responsible for single communication discipline/Unit leader

29.8%

Team member/Consultant 12.7%

Other 3.7%

JOB EXPERIENCE

Up to 5 years 14.8%

6 to 10 years 26.9%

More than 10 years 58.3%

GENDER / AGE

Female 50.7%

Male 49.3%

Age (on average) 41.7 yrs

>> Demographic background of participants(1,863 communication professionals from 34 European countries)

ORGANISATION

Non-profit organisation/ Association

11.5%

Private company18.4%

Communication consultancy, PR Agency,

Freelance Consultant27.8%

Government-owned/Political organisation 12.7%

Joint stock company 29.7%

72.2% Communication department, Press office

27.8% Communication consultancy, PR Agency, Freelance Consultant


O R G A N I S A T I O N A L D A T A2 0



>> Gender: Within the whole sample, women and men are equally divided - but the higher positions are still male-dominated

POSITION

Female Male49.3%

54.2%

44.8%

41.9%

50.7%

45.8%

55.2%

58.1%

All respondents

Head of communication/Agency CEO

MaleResponsible for a single communication

discipline/Unit leader

Team member, Consultant

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European Countries; Q 17.





www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR professionals from 34 European countries; Q 17. Classification according to United Nations Statistics Division (2008).

>> Countries and regions represented in the study

RESPONDENTS ARE BASED IN 34 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND FOUR REGIONS

NORTHERN EUROPE 31.3% (N=579)

WESTERN EUROPE 41.4% (N=772)

EASTERN EUROPE 8.5% (N=158)

SOUTHERN EUROPE 19.0% (N=354)

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

Ireland

Latvia

Lithuania

Norway

Sweden

United Kingdom

Austria

Belgium

France

Germany

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Switzerland

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Hungary

Poland

Romania

Russia

Slovakia

Croatia

Cyprus

Greece

Italy

Macedonia

Malta

Portugal

Serbia

Slovenia

Spain

Turkey




COMMUNICATION QUALIFICATIONS

Academic degree in communication (Bachelor, Master, Doctorate)41.4%

Professional certificate in public relations/communication management 26.4%

Professional certificate in another communication discipline 17.3%

HIGHEST ACADEMIC EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

Doctorate (Ph.D., Dr.) 7.4%

Master (M.A., M.Sc., Mag., M.B.A.), Diploma 60.2%

Bachelor (B.A.) 25.1%

No academic degree 7.4%



>> Personal background of respondents



www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR professionals from 34 European countries; Q 17.

60 %

40 %

20 %

Europ

ean A

ssoc

iation

of

Commun

icatio

n Dire

ctors

(EACD)

Other in

terna

tiona

l

commun

icatio

n ass

ociat

ion

Nation

al PR or

commun

icatio

n

asso

ciatio

n

12.7% 16

.2%

55.4%



>> Affiliation of respondents (Membership in professional associations)



www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 782 PR Professionals; Q 15: How would you perceive your organisation regarding the following dimensions? participative/non participative, proactive/reactive; considered scale points 1-2 and 4-5; scale derived from Ernest (1985).

People orientation participative

Response to the environmentreactive

Response to the environment proactive

People or ientat ion non-participative

INTEGRATED CULTURE

66.4%

ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE

4.1%

INTERACTIVE CULTURE

13.9%

SYSTEMATISED CULTURE15.6%



>> Organisational cultures: Most participants work in people-oriented and responsive environments



www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 782 PR Professionals; Q 15: How would you perceive your organisation regarding the following dimensions? participative/non participative, proactive/reactive; considered scale points 1-2 and 4-5; scale derived from Ernest (1985). Green figures highlight positive variations to the average.

JOINT STOCK COMPANIES

PRIVATE COMPANIESGOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS

NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS

INTEGRATED CULTURE(PARTICIPATIVE – PROACTIVE)

64.5% 67.8% 58.8% 76.4%

INTERACTIVE CULTURE(PARTICIPATIVE – REACTIVE)

11.5% 10.4% 24.4% 15.0%

ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE(NON-PARTICIPATIVE – PROACTIVE)

4.5% 4.7% 3.1% 3.1%

SYSTEMATISED CULTURE(NON-PARTICIPATIVE – REACTIVE)

19.5% 17.1% 13.7% 5.5%



>> Types of culture in different types of organisation




R O L E S A N D C O N T R I B U T I O N T O O R G A N I S A T I O N A L O B J E C T I V E S

ROLES AND CONTRIBUTION TO ORGANISATIONAL OBJECTIVES





>> Strategic orientation: A clear majority execute communication based on business strategies, but only 6 out of 10 try to define them

84.8%focus on supporting business goals by planning and executing communication

60.7%feel responsible for helping to define business strategies

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 7: In your daily work, how much do you focus on sup-porting business goals by planning and executing communication? (1 = not at all; 7 = very much) / … how much do you feel responsible for helping to define business strategies? (1 = never; 7 = always); considered scale points 5-7.



>> Role-taking: PR Professionals enact different roles – this shapes and reflects their relationship with business strategies

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 7: In your daily work, how much do you focus on sup-porting business goals by planning and executing communication? (1 = not at all; 7 = very much) / … how much do you feel responsible for helping to define business strategies? (1 = never; 7 = always).

ALWAYSHelping to define business strategies

NOT AT ALLSupporting business goals by

managing communication

VERY MUCHSupporting business goals by

managing communication

NEVERHelping to define business strategies

STRATEGIC FACILITATORS

55.7%

OPERATIONAL SUPPORTERS

29.1%

BUSINESS ADVISERS

5.0%

ISOLATED EXPERTS10.2%

Scale: 5-7Scale: 1-4

Scal

e: 5

-7Sc

ale:

1-4





>> Strategic facilitators concentrate on listening and reflecting, as well as on dissemination, to contribute to organisational objectives

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 7, Q 8, Green and red figures highlight positive/negative variations to the average.



BUSINESS ADVISERS ISOLATED EXPERTS

Help top management to adjust the organisation to demands from stakeholders and society

63.2% 36.8% 43.0% 24.2%

Educate members of the organisation to behave more communicatively

59.0% 44.8% 54.8% 30.5%

Listen systematically to voices outside of the organisation

68.9% 53.4% 53.8% 44.2%

Inform stakeholders about the opinions of the organisation

62.6% 58.2% 36.6% 38.9%

Develop communication plans that support the strategy of the organisation

84.8% 76.6% 61.3% 48.9%

Shape the public image of the organisation

83.0% 78.3% 67.7% 64.2%





>> 64% of top-level communicators are strategic facilitators, but 6% are not linked to business strategies in any way

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 countries; Q 7; Q 17.

Head of communication/ Agency CEO

6.4% 24.7% 64.2%4.7%

Unit leader 47.8%33.9%5.2%13.1%

Team member 42.4%16.9% 3.4% 37.3%

Other 39.8%19.1% 13.2% 27.9%



Isolated Experts

Business Advisers

Operational Supporters

Strategic Facilitators



>> Strategic facilitators are more optimistic than any other role when thinking about the future of their function or agency

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 7; Q 16: Thinking of the communication function within your organisation or of your consultancy, are you optimistic or pessimistic for the next year? Green and red figures highlight positive/negative variations to the average.



BUSINESS ADVISERS ISOLATED EXPERTS

Optimistic for 2010 87.3% 82.5% 82.8% 75.8%

Pessimistic for 2010 12.7% 17.6% 17.2% 24.2%





>> Private companies show a strong combination of role sets

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,346 PR Professionals in communication departments; Q7.

Joint stock companies 48.1%39.0%

3.1%9.8%

Private companies55.0%30.1%6.7%8.2%

Governmental organisations 50.6%25.7%

7.2%16.5%

Non-profit organisations 57.0%23.8%

4.2%15.0%



Isolated ExpertsOperational SupportersBusiness AdviserStrategic Facilitators



>> Distribution of professional roles in European regions

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals; Q 7; Green and red figures highlight positive/negative variations to the average.

NORTHERN EUROPE WESTERN EUROPE SOUTHERN EUROPE EASTERN EUROPE

Strategic Facilitators 57.5% 55.2% 54.5% 53.8%

Operational Supporters 29.7% 29.9% 25.7% 31.0%

Business Advisers 3.6% 4.3% 8.5% 5.7%

Isolated Experts 9.2% 10.6% 11.3% 9.5%





>> Overall, practitioners in Europe still rely on outbound activities to reach organisational goals – speaking dominates listening

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 8: How do you and your department/agency help to reach overall goals of (internal) clients and the organisation at large? (1 = rarely; 5 = very often; considered scale points 4 and 5).

Shape the public image of the organisation

79.0%

Develop communication plans that support the strategy of the organisation

77.6%

Listen systematically to voices outside of the organisation

61.1%

Inform stakeholders about the opinions of the organisation

57.6%

Educate members of the organisation to behave more communicatively

51.7%

Help top management to adjust the organisation to demands from stakeholders and society

50.5%






P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S A N D M A N A G E M E N T D E C I S I O N S

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS



>> Influence and status of the profession: PR Practitioners are trusted advisers, but only two-thirds are involved in management decisions

73.0% are taken seriously by senior management

64.4% are involved in decision making and planning

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,267 PR Professionals in communication departments; Q 3: In your organisation, how seriously are PR recommendations taken by senior management? (1-7); To what extent are PR and reputational considerations factored into strategic decision making and planning in your organisation? (1-7); considered scale points 5-7.

Appraisal of the profession has risen slightly (+2% since 2008), yet executive influence is still as low as the year before (+0.4%).





>> Professionals in private and non-profit organisations report a rise of influence since 2008, although US practitioners are still ahead

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,267 PR Professionals in communication departments, Q 3; Zerfass et al. 2008 / n = 1,027; Q 1; USA: Swerling et al. 2008 / n = 518, Q 8, Q 10 (scale 1-7; average results). Green and red arrow symbols indicate positive/negative changes compared to ECM 2008 results.

EUROPE (2009)USA

(2007)JOINT STOCK COMPANIES

PRIVATE COMPANIES

GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS


TOTAL

ADVISORY INFLUENCEPR recommendations taken seriously by senior management

5.21 5.07 5.04 5.13 5.13 5.67

EXECUTIVE INFLUENCE PR involved in decision making

4.84 4.73 4.75 4.97 4.82 5.33

STATUS DISCREPANCY(difference between advisoryinfluence & executive influence)

-0.37 -0.34 -0.29 -0.16 -0.31 -0.34



>> On average, professionals acting as strategic facilitators and those working in Northern Europe are more influential

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,267 PR Professionals in communication departments; Q 3; Q 16; Q 17Green and red figures highlight positive/negative variations to the average.

STRATEGICFACILITATORS


BUSINESSADVISERS

ISOLATEDEXPERTS

ADVISORY INFLUENCE 83.5% 68.6% 52.5% 46.9%

EXECUTIVE INFLUENCE 79.0% 52.8% 57.4% 34.7%

NORTHERN EUROPE

WESTERN EUROPE

SOUTHERN EUROPE

EASTERN EUROPE

ADVISORY INFLUENCE 76.4% 74.6% 63.0% 67.8%

EXECUTIVE INFLUENCE 68.9% 63.4% 59.3% 60.9%





>> Influence correlates significantly with hierarchical position


Head of corporate or organisational communication

79.0%

72.0%

Unit leader 67.6%

58.3%

Team member 64.1%

52.1%

Other 65.4%

51.1%



Involved in decision making and planning

Taken seriously by senior management 64.4% 73.0% Average



>> With more years of experience in the field, the gap between advisory influence and executive influence becomes smaller


More than 10 years 77.1%

71.4%

6 to 10 years 71.5%

59.7%

Less than 5 years 62.9%

50.4%

Involved in decision making and planning

Taken seriously by senior management




I M P A C T O F T H E R E C E S S I O N A N D M E D I A C R I S I S

IMPACT OF THE RECESSION AND MEDIA CRISIS



>> How the global downturn influences PR practice in Europe

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 1: How has the global downturn influenced your daily work? (open question).

“Focus on value to the core mission”

“Projects delayed until things get better” “Costs”

“PR has to be more of a tool – more sell than tell”

“Reduce travel costs” “In no way”

”Delaying important decisions”

“Enforced focus on internal communication”

“Move to digital”

“Budget shift fromimage to marketing”

“Harder to convince management to replace staff leaving”

“More quality for less money”

“Less big contracts,but more small ones“





>> Influence of the recession: Practitioners face serious budget cuts; focusing activities and evaluating results becomes more important

Need to focus on most relevant issues/stakeholders 59.1%

Budget cuts 46.9%

Stronger demand for evaluation of results 40.4%

Motivation to invest in new instruments/tools 30.0%

Staff reduction 21.9%

Budgets shift from marketing communications to public relations

15.1%

Other 3.9%

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 1: How has the global downturn influenced your daily work? (1 = not at all; 5 = significantly); considered scale points 4-5.





>> Impact of the recession in different European regions

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 1: How has the global downturn influenced your daily work? (1 = not at all; 5 = significantly; considered scale points 4-5. Green and red figures highlight positive/negative variations to the average.

NORTHERN EUROPE

WESTERN EUROPE

SOUTHERN EUROPE

EASTERN EUROPE

Budget cuts 41.8% 45.2% 57.9% 48.7%

Staff reduction 22.6% 22.0% 22.6% 17.1%

Budgets shift from marketingcommunications to PR

16.9% 11.7% 18.9% 15.8%

Stronger demand for evaluation of results

34.7% 35.4% 56.5% 49.4%

Need to focus on most relevant issues/stakeholders

52.8% 58.9% 67.5% 63.3%

Motivation to invest in new instruments/tools

23.8% 28.1% 41.5% 35.4%





>> Impact of the recession in different organisations

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 1: How has the global downturn influenced your daily work? (1 = not at all; 5 = significantly); considered scale points 4-5. Green and red figures highlight positive/negative variations to the average.

JOINT STOCK COMPANIES

PRIVATE COMPANIES

GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS


Budget cuts 57.1% 50.6% 29.1% 35.0%

Staff reduction 27.8% 26.3% 13.1% 14.0%

Budgets shift from marketingcommunications to PR

13.6% 17.3% 11.8% 11.2%

Stronger demand for evaluation of results

41.0% 46.2% 30.4% 38.8%

Need to focus on most relevant issues/stakeholders

65.5% 63.7% 39.2% 61.7%

Motivation to invest in new instruments/tools

28.2% 31.0% 27.0% 31.8%





>> Impact of the media crisis: PR professionals try to adapt – they believe in the power of journalism and that the mass media is still strong

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 2: Publishers and broad-casters face serious difficulties: While commercial revenues are declining due to recession, audiences are switching to internet news and online communities. What does this mean for communicationmanagement? (1=strongly disagree; 5=strongly agree); agreement = scale points 4-5.

Communication professionals will adapt to new routines in journalism

72.2%

The mass media surviving the crisis will be more influential than ever

41.8%

Communication professionals will help media to survive 33.2%

It will be more difficult to get messages in the media 24.5%

Being reported in the media will be less relevant 18.7%





>> PR professionals working in participative, people-oriented cultures are more willing to adapt to the new rules of the game

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 2: Publishers and broad-casters face serious difficulties: While commercial revenues are declining due to recession, audiences are switching to internet news and online communities. What does this mean for communicationmanagement? (1=strongly disagree; 5=strongly agree); agreement = scale points 4-5. Green and red figures highlight positive/negative variations to the average.

INTEGRATED ORGANISATIONAL

CULTURE

INTERACTIVE ORGANISATIONAL

CULTURE

ENTREPRENEURIALORGANISATIONAL

CULTURE

SYSTEMATISED ORGANISATIONAL

CULTURE

Communication professionals will adapt to new routines in journalism (i.e. crossmedia newsrooms)

74.8% 78.0% 68.8% 67.2%

Communication professionals will help media to survive (i.e. through free content)

36.3% 43.1% 46.9% 35.3%





>> In spite of the recession and media crisis, European PR professionals are rather optimistic for 2010


“Thinking of the communication function within your organisation or of your consultancy, are you optimistic or pessimistic for the next year?”

85.1%“optimistic!”

Professionals working incommunication departments

83.0%“optimistic!”

Professionals working inagencies/consultancies




D E V E L O P M E N T O F D I S C I P L I N E S A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N C H A N N E L S

DEVELOPMENT OF DISCIPLINES AND COMMUNICATION CHANNELS



>> Most important disciplines in communication management

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 4: How important are the following fields of practice in your organisation or consultancy? Will they gain more or lessimportance within the next three years? (1 = not important; 5 = very important); important discipline = scale points 4-5. Arrow symbols indicate changes within the ranking of most important disciplines; in general, all disciplines are ascending.

TODAY IN 2012

1 Corporate Communication 1 Corporate Communication

2Marketing/Brand and Consumer

Communication2

Internal Communication and Change Management

3 Crisis Communication 3Marketing/Brand and Consumer

Communication

4Internal Communication and

Change Management4 CSR and Sustainability

5 Public Affairs / Lobbying 5 Public Affairs / Lobbying





Corporate Communication 86.1% -1.7 63.2%

Marketing/Brand and Consumer Communication 75.7% -7.6 58.7%

Crisis Communication 66.3% -8.1 49.8%

Internal Communication and Change Management 77.7% +9.0 44.1%

Public Affairs, Lobbying 66.4% -0.5 42.3%

Issues Management 62.8% -3.3 41.5%

Investor Relations, Financial Communication 52.9% -12.1 40.4%

Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability 70.7% +11.0 35.1%

International Communication 63.9% +4.5 34.8%

Personal Coaching, Training Communication Skills 60.1% +8.9 26.6%

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 4 : How important are the following fields of practice in your organisation or consultancy? Will they gain more or less importancewithin the next three years? (1 = not important; 5 = very important); important discipline = scale points 4-5. All disciplines are considered more important in 2012; comparison shows difference to the average increase (24.6%).

>> Expected development of disciplines and fields of practice

2012: compared to average increaseImportant discipline Importance today Importance in 2012





>> Long-term development of communication disciplines: Internal may overtake marketing/consumer in importance in 2012

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 4; Zerfass et al. 2008 / n = 1,524 PR Professionals from 37 countries; Q 2; Zerfass et al. 2007 / n = 1,087 PR Professionals from 22 countries; Q 3.

100 %

80 %

60 %

40 %

20 %

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Crisis Communication

Corporate Social Responsi-bility and Sustainability

Marketing/Brand and Consumer Communication

Important fields of practice today and in three years’ time

Internal Communication

Corporate Communication





>> Important channels and instruments

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 5: How important are the following methods in addres-sing stakeholders, gatekeepers and audiences? Will this change within the next three years? (1 = not important; 5 = very important); important channel = scale points 4-5. Arrow symbols indicate changes within the ranking of instruments.

TODAY IN 2012

1 Press and media relations: print media 1 Online communication

2 Online communication 2 Press and media relations: online media

3 Face to face communication 3 Face to face communication

4 Press and media relations: TV/radio 4 Social media

5 Press and media relations: online media 5 Press and media relations: print media





>> Expected development of communication channels

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 5: How important are the following methods in addres-sing stakeholders, gatekeepers and audiences? Will this change within the next three years? (1 = not important; 5 = very important); important instrument = scale points 4-5. Comparison shows difference to the average increase (14.6%).

Press and media relations: print media 60.1% -34.7 80.2%

Online communication 93.4% +20.2 58.6%

Face to face communication 74.9% +2.2 58.1%

Press and media relations: TV/radio 59.4% -9.2 54.0%

Press and media relations: online media 89.9% +31.5 43.8%

Events 45.8% -11.3 42.5%

Corporate publishing/media 42.0% -5.4 32.8%

Paid information 24.0% -13.8 23.2%

Non-verbal communication 35.6% -1.7 22.7%

Sponsoring 24.4% -12.0 21.8%

Social media 68.7% +34.6 19.5%

2012: compared to average increaseImportant instrument Importance today Importance in 2012





>> In line with previous surveys, online channels are expected to increase significantly in importance – but the actual levels are currently quite stable

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 5; Zerfass et al. 2008 / n = 1,524; Q 3; Zerfass et al. 2007 / n = 1,087; Q 3: How important are the following methods in addressing stakeholders, gatekeepers and audiences? Will this change within the next three years? (1 = not important; 5 = very important); important = scale points 4-5.

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Important instruments today and in three years’ time

100 %

80 %

60 %

40 %

20 %Press and media relations: online media

Online communication

Social media

Press and media relations: print media





>> The relevance of social media has almost doubled during the last 24 months, but other online instruments are way ahead

Online communication (websites, e-mail, intranet) 54.4% 58.1% 58.6%

Press and media relations: online media 38.4% 44.0% 43.8%

Social media (blogs, podcasts, communities) 11.5% 12.4% 19.5%

2007 2008 2009Important instruments for addressing stakeholders, gatekeepers and audiences

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 5; Zerfass et al. 2008 / n= 1,524; Q 3; Zerfass et al. 2007, n = 1,087; Q 4 : How important are the following methods in addressing stakeholders, gatekeepers and audiences? (1 = not important; 5 = very important); important = scale points 4-5.





>> Valuation of communication instruments is influenced by the overall organisational culture

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 782 PR Professionals in communication departments which clearly identified their organisational culture; Q 5: How important are the following methods in addressing stakeholders, gatekeepers and audiences? (1 = not important; 5 = very important); important = scale points 4-5. Green and red figures highlight positive/negative variations to the average.

Press and media relations

- addressing print media 80.2% 75.2% 84.4% 71.1%

- addressing online media 49.5% 36.7% 37.5% 30.6%

- addressing TV/radio 56.2% 45.9% 53.1% 33.3%

Corporate publishing/media 40.4% 29.4% 12.5% 34.4%

Online communication 66,3 % 57.8% 43.8% 51.6%

Social media 22.5% 13.8% 9.4% 10.0%

Events 47.4% 52.3% 43.8% 36.7%

Sponsoring 19.2% 22.4% 12.9% 20.0%

Face-to-face communication 65.0% 62.0% 62.5% 40.0%

Non-verbal communication 24.6% 19.6% 23.3% 13.3%

Paid information 20.0% 27.5% 18.8% 21.5%

n = 519 109 32 122

INTEGRATED INTERACTIVE ENTREPRENEURIAL SYSTEMATISEDImpor tant instruments Integrated culture- par ticipative towards

people- proactive towards environment

Interactive culture- par ticipative towards

people- reactive towards environment

Entrepreneurial culture- non-participative towards people- proactive towards environment

Systematised culture- non-participative towards people- reactive towards environment




I N T E R A C T I V E C O M M U N I C A T I O N : O V E R A L L T R E N D S A N D O N L I N E C O M M U N I T I E S

INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION: OVERALL TRENDS AND ONLINE

COMMUNITIES



>> Social media in communication management: online communities are leading the field – but web videos and blogs are growing fast

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / nmax = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 10; Zerfass et al. 2008 / n = 1,524 PR professionals; Q 7: Can you indicate the level of importance for public relations today and in the next year of the following communication tools (1= not important; 5= very important); important = scale points 4-5.

Online communities (Social networks) 32.8% 32.8%

Online videos 24.6% 28.9%

Weblogs 19.9% 24.8%

RSS feeds 17.7% 20.0%

Podcasts (Audio) 13.5% 14.0%

Microblogs (Twitter) n.a. 14.0

Wikis 15.5% 12.2%

Virtual worlds 10.3% 7.7%

2008 2009Interactive channels important for public relations



>> PR professionals predict a tremendous yet unlikely boost for all social media by the end of 2010, but the variances are most interesting

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 10: Can you indicate the level of importance for public relations today and in the next year of the following communication tools (1= not important; 5= very important); important = scale points 4-5. All are considered more important in 2010; comparison shows difference to average increase (29.28%).

Online communities (Social networks) 69.1% +7.0 32.8%

Online videos 69.8% +11.6 28.9%

Weblogs 55.4% +1.3 24.8%

RSS feeds 49.4% +0.1 20.0%

Podcasts (Audio) 40.5% -2.8 14.0%

Microblogs (Twitter) 38.7% -4.6 14.0%

Wikis 43.9% +2.4 12.2%

Virtual worlds 21.8% -15.2 7.7%

Increase compared to averageInteractive channels relevant for public relations

Importance predicted for 2010 Importance 2009



>> Social networks and web videos are inspiring the profession; on average nearly 70% think that they will be important by 2010

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 10: Can you indicate the level of importance for public relations today and in the next year of the following communication tools (1 = not important; 5 = very important); important tool = scale points 4-5.

100 %

80 %

60 %

40 %

20 %

Joint

stoc

k com

panie

s

Private

compa

nies

Govern

mental

orga

nisati

ons

Non-p

rofit o

rganis

ation

s

PR agen

cies /

cons

ultan

ts

Online communities Online videos

66.0%

68.9%

67.0%

66.4%

62.4% 67

.9% 76.2%

70.6%

82.4%

73.5%



>> Social networks are utilised within communication strategies for a variety of reasons

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals in communication departments; Q 11: How will your organisation use social networks within its online communication strategy within the next 12 months? (1 = do not use at all; 5 = use extensively; methods used = scale points 4-5).

100 %

80 %

60 %

40 %

20 %

Demon

strate

innov

ation

and

open

ness

Targe

ting s

pecif

ic

stakeh

olders

/cons

umers

Stimula

ting n

ew id

eas

Initia

ting d

ialog

ue with

stakeh

olders

Estab

lishin

g new

relat

ionsh

ips/

partn

ership

s

Online communities

48.9%

48.4%

47.8%

45.0%

44.1%

41.0%

37.5%

31.9%

Monito

ring o

pinion

build

ing

Explor

ing di

gital

commun

icatio

n

cultu

res

Runnin

g vira

l cam

paign

s



>> 85% of European communication professionals are members of online communities such as LinkedIn, Facebook and XING

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals; Q 17: Are you a member of one of those social networks? Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Plaxo, XING, Other (With my professional profile/With a private profile).

Professional profile only (27.3%)

Private profile only (16.5%)

No membership(15.0%)

Professional and private profile (41.3%)



>> LinkedIn is the most popular social network among communication professionals in Europe

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals; Q 17: Are you a member of one of those social networks? Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Plaxo, XING, Other (With my professional profile/With a private profile). Green figures highlight positive variations to the average.

PR PRACTITIONERS WITH A PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

PR PROFESSIONALS WITH A PRIVATE PROFILE

LinkedIn 55.4% 11.2%

XING 19.8% 4.7%

Plaxo 14.8% 4.3%

Facebook 12.2% 48.5%

MySpace 1.1% 6.0%

Other 11.3% 14.8%


S T R A T E G I C I S S U E S

STRATEGIC ISSUES



>> Challenges for communication management in Europe

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 6: Here are some issues that might become relevant for public relations and communication management within the next three years. Please pick those 3 items which are most important from your point of view.

1 Linking business strategy and communication 47.3%

2 Coping with the digital evolution and the social web 45.0%

3 Dealing with sustainable development and social responsibility 38.0%

4 Building and maintaining trust 34.6%

5 Dealing with the demand of new transparency and active audiences 30.5%

Most important issues within the next three years



>> The most important issues in detail

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 6: Here are some issues that might become relevant for public relations and communication management within the next three years. Please pick those 3 items which are most important from your point of view.

Linking business strategy and communication 47.3%

Coping with the digital evolution and the social web 45.0%

Dealing with sustainable development and social responsibility 38.0%

Building and maintaining trust 34.6%

Dealing with the demand for new transparency and active audiences 30.5%

Supporting organisational change 19.9%

Establishing new methods to evaluate communication 18.8%

Globalisation of communication 17.3%

Advancing public affairs and political communication 17.0%

Advancing issues management and corporate foresight 14.8%

Developing CEO positioning and communication 11.0%

Supporting intercultural integration 5.7%



>> Relevance of strategic issues compared to previous surveys

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 6; Zerfass et al. 2008 / n = 1,524 PR Professionals from 37 countries; Q 6; Zerfass et al. 2007 / n = 1,087 PR Professionals from 24 countries; Q 5: Here are some issues that might become relevant for public relations and communication management within the next three years. Please pick those 3 items which are most important from your point of view.

Linking business strategy and communication 47.3%

45.4%

45.6%

Coping with digital evolution and the social media 45.0%

38.5%

48.6%

Dealing with sustainable development and social resonsibility 38.0%

41.3%

31.0%

Building and maintaining trust 34.6%

30.4%

43.4%

2009 20072008


E V A L U A T I O N A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N P E R F O R M A N C E

EVALUATION AND COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE



>> How PR professionals in Europe measure their activities

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 9: Which items do you monitor or measure to assess the effectiveness of public relations / communication management? (1 = do not use at all; 5 = use continuously); methods used = scale points 4-5.

100 %

80 %

60 %

40 %

20 %

Clippin

gs an

d

media

respo

nse

Intern

et/int

ranet

usag

e

Satisfa

ction

of (in

terna

l)

clien

ts

Unders

tandin

g of ke

y mes

sage

s

Input Output Outcome Outflow

Finan

cial c

osts

for pr

ojects

Stakeh

older

attitu

des a

nd

beha

viour

chan

ge

Busine

ss go

als (i.

e. with

score

cards

)

Reputa

tion i

ndex,

bran

d valu

e

Person

nel c

osts

for

proje

cts

Proces

s qua

lity

(inter

nal w

orkflo

w)

84.0%

63.7%

56.1%

53.9%

46.9%

38.8%

34.4%

31.7%

29.7%

26.7%



>> Evaluation practice: 84% measure their impact on the media, but only one third track effects on their own organisation

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 9: Which items do you monitor or measure to assess the effectiveness of public relations / communication management? (1 = do not use at all; 5 = use continuously); methods used = scale points 4-5.

Outflow (effects on their own organisation) Business goals (i.e. with scorecards) 34.4%

Outcome (effects on stakeholders) Understanding of key messages 53.9%

Output (availability of messages/offerings) Clippings and media response 84.0%

Input (initiation of communication) Financial costs for projects 46.9%

MOST POPULAR MEASURES ON DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EVALUATION



>> When measuring their activities, communication professionals focus on a small part of the overall process

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 9: Which items do you monitor or measure to assess the effectiveness of public relations / communication management? (1 = do not use at all; 5 = use continuously; methods used = scale points 4-5). Figures depicted within the DPRG/ICV (2009) framework for communication measurement, www.communicationcontrolling.com.

Input

Resources

Personnel Costs Outsourcing Costs

38.3%

57.6%

Internal Output

Process EfficiencyQuality

41.4%

External Output

Coverage Content

73.9%

Direct Outcome

PerceptionUtilisationKnowledge

53.9%

Indirect Outcome

OpinionAttitudesEmotion

Behavioural DispositionBehaviour

38.8%

Output

46.4%

Outcome Value Creation

Impact on Strategic and/or Financial

Targets(Value Chain)

Impact on Tangible and/or Intangible

Resources (Capital Accumulation)

33.1%

Outflow

ORGANISATIONSTAKEHOLDERSMEDIA/CHANNELSORGANISATION

INITIATION OF COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION PROCESSES RESULTS



>> Joint stock and private companies are forerunners in monitoring costs and measuring the business impact

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,346 PR Professionals in communication departments; Q 9: Which items do you monitor or measure to assess the effectiveness of public relations / communicationmanagement? (1 = do not use at all; 5 = use continuously); methods used = scale points 4-5.

Financ

ial

costs

(inpu

t)

100 %

80 %

60 %

40 %

20 %

Non-profit organisations

Private companies

Governmental organisations

Joint stock companies

Person

nel

costs

(inpu

t)

Proces

s qual

ity

(outpu

t)

Clippin

gs an

d med

ia

respo

nse (o

utput)

Intern

et/int

ranet

usage

(outp

ut)

Satisfac

tion o

f (inte

rnal)

clien

ts (ou

tput)

Unders

tandin

g of ke

y

messag

es (ou

tcome)

Stakeh

older

attitu

des,

behav

iour

chang

e (ou

tcome)

Repu

tation

inde

x,

brand

value

(outf

low)

Busine

ss go

als

(outflo

w)



>> Communication measurement in different organisations

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,346 PR Professionals in communication departments; Q 9: Which items do you monitor or measure to assess the effectiveness of public relations / communication management? (1 = do not use at all; 5 = use continuously); methods used = scale points 4-5

Joint

stock

compa

nies

100 %

80 %

60 %

40 %

20 %

OutcomeInput OutflowOutput

Privat

e com

panie

s

Non-pr

ofit o

rganis

ations

Governm

ental

orga

nisatio

ns



>> Details of the methods used in different organisations

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,346 PR Professionals in communication departments; Q 9: Which items do you monitor or measure to assess the effectiveness of public relations / communication management? (1 = do not use at all; 5 = use continuously); methods used = scale points 4-5.

Financial costs for projects 52.3% 50.3% 31.2% 37.9% 45.8%

Personnel costs for projects 29.1% 30.7% 19.0% 23.8% 26.9%

Process quality 30.4% 30.4% 18.1% 22.0% 26.9%

Clippings and media response 87.0% 80.1% 87.3% 79.4% 84.1%

Internet/intranet usage 65.5% 64.0% 73.4% 77.1% 68.4%

Satisfaction of (internal) clients 53.5% 62.3% 42.6% 52.8% 53.7%

Understanding of key messages 51.0% 50.6% 43.0% 50.5% 49.4%

Stakeholder attitudes, behaviour change 38.3% 36.3% 28.7% 41.1% 36.6%

Reputation index, brand value 41.6% 33.0% 22.4% 19.6% 32.5%

Business goals 44.3% 37.1% 24.5% 22.9% 35.6%

JOINT STOCK PRIVATE GOVERNMENTAL NON-PROFIT OVERALLItems measured

7 6

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION TRENDS


I N T E R N A L C O M M U N I C A T I O N T R E N D S



>> Main challenges in internal communications over the next twelve months

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 12: What are the main challenges when communicating to employees within the next 12 months? Please pick those three which are most important from your point of view (1 = not important; 5 = very important); considered scale points 1-2.

Linking internal communicationto corporate strategies

68.8%

Supporting organisational change and restructuring

66.1%

Dealing with information overload

54.7% Coping with digital evolution and the social web 34.1%

Re-establishing lost credibility in management 28.7%

Avoiding reputation risks through online word-of-mouth 28.4%

Internationalisation of internal communication 19.5%



>> Different priorities in internal communication depending on the type of organisation

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,346 PR Professionals in communication departments; Q 12: What are the main challenges when communica-ting to employees within the next 12 months? Please pick those three which are most important from your point of view (1 = not important; 5 = very important); conside-red scale points. 1-2. Green and red figures highlight positive/negative variations to the average.

Supporting organisational change and restructuring 70.3% 68.1% 62.9% 64.0%

Dealing with information overload 53.9% 48.5% 65.8% 64.0%

Coping with the digital evolution and the social web 27.8% 29.8% 33.8% 40.2%

Avoiding reputation risks through online word-of-mouth 25.5% 30.7% 22.4% 22.0%

JOINT STOCK PRIVATE GOVERNMENTAL NON-PROFIT



>> Important future action in internal communication

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 13: In implementing internal communication, do you think some of the following aspects will be relevant in the next three years? (1 = not important; 5 = very important), considered scale points 1-2.

Training managers to act as communicators 74.3%

Spreading authentic content instead of polished messages 65.0%

Using online communities for internal dialogue 53.8%

Separating hard facts from comments 39.4%

Replacing text with videos 37.1%

Reducing information channels 28.2%

8 0

SALARY AND QUALIFICATION NEEDS


S A L A R Y A N D Q U A L I F I C A T I O N N E E D S



>> Basic annual salary of European PR practitioners (in Euros)

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,768 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 17: In which of the following bands does your basic annual salary fall?

More than 300.000 2.4%

200.001 – 300.000 2.7%

150.001 – 200.000 6.7%

100.001 – 150.000 14.3%

90.001 – 100.000 7.4%

80.001 – 90.000 6.8%

70.001 – 80.000 9.4%

60.001 – 70.000 8.8%

50.001 – 60.000 10.6%

40.001 – 50.000 11.1%

30.001 – 40.000 10.6%

Less than 30.000 9.2%



>> Annual salaries of male and female PR practitioners

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,768 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 17: In which of the following bands does your basic annual salary fall?; What is your gender?

€ 0.00

1 – € 4

0.000

25 %

20 %

15 %

10 %

5 %

male female

€ 150

.001 –

€ 200

.000

More th

an €

300.0

00

€ 200

.001 –

€ 300

.000

€ 40.0

01 –

€ 50.0

00

€ 50.0

01 –

€ 60.0

00

€ 60.0

01 –

€ 70.0

00

€ 70.0

01 –

€ 80.0

00

€ 80.0

01 –

€ 90.0

00€ 9

0.001

– € 1

00.00

0€ 1

00.00

1 – € 1

50.00

0

Less

than

€ 30

.000



>> Annual salary and membership in communication associations

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,768 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 17: In which of the following bands does your basic annual salary fall? Are you a member of a professional organisation?

€ 0.00

1 – € 4

0.000

25 %

20 %

15 %

10 %

5 %

Other international communication associationNational PR or communication association

€ 150

.001 –

€ 200

.000

More th

an €

300.0

00

€ 200

.001 –

€ 300

.000

€ 40.0

01 –

€ 50.0

00

€ 50.0

01 –

€ 60.0

00

€ 60.0

01 –

€ 70.0

00

€ 70.0

01 –

€ 80.0

00

€ 80.0

01 –

€ 90.0

00€ 9

0.001

– € 1

00.00

0€ 1

00.00

1 – € 1

50.00

0

Less

than

€ 30

.000

EACD



>> 60% of EACD members earn more than 90.000 Euros annually

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,768 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 17: In which of the following bands does your basic annual salary fall?; What is your gender?

30 %

20 %

10 %

€ 40.

001 –

€ 50.

000

€ 50.

001 –

€ 60.

000

€ 60.

001 –

€ 70.

000

€ 70.

001 –

€ 80.

000

Other professionals

EACD members

€ 80.

001 –

€ 90.

000

€ 90.

001 –

€ 100

.000

€ 1

00.0

01 –

€ 150

.000

€ 150

.001

– € 2

00.0

00

€ 200

.001

– € 3

00.0

00

Mor

e tha

n € 30

0.00

0

10.1%

3.1%

€ 30.

001 –

€ 40.

000

Less

than

€ 30

.000

11.0%

8.0%

12.1%

4.9%

11.0%

8.4%

9.0%

7.5% 9.9

%

6.2% 7.0

%

5.3% 6.9

%

11.1% 12

.8%

24.3%

12.8%

5,8%

5.3%

3.1%

2.3% 2.3%



>> Annual salaries in Western Europe are significantly higher

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,768 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 17: In which of the following bands does your basic annual salary fall?

30 %

20 %

10 %

€ 40.

001 –

€ 50.

000

€ 50.

001 –

€ 60.

000

€ 60.

001 –

€ 70.

000

€ 70.

001 –

€ 80.

000

Western Europe

€ 80.

001 –

€ 90.

000

€ 90.

001 –

€ 100

.000

€ 1

00.0

01 –

€ 150

.000

€ 150

.001

– € 2

00.0

00

€ 200

.001

– € 3

00.0

00

Mor

e tha

n € 30

0.00

0

€ 30.

001 –

€ 40.

000

Less

than

€ 30

.000

Northern Europe

Southern Europe

Eastern Europe



>> Annual salary of top level communicators in different regions (Head of communication/Agency CEO)

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 951 PR Professionals from European countries; Q 17: In which of the following bands does your basic annual salary fall?

30 %

20 %

10 %

€ 40.

001 –

€ 50.

000

€ 50.

001 –

€ 60.

000

€ 60.

001 –

€ 70.

000

€ 70.

001 –

€ 80.

000

Western Europe

€ 80.

001 –

€ 90.

000

€ 90.

001 –

€ 100

.000

€ 1

00.0

01 –

€ 150

.000

€ 150

.001

– € 2

00.0

00

€ 200

.001

– € 3

00.0

00

Mor

e tha

n € 30

0.00

0

€ 30.

001 –

€ 40.

000

Less

than

€ 30

.000

Northern Europe

Southern Europe

Eastern Europe



>> Corresponding with their hierarchical status and role, professionals acting as strategic facilitators report a higher salary

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,768 PR Professionals from 34 countries; Q 7, Q 17.

€ 0.00

1 – € 4

0.000

25 %

20 %

15 %

10 %

5 %

Isolated Experts Strategic Facilitators

€ 150

.001 –

€ 200

.000

More th

an €

300.0

00

€ 200

.001 –

€ 300

.000

€ 40.0

01 –

€ 50.0

00

€ 50.0

01 –

€ 60.0

00

€ 60.0

01 –

€ 70.0

00

€ 70.0

01 –

€ 80.0

00

€ 80.0

01 –

€ 90.0

00€ 9

0.001

– € 1

00.00

0€ 1

00.00

1 – € 1

50.00

0

Less

than

€ 30

.000

Operational SupportersBusiness Advisers



>> Training and qualification needs of PR professionals in Europe

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 14: Thinking of your own skills: if you had the right to choose one area of personal development next year, which of the following would you select?

Dealing with online channels 26.1%

Developing communication plans linked to business strategies 21.0%

Coaching peers and consulting top management 20.1%

Leadership skills 16.5%

Research and measurement methods 11.0%

Budgeting and resource allocation 3.7%

I have no development needs 1.7%



>> Qualification needs related to hierarchical position

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 14: Thinking of your own skills: if you have the right to choose one area of personal development next year, which of the following would you select? Green figures highlight positive variations to the average.

Dealing with online channels 28.2% 22.5% 24.6%

Developing comm. plans linked to business strategies 18.3% 24.5% 24.2%

Coaching peers and consulting top management 22.3% 16.8% 19.5%

Leadership skills 13.9% 20.0% 18.6%

Research and measurement methods 11.3% 12.1% 7.6%

Budgeting and resource allocation 3.8% 3.4% 4.2%

I have no development needs 2.2% 0.7% 1.3%

HEAD OF COMM./ AGENCY CEO UNIT LEADER TEAM MEMBER

9 0

Dealing with online channels 27.9% 22.3% 25.8%

Developing communication plans linked to business strategies 17.5% 24.7% 28.0%

Coaching peers and consulting top management 21.9% 18.5% 15.6%

Leadership skills 15.5% 19.3% 15.3%



>> Qualification needs related to job experience

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 14: Thinking of your own skills: if you have the right to choose one area of personal development next year, which of the following would you select?

Less than 5 years 6 to 10 years More than 10 years



>> Training requirements of various roles

www.communicationmonitor.eu / Zerfass et al. 2009 / n = 1,863 PR Professionals from 34 European countries; Q 14: Thinking of your own skills: if you have the right to choose one area of personal development next year, which of the following would you select? Green figures highlight positive variations to the average.

Dealing with online channels 26.9% 26.2% 20.4% 24.2%

Developing communication plans linked to business strategies 19.1% 23.4% 17.2% 26.3%

Coaching peers and consulting top management 20.8% 17.9% 30.1% 17.4%

Leadership skills 17.7% 16.8% 12.9% 11.1%

Research and measurement methods 11.1% 10.9% 8.6% 12.1%

STRATEGIC OPERATIONAL BUSINESS ISOLATED FACILITATORS SUPPORTERS ADVISERS EXPERTS

9 2R E F E R E N C E S

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Castells, M. (2009). Communication Power. Oxford: Oxford University Press.DPRG Deutsche Public Relations Gesellschaft, & ICV Internationaler Controller

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EACD European Association of Communication Directors (2008). European Com-munication Report 2008. Brussels: Helios Media.

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Grunig, L. A., Grunig, J. E. & Dozier, D. M. (2002). Excellent public relations and effective organizations. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

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Ihlen, Ø., Van Ruler, B., & Fredriksson, M. (Eds.) (2009). Public Relations and Social Theory. New York/Milton Park: Routledge.

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Public Relations – Results and Implications. Brussels, Leipzig: Euprera, Univer-sity of Leipzig. Available at: www.communicationmonitor.eu.

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Advisory board

Prof. Dr. Emanuele Invernizzi, IULM University, Milano, Italy.Prof. Dr. Valerie Carayol, University of Bordeaux 3, France.Ass. Prof. Dr. Francesco Lurati, University of Lugano, Switzerland.Prof. Dr. Sven Hamrefors, Mälardalen University, Sweden.Prof. Dr. Øyvind Ihlen, BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway.Prof. Dr. Ryszard Lawniczak, Poznan University of Economics, Poland.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS AND ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT:Stephanie Krahl, B.A., University of Leipzig, Germany.Peter Schmiedgen, B.A., University of Leipzig, Germany.

A U T H O R S , R E S E A R C H R E S E A R C H T E A M A N D A D V I S O R Y B O A R D

Authors & research team

Prof. Dr. Ansgar Zerfass, Professor of Communication Management, University of Leipzig, Germany. E-Mail: [email protected]

Prof. Angeles Moreno, PhD, Professor of Public Relations and Communication Management, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain. E-Mail: [email protected]

Prof. Ralph Tench, Dr., Professor of Public Relations, Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom. E-Mail: [email protected]

Prof. Dejan Vercic, PhD, Professor of Public Relations and Communication Manage-ment, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-Mail: [email protected]

Ass. Prof. Dr. Piet Verhoeven, Associate Professor of Communication Science, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. E-Mail: [email protected]


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Partners & Sponsor

European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) The European Public Relations Education and Research Association is an autonomous organisation that aims at stimulating and promoting innova-tive knowledge and practices of public relations education and research in

Europe. Its membership comprises the leading universities and scholars in commu-nication management as well as practitioners interested in academic research from more than 30 countries.www.euprera.org

European Association of Communication Directors (EACD)The European Association of Communication Directors is the leading network for communication professionals

from all fields across Europe with over 1,000 members. The non-partisan association lobbies for the profession, establishes common quality standards and promotes the advancement of professional qualifications for the sector by organising events and providing services, information and materials.www.eacd-online.eu

Communication Director Communication Director is a quar-terly magazine dedicated to Euro-

pean Corporate Communications and Public Relations. It explores contemporary communications strategies, discusses European trends, examines and analyses dif-ferent case studies and discusses the relevance of global communication strategies from a European perspective. The magazine is published by Helios Media, a specialist publishing house based in Berlin and Brussels. www.communication-director.eu

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