The Global PR Revolution: How Thought Leaders Succeed in the Transformed World of PR

by Maxim Behar

Overview

“An excellent guide.” —Paul Holmes, The Holmes Report

PR is everything and everywhere. Now more than ever, managing social media is a nuanced and dynamic field that requires the sophisticated touch of a trained professional. What was effective ten or even five years ago is no longer relevant. In The Global PR Revolution, public relations expert Maxim Behar shows readers how to master current approaches, create content that meets a client’s needs, and evolve with ever-changing trends. Complete with insights from over seventy PR leaders worldwide, this authoritative guide discusses such topics as:
 

• The New Rules of Social Media
• How to Speak the Language of PR
• Modern PR Skills and Tools
• How to Measure Impact
• The Effect of Total Transparency on Businesses
• International Perspectives on the Media
• The Future of the Industry

Behar’s knowledge, experience, and down-to-earth writing will keep readers engrossed while refining their understanding of public relations. By the time they finish, they’ll be well on their way to becoming experts in the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621537175
Publisher:	Allworth
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Maxim Behar is a globally renowned public relations expert, entrepreneur, writer, and Harvard Kennedy School graduate. He is the founder and CEO of M3 Communications Group, Inc. He is the past president of the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) and is currently a member of the executive committee. He has been awarded many titles, among them Global Chairman of the Year by the International Business Stevie Awards and Communicator of the Decade by the Association of Business Communicators of India. Bulgarian born and grown, he considers himself a global citizen.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

PR in the Days of Revolutions x

Chapter 1 PR Revolution 101 1

The New "Social Media" Normal 1

"From Crisis Point to Turning Point": The Bell Pottinger Case 5

Traditional Media: From Endangered to Extinct 8

Always Prepared: The Less-Than-10-Minutes Response Rule 12

The "Creative Liar" Notion: Bound for Extinction, Too 21

From "PR" to "…Live…" 22

From Measuring Rulers to Truly Measurable 24

Cultural Differences or Envelope Journalism? 26

Global Merging: PR on Top 27

Chapter 2 Into the Revolution 29

How I Got into the PR Business 29

PR: Defining Definitions 35

Standing Out in News Creation 40

Media's Woes and PR's "Blame" 41

PR, Not Propaganda 43

What's Left of Old-School PR? 48

For Health and Dignity 49

Chapter 3 The Revolution: The Fallen 51

The Death of the Press Release 51

The Death of the Press Conference 55

When Social Media Trumped the Internet 58

Going Viral: Contagion-Epidemics-Pandemics 59

The War with Advertising 63

Turning Public Communications Upside Down Again: Sir Martin Sorrell 75

Chapter 4 The Global PR Revolution: So far the One and Only! 79

PR's "Previous Life" 79

PR's First True Revolution 81

The Global PR Revolution Thesis and Its Discontents 106

Chapter 5 The Age of Total Transparency (TT) 111

A Brave New Transparent World 111

TT Basics 112

PR: Less Elitist Than Ever 113

Abusing TT 115

A Much Better Industry 119

The Power of Storytelling 120

Chapter 6 Media Beyond the Media 127

Objectified by the News 127

Who Owns the Media? 129

An Army of Amateurs 131

A Crisis Indeed 132

Reputation: Gone in Fifteen Seconds! 134

Major PR Disasters of the Social Media Age 135

What a PR Expert Should Be 143

Modern PR Tools: AMEC's Interactive Tool 144

Barcelona Principles 2.0 149

Traditional Political PR Is Dead! 156

PR, Trump Style 159

Brexit and the EU: Manipulation and Ineptitude 161

Facebook's Restrictions: Wrong Medicine for the Fake News Disease! 162

Chapter 7 The Industry After the Revolution 175

The Transformation of the PR Office 175

The Skills of Today 199

PR Experts or Editors? 200

The PR Language-Do We Understand It? 201

How to Sway People Today 201

In-House Clients' Trends: Chemistry or the Lack Thereof 202

When Small Is Bigger Than Big 206

Speed, Simplicity, Self-Confidence: The Rule 207

New Tools, Old Values 209

Measuring: Easier than Ever! 210

Risks: More than Ever! 211

Chapter 8 The PR Revolution: Regional Tips 221

The World's Regions 221

Honesty in Media 222

Education Today: The University of Life 241

Chapter 9 The Post-Revolutionary / Ever More Revolutionary Future 247

The Future of (Social) Media and the Future of PR 247

AI in PR 248

Software or Human Brain: You Choose (While You Still Can)! 250

Acknowledgments 273

About the Author 277

Index 279

Editorial Reviews

Maxim Behar is one of the most esteemed and famous PR experts of the modern era, and this book is bound to become an indispensable classic for anyone working in or engaging with the PR industry. PR has never been more powerful, but that power needs to be tempered by a constant emphasis on ethical professionalism and by an awareness of our impact on others. The Global PR Revolution is an unparalleled tour d’horizon of PR today and in the years to come.” —Francis Ingham, director general of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and chief executive of International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO)

“The pace of change in public relations has never been faster. More important, it will never be this slow again. Understanding the forces driving disruption in our business has never been more critical, and Maxim Behar—who has pioneered these forces in many places in the world as a great professional and also as ICCO President—is an excellent guide.” —Paul Holmes, founder and chair, The Holmes Report

“The world is changing. Social media is bringing people together and tearing them apart. It’s hard to know what to believe and who to trust, especially when it comes to the letters ‘PR.’ Enter Maxim Behar. He cuts through the noise and locks in on the signal. He helps us navigate the changes afoot and reminds us that some things—dignity, integrity—remain constant. Best of all, he delivers his message with a light touch that makes The Global PR Revolution a pleasure to read.” —Eric Weiner, New York Times bestselling author of The Geography of Bliss

"Behar’s great insight – and business gut instinct – has been to anticipate the merging of advertising, public relations and digital." —Richard Baily, editor, PR Academy
 
“I just took delivery of your book. Well done - I hope it meets much acclaim. It's certainly a book for our times and our business.” —Adam Benson CEO, Recognition PR (Australia)
 
“Inspiring, updated, easy to read and full of insights! Maxim Behar shares his great PR and media experience in a book that show us the way to go for such a disruptive industry that is Corporate Communications and PR. He shows important data, cases and crises; and gives great tips! The analysis of top professionals from many different countries is a real present, with different views and experiences from the ‘real’ life in this industry. I strongly recommend this book to read not only one, but several times. And with a great pleasure always.” —Adriana Fernandes Vieira, CEO, InterMídia Comunicação Integrada (Brazil)
 
“For his book The Global PR Revolution, which explores today’s international public relations landscape, Maxim Behar interviewed communications practitioners in 65 countries. His questions focused on the scale of the profession's development in each market, the implications changes have had, and may have in the future.” —Khristo Ayad, Strategic Communications Consultant (Qatar)

“We hear lots of doom and gloom with tales of woe about the future of the public relations industry. We're meant to believe that in today's integrated communications world that PR will be subsumed into other disciplines. In this lengthy book Max Behar draws on his years of experience to explore how the PR industry is changing to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Not only do we benefit from Max's insights and opinions, but he's also gathered the thoughts of 100 influential PR professionals from all around the world (disclaimer, I'm one of them). For some of the questions that Max explores it means you're able to read a diversity of views, which helps provoke you to think harder about the issue. If you're looking for a PR book to help you navigate the choppy waters of changing communications then I'd recommend investing in a copy of The Global PR Revolution." —Stuart Bruce, non-executive director, Chartered Institute of Public Relation (CIPR) – (UK)

From the Publisher