News of a public sector ‘comms squeeze’ is everywhere right now, and there are obviously some significant implications for both the industry as a whole and for key target audiences.
Having just been named 11th in public sector PR by PR Week, we’re an agency that works closely with public sector organisations and we too are having to adapt.
Communications agencies that work alongside public sector will undoubtedly be impacted over the coming months, but I feel those hardest hit will be the agencies that don’t have a clear understanding of what clients need right now.
I think PR and communications can often be misunderstood or viewed as an afterthought by those who don’t have a communications background, which is why it’s often one of the first areas that organisations axe when the purse strings get tightened.
But I don’t think this is a particularly smart or long-term way of thinking. I believe the true challenge is to start to change the way we think and work.
Effective PR and communications fits hand in hand with effective corporate strategy and planning. You can’t change anything effectively within an organisation or community, without also clearly communicating that change process to those it affects.
At ICE, experience has taught us that real change only happens when you do it ‘with’ people and not ‘to people’ – it happens by listening and gaining better audience insight.
It’s turbulent times for the public sector– but communities still need to know about the services on offer to them, especially those who are most vulnerable.
What’s needed is truly informed and strategically led communications.
For me, it’s about applying a more ‘bottom up’ democratic approach, rather than just relying on the traditional ‘‘top down and message out’ methods.
