The Bellwether Survey is, by most measures, an ambitious undertaking. “We think this might be the biggest study of its type,” explained The PRWeek‘s Steve Barrett on the podcast’s January 11 episode.
The collaborative project between PRWeek and Boston University aimed to gain insight into the state of the communications field by polling individuals with firsthand experience in the industry—in total, researchers received responses from 1,500 public relations professionals.
“We do say that this is one of the biggest studies, if not the biggest study, and most comprehensive studies of the PR profession ever done,” said Arunima Krishna, assistant professor of PR at BU’s College of Communication.
But, Krishna says, the Bellwether Survey is unprecedented in its scope as well as size. Researchers crafted 72 questions spanning a wide range of topics to take stock of the PR community’s views on the state of the industry and their predictions for its future—which, for many researchers and practitioners, appears rife with challenges.
“We need to ask ourselves: Are we ready for the extraordinary risk that we see out there? Are we ready for the extraordinary disruption we see out there? And how does PR navigate that broader macro environment?” said Ray Kotcher, professor of the practice of PR at Boston University, on the podcast. “So I think that a study of this type can provide really high value.”
Kotcher claimed that last year proved particularly difficult for a number of well-known corporate brands, citing Facebook, Johnson & Johnson, CBS, and Starbucks as still recovering from their 2018 PR crises. And one major finding from the Bellwether Survey may indicate why corporations often stumble when faced with such high-profile scandals.
Researchers polled PR professionals at both large corporations and smaller agencies—compared to agency employees, corporate employees reported that they felt more hindered in their ability “deal with crises and operate with speed and agility.”
“Which is an interesting finding,” Krishna explained. “Agencies are more agile and can respond to the environment more speedily than can corporations.”
Listen to the full episode to learn more—
The PR Week 1.11.2019: Ray Kotcher and Arunima Krishna, Boston University