The PRethics Masterclass “Building a ‘Speak Up’ Culture in PR” wrapped up successfully on September 10, empowering PR professionals to tackle rising misconduct in organizations. Led by ethics advocate Mary Beth West, APR, FPRCA, the virtual event provided actionable strategies to promote transparency, resist disinformation, and support ethical leadership.

West's insights, backed by real-world examples like the Boeing 737 Max, Google and Wells Fargo scandals, inspired attendees to champion accountability and foster cultures of integrity within their organizations. Participants left the session energized with practical tools to confront ethical challenges head-on.

Missed it? You can catch the full recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSeMzGmzVmw

WCFA is excited to join forces with leading media intelligence companies and industry leaders from across the globe to support the 2024 Global Media Landscape Survey. This initiative aims to deliver a comprehensive, global perspective on the evolving relationship between media and public relations professionals, offering insights that will shape the future of the industry.

We’re calling on all WCFA members to take part in this important survey. Your insights will help shape a global report that highlights regional differences and emerging trends in our industry. Plus, you'll be among the first to access the results, giving you a competitive edge.

It only takes 5 minutes to make your voice heard!

• Journalist Survey: Participate here
• PR/Comms Survey: Participate here

For more information about the project, visit the website here.

Global statistics prove that observed misconduct in organizations of all types — corporate, government, and non-profit — is on the rise. In this challenging environment, PR practitioners play a crucial role in upholding communication ethics and resisting the pressures of disinformation and corporate gaslighting from leadership cultures that lack ethical accountability.

To address these pressing issues and in honor of the #PRethics Month, the WCFA is hosting a special masterclass on:
- September 10, 2024, 2:00 p.m. CET (local time)
- Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/6252668357
- Register for free here!

The masterclass titled "Building a ‘Speak Up’ Culture in PR" will be led by Mary Beth West, APR, FPRCA, a leading advocate for PR ethics and the founder of The #PRethics Community on LinkedIn.

... Read More

The WCFA has announced a new and exciting category for the 2024 Davos Digital Awards – the Leader of the Future award. This limited-time opportunity is designed to recognize emerging leaders and innovators in digital communications. The award is aimed at individuals who are shaping the future of the industry with their vision, leadership, and creativity.

While the main awards have already closed, this new category remains open until August 31, 2024, giving candidates the chance to showcase their achievements and win global recognition.

Exclusive Benefits for Top Winners

The top three winners in the Leader of the Future category will receive:

• A ticket to the 2025 Davos Communications Summit, held in April in Davos, Switzerland—a prestigious event gathering global leaders in communications.
• A one-year WCFA Individual Membership, offering unparalleled networking opportunities with industry professionals worldwide.
• An official certificate and a trophy, symbolizing their achievements and leadership excellence.

... Read More

Article by Zsofia Lakatos, Managing Director at Emerald Public Relations (Hungary) and WCFA Global Advisory Board Member.

I was recently judging a prestigious communications competition and was shocked to find that there is still no healthy link between the advertising and PR professions. What’s more: there is no relationship at all.

Better and better communication solutions are submitted to the jury - but all of them are sorely lacking something to make them truly effective, truly rounded. I suspect this is because many advertising professionals have no idea what PR people do. Years ago, when I worked for a large communications agency, my colleagues and I used to have a lot of fun being cautiously eyed by people in other divisions. They would come and look at us like we were bazaar monkeys.

Being interesting to others would not be a problem. If they would take - and we would take - that one step to bring us closer to the other. I'm genuinely interested in what goes on in the mind of a creative director, how a digital professional works and what a media buyer does all day. I'd like to believe that there are people who are genuinely interested in what a PR professional does all day and why clients pay more or less for their work.

... Read More

My business – interview with Zsófia Lakatos, owner-CEO of Emerald PR, former President, and Member Emeritus of the Hungarian PR Association

- What do you consider the highlight of your career so far?
I can't name one thing, because a career path is not a mountain you climb and enjoy the view, it's more like a mountain range, with ups and downs. It meant a lot to me when I was elected President of the Hungarian PR Association ten years ago, the same year my book on sustainability was published in London and I was the first person in Hungary to receive the "Professional Ambassador of Sustainability" award. An important highlight beforehand, back in 2008 was when I became the Managing Director of Hill+Knowlton Hungary - at the age of 33 - and again in 2015 when, at the age of 40 and having 3 children, I had the courage to give it all up and founded my own agency Emerald PR, an affiliate of Burson Cohn&Wolfe. One outstanding moment for me was being elected Member Emeritus of the Hungarian PR Association on its 30th anniversary and when - as an international success - I was invited to the Advisory Board of the World Communications Forum Association.

- How far ahead are you planning?
In the current polycrisis period, it is almost impossible or very difficult to plan, so I prefer to think in terms of Plan B. And plans C and D. In addition to Emerald PR, I founded a crisis management company Crisis112, a sustainability consultancy BSP and most recently, a training broker agency Emerald Academy. And these are just my professional adventures.

... Read More

Since its creation in 2000, Datawords Group has established itself as a leader in e-multicultural technologies, forging the term Multicultural Ingenuity to reflect its capacity to support brands in the deployment of their digital marketing and technology strategies on an international scale.

Multicultural at its core, Datawords has developed a unique know-how and expertise in adapting its clients' technologies, strategies and digital content to a local audience, while respecting their brand image. The deployment of international campaigns poses a real challenge for major global brands, with linguistic and technical constraints, as well as cultural preferences, that can make a single global campaign impossible. Datawords relies on both MULTI digital expertise and CULTURAL adaptation of brand content across more than 50 languages and countries to capture local relevancy.

To reinforce its position in the Chinese market, Datawords announces the acquisition of the award-winning integrated communication company Switching-Time, founded in Shanghai, China. Established in 2012, Switching-Time serves a prestigious set of clients in the fashion, beauty, luxury and lifestyle industries. Over the years, it has expanded its offering to cover the full breadth of digital marketing services, including public relations (e-PR), influencer digital marketing and social media.

... Read More

Kobi Hemaa Osisiadan-Bekoe has been appointed as the Director of Corporate Affairs of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE). She becomes the first female to occupy a director’s position since its establishment.
Kobi Hemaa has over 14 years of experience in marketing, events, and communication. Kobi Hemaa is significant in media and international relations, tourism, journalism, diplomacy, and philanthropy.

She grooms and nurtures leaders in the public and private sectors on brand visibility, communications, and media relations. She leads major enterprise-level projects on negotiations, Investor relations, Market Entry Strategies, Multicultural Relations, Brand sustainability, Protocol and Public Diplomacy in Ghana, Nigeria and Netherlands.

She is the first Ghanaian member of the World Communication Forum. She is a member of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana (CIMG), Institute of Public Relations (IPR), Chartered Institute of Public Relations, UK (CIPR), and Women in Cybersecurity, West Africa Affiliate.

... Read More