Liam Dowd

"Advertising is a potent tool and now is the time for us all to step up, recognising the urgency of the climate crisis and the need to get ahead of disinformation. When information is delivered in a way that resonates with the audience, it can drive positive change. We can do three things: safeguard the public against misinformation by reaching them with a positive message, reframe by communicating the benefits of climate policy, or rebut misinformation with the relevant facts. The elections and the climate crisis will not wait, and neither can we. It’s time to act now," says Harriet Kingaby at ACT Climate Labs. Excellent piece c/o Sustainability Beat looking at why it’s important for climate communicators to help combat misinformation during the upcoming political elections. Well worth a read... 👇🏻 🌱 🗳️ https://lnkd.in/ehiCNDHw

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📰 The Future of News: A Two-Tier Media Landscape? A stark warning from parliament.uk: without action, we risk a fractured news ecosystem, with informed citizens on one side and disengaged communities on the other. 💡 “Having informed citizens with a shared understanding of facts isn’t guaranteed—and may not endure.” The UK’s media has defied the odds these past 15 years, with exciting new formats and diverse perspectives. But it’s not all good news… 📉💔 🔎 Trust in journalism is falling 🙈 News avoidance is rising 💸 Revenue streams are drying up 🤖 And AI? It’s shaking up EVERYTHING The risk? A “two-tier” system where some stay informed while others fall into news deserts or questionable online sources. So, what’s next? Tax breaks for local news 🏡, smarter AI policies 🤝, and more innovation💡 could help us steer away from the cliff edge. We are doing our bit at Contribly by trying to innovate the audience engagement side of the news, by getting real people’s voices included and heard in a safe way that social media doesn’t provide. The aim is to build trust and relevance! Let’s keep the news serving everyone, not just the privileged few. 🌍💪 What’s your take on this? Let’s chat! 👇🗣️ https://lnkd.in/enjesFrY

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In the second article in EOS at Federated Hermes Limited's Q3 Public Engagement Report, Joanne (Jo) B. and George Watson explain how we engage with companies on water #stewardship, to address scarcity and quality issues. #ESG #nature #humanrights #biodiversity https://bit.ly/3AsXTQy

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What do clients really want (and need) from agencies? During a recent CIM | The Chartered Institute of Marketing panel event, Sharon Jiggins emphasised the critical role of consumer insights and the responsibility agencies bear in genuinely engaging with their target audiences. #CreativeAgency #AudienceInsight #Advertising

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Great piece Andy. The age of accountability demands that organisations step out of their comfort zones and meet heightened expectations for transparency, collaboration, and trust-building. The new political and regulatory landscape will be relentless, and businesses must pivot from “managing” issues to owning them. The message is clear: reputation isn’t about spin, it’s about substance. That means ditching outdated playbooks and embracing authenticity, humility, and action. As communicators, we’re uniquely positioned to lead this charge, pushing for honest conversations in the boardroom and shaping strategies that endure scrutiny. Long-term trust beats short-term fixes every time. Let’s redefine what it means to truly build relationships with all stakeholders. In 2025, standing still is no longer an option. It’s time to lean into the uncomfortable, acknowledge flaws, and lead with care and conscience. #ReputationManagement #AgeOfAccountability #Authenticity #TrustBuilding #Transparency #CorporateCommunications #Leadership #StakeholderEngagement

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How easy is it to measure your carbon footprint online? Ruari McCallion looks at free-of-charge carbon footprint calculators and assesses their general value. See his article in Eureka. https://lnkd.in/eYhQdhNP

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❓ How can behaviour change helps government achieve its priorities? ❓What is the role of PR in the green transition? ❓ Has politics given PR a bad name? Founding partner Mark Lowe tackles these questions and more in PRWeek UK. Visit the link in the comments to read more. #PublicRelations #PublicAffairs

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News Values What is a journalist looking for in a news story? Understanding these factors can help public relations practitioners craft media pitches and press releases. In 2001, Tony Harcup and Deirdre O’Neil published their seminal research on UK news values (an update on Galtung and Ruge's influential 1965 taxonomy of news values). In order of priority, these were: 1, The power elite: Stories concerning influential individuals, organisations or institutions 2. Celebrity: Stories about people who are already famous 3. Entertainment: Stories that people find humorous 4. Surprise: Stories that have an element that surprises people 5. Bad news: Stories with negative overtones, such as conflict or tragedy 6. Good news: Stories with positive overtones, such as rescues and cures 7. Magnitude: Stories perceived as significant because of the number of people involved or the impact 8. Relevance: Stories perceived to be relevant to the audience 9. Follow-up: Stories about subjects that have already been in the news, either very recently or on an anniversary 10. Newspaper agenda: Stories that fit the news organisation's agenda. Since the research was undertaken, social media has become a prime news channel for many people. We often prefer audio-visual news content, especially short videos. The algorithms that run social media and news aggregators like Apple News operate as echo chambers, feeding us topics we have liked before or we pre-select. Exclusive stories are possibly more important nowadays, as competition is fierce when so many media outlets exist. I am sure that for some of the big stories of the last few years, you could name the media which broke that news. Shareability is a newer trend; stories are designed for people to share on social media. There is also the negative trend of clickbait - misleading headlines that attract our attention. In 2016, Harcup and O’Neil again researched UK news values and produced a contemporary, ranked list. These are: 1. Exclusivity: stories generated first by a named news outlet 2. Bad news 3. Conflict: stories about controversies, arguments, strikes, warfare 4. Surprise 5. Audio-visuals: stories with arresting images, video or audio 6. Shareability: stories likely to be engaged with on social media 7. Entertainment 8. Drama: stories about an unfolding event, such as accidents or court cases 9. Follow-up 10. Relevance 11. Magnitude 12. Celebrity 13. Good news 14. News organisation's agenda. What is news? Have news values changed dramatically or just evolved since the original 2001 Harcup and O’Neill research? The ranking order has slightly changed, and additional factors have been added. Only ‘the power elite’ is off the revised list. Overall, Harcup and O’Neill’s original news values have stood the test of time, not just in the study of journalism but in having relevance to public relations practice. [Image: Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash]

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Some great thoughts here from Brandon M. on how to make climate comms more compelling

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People Want real Change - Sunak v Starmer: Green groups call on broadcasters to ensure climate change features in TV debates: https://lnkd.in/eqxDwp3N #elections #UK #UKelections #TVdebates #climatechange

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We've been creating again. Here's our latest mini-guide to crafting a meaningful PR strategy in a changing environment. What are your key PR concerns today?

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"About two-thirds of the agencies taking part in this year’s PRWeek UK Top 150 Consultancies project continue to have all-white boards." PRWeek UK Does this come as a shock? No, Not really for people working to build a more inclusive industry. These numbers were to be expected. I feel some anger and more despair..............It is not just me but research shows that most DEI efforts since BLM and COVID were performative and opportunistic, so they were doomed to fail. Within our industry there has been a disproportionate focus on diverse hires, numbers and representations - but at lower levels. Here we are talking about some of the most powerful agencies in the world and the UK. They advise clients on reputation, DEI, sustainability and are asking their clients to change to be relevant in the future! Ironical considering they are not willing to or see the need to change. Change does not happen when you maintain status quo. Change does not happen when you don't invest time and money into enabling that change. Change also does not happen without a vision. And change will definitely will not happen without the buy in from industry leaders and board members. Incremental change is good, but increasing representation at leadership levels and in the C-suite requires transformational thinking, a willingness to adapt, to recognise that this is an imperative, allocate resources and hold themselves accountable. To see any real change in my working life we need to recognise that ethnic minorities with leadership aspirations face (and will face) the broken rung, the glass ceiling, glass cliff and a system stacked against them, that encourages homophily. Small comfort that the number of black and ethnic minorities in the industry has increased from last year, but we know leadership aspirants will drop out when they cannot see role models or people like themselves leading. Industry leaders know that DEI can no longer just be a talking point or tick box, it is a fundamental building block of social justice and a human rights concern. We will be held to account! So, let's see leaders step up, and be accountable not just for profits but for building a fairer industry. Well done PRWeek UK on the insights👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 #buildbackbetter #inclusionandbelonging #rolemodels #ethnicminorityleaders

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From the editor of Business Green: “Fresh polling and results suggest Number 10's decision to rollback climate policies - and crucially to be seen to do so - has backfired quite spectacularly.” UK Local elections: Results and polling suggest voters 'as committed as ever' to net zero: https://lnkd.in/e3gDbTvA #netzero #UK #voters #politics

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In the UK, funds and asset managers will soon be subject to ESG marketing rules, which aim to stamp out greenwashing behaviours such as using the words "sustainability" and "impact" for the sake of it, with no real backing to the claims. For more on the serious issue this is causing, see this example from Italy ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gr_zuNBe This legislative move is a positive step forward towards regulating greenwashing in a powerful industry and may make investing decisions simpler and more transparent for retail investors ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gqkgn-yW I would love to hear your thoughts - is this something we should see more widely in the B2B and B2C spaces, beyond the broad consumer law protections we currently have in place? #ESG #marketing #sustainability #greenwashing #regulatory

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A number of key areas will be influencing our thinking ahead of tomorrows general election. One of those that has become even more important, if not critical, in recent years is climate action. How the parties in power handle this is crucial for the future. My colleagues at Material | B Corp™ have produced a very timely summary that includes information you may find useful as you help decide the countries fate. Sharing in case it helps

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Thanks to John Johnston for the POLITICO Europe London Influence story on the training gap between white PR Professionals and those from BME backgrounds. The Chartered Institute of Public Relations State of the Profession survey showed that white practitioners are: - more likely to have received training in the previous 12 months (81% vs. 74%) - are more likely to have agreed training needs with managers - and are less likely to have had requests for training turned down (36% vs. 47%).   This represents statistically significant gap in the training experiences and opportunities of UK BME PR professionals compared to their white colleagues. Not only is training vital for an individual’s progression, and internal profile, as it can shape how an employer views their ability and seniority, lack of access can impact overall achievements as well as retention - a key point brought up by Matthew Otubu. And based on previous research and people's lived experience, it’s also a red flag for other missed work opportunities and unspoken barriers to fairness and inclusion. Sadly the training gap is not surprising but it is unacceptable and, in an age of skills shortages, inexcusable. #PR #Comms #DiversityandInclusion #Training https://lnkd.in/eCZypZM8

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When it comes to sustainability reporting, transforming complex data into compelling narratives is an art. Corporate comms teams have the challenge of taking intricate figures and turning them into stories that people care about and relate to. In the first article in Speak Media UK's three-part series about evidence-backed sustainability comms, I focus on just this. With insights from sustainability experts Adrian Segens FRSA and Thil Sathyamoorthy, we explore how corporate comms teams can turn dry metrics into powerful insights through: 📊Visual storytelling and the use of infographics and videos 👥Bringing people, whether employees or supply-chain staff, to the forefront of your narrative 🔎Back up every claim with verified data to build trust and remain credible Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/eKvnMKYY #sustainability #comms #storytelling #narratives #marketing

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🌿 Effective collaboration is key to real climate action. That’s why Clear Channel UK have been working with local authorities for decades, supporting innovative initiatives like Aberdeen Meadows-in-a-Box and Bristol City Leap. By demanding transparency and setting higher benchmarks, we can help ensure commitments go beyond lip service. But what else can be done? Partnerships and Creative Director, Louise Stubbings (she / her), answers the question in the latest Local Government Chronicle. Read it here: https://okt.to/EqB4e2 #PlatformForGood #Sustainability

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