Jun 26 2018
A cross-party Parliamentary group has set out proposals for a New Homes Ombudsman to help provide better redress for dissatisfied home buyers. Poor experiences with housebuilders are common factor in many people’s perception of the construction industry; promoting better behaviours in the housebuilding sector would therefore contribute to improving the image of construction. New Homes …
Feb 05 2018
The CIPR’s Construction and Property Special Interest Group (CAPSIG) is researching the views of women working in PR and marketing in UK construction and property. Sexism and gender inequality have been a sadly familiar aspect of working in the UK construction and property sectors for years – just as they have been in many other industries. …
Feb 26 2016
For a long time there has been some overlap, and a productive relationship, between two UK construction communication groups: CIMCIG, the construction interest group of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and CAPSIG, the construction and property special interest group (which I chair) of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Members of one are often eligible …
Feb 16 2016
I took a month-long sabbatical from blogging recently – partly due to pressure of other work, but also to recharge my personal blogging batteries. This PR blog may take on a new lease of life now, as I’ve also taken on some new responsibilities at the CIPR: in December I was elected to the CIPR’s …
Aug 28 2015
Cloak and dagger PR tactics should have no place in local planning application campaigns. ‘Astroturfing’ is unethical and brings PR into disrepute. After the UK’s Department of Work and Pensions’ fabricated case studies, a PR agency’s anti-perspirant case study involving its own staff (#sweatygate), and my own minor example of an industry leaders’ roundtable that …
Jul 06 2015
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations is to take a more active role in the UK construction industry, having joined the Construction Industry Council (CIC) as an associate member. The CIC represents professional bodies, research organisations and specialist business associations in the construction industry in the UK. The CIPR will be represented at CIC meetings …
May 11 2015
On Wednesday, I introduced the panel at a CIPR construction and property special interest group (CAPSIG) discussion on diversity in construction and PR. It was clear from the contributions (see the Storify stream, watch the YouTube video) that UK construction has a long way to go to build a new reputation as genuinely diverse, equal …
Apr 29 2015
If PR professionals are serious about managing reputation, they have to be serious about understanding the reasons for that reputation and helping businesses tackle underpinning issues such as diversity. At a recent group chairs meeting at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (I represented the CIPR’s construction and property special interest group, CAPSIG), my fellow …
Dec 22 2014
The UK construction industry’s reputation is the result of what it does, what it says and what others say about it. It can’t control the latter – it can only control its own behaviour and communications. The CIPR has been running a 12 days of Christmas CPD campaign highlighting some of the information, guidance and …
Dec 18 2014
Earlier this year, I joined the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA). For many years, this had been irrelevant to me – I worked mainly in-house and only when it sniffed a financial opportunity did it eventually (in about 2009, I think) open its doors to corporate communications teams. When I went freelance for the second time, I …
