Comments on: Japan’s lesson for a tougher kind of PR

By: Edelman’s wonky 2011 Trust Survey | 21st-century PR issues › Paul Seaman's online review

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:34:07 +0000

[...] I’ve pointed out before how in Japan a long period of deflation, recession and reality broke the country’s commitment to consensus building. Japan has actually become more enthusiastically capitalistic than ever as it seeks ways to reboot its economy. However, The Economist reports that the public (in this context Europe and America) does yet see the future the same way Japan does: “America, supposedly the land of profit maximisation über alles, scored only 56%, and Britain 43%. Less surprisingly, Friedman’s views drew little support in stakeholder-friendly Germany, Italy and Spain, at 35%, 33% and 30%, respectively—ie, less support for profit maximisation than in China, whose nonetheless relatively low score suggests that its public embrace of red-blooded capitalism still has some way to go.” “Edelman found, there are very high levels of support for the view that firms should be willing to sacrifice some profits to meet their commitments to their various stakeholders. The percentages are startling—91% in Germany, 89% in Britain, Ireland and China. America is only slightly further behind. Even in those countries with the lowest support for this particular view—Brazil, Japan and the United Arab Emirates—there was still a majority who agreed with it.” [...]

By: Future trends in PR? Look East! | 21st-century PR issues › Paul Seaman's online review

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:32:54 +0000

[...] I highlighted in an earlier post how Japan’s long-term recession has resulted in a more robust confrontational PR environment that might well resemble the one we are heading toward. [...]

By: Paul Seaman

Paul Seaman — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:41:46 +0000

Heather, I agree that the death of the consensus approach to management should not become a licence for corporate bad behaviour.

I wrote up how toughness and empathy might be positioned by firms, politicians and their PRs here and here:

http://paulseaman.eu/2009/01/the-tories-toughness-and-empathy/

http://paulseaman.eu/2009/02/corporate-responsibility-the-least-we-can-do/

By: Heather Yaxley

Heather Yaxley — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:10:32 +0000

Whilst I think you are undoubtedly right that we will see a new aggressiveness in PR and the organisations for whom it is communicating, I don’t believe this is a sustainable position.

Of course, survival is essential for any organisation, but being brutal and disregardng those on whom success depends is not a viable strategy.

We need the business of business to be business as Friedman said but this means genuine social responsibility – with corporations recognising they need to play a role in society, but do not have a right to do whatever they want.

We don’t need fluffy, sleight of hand CSR initiatives, but neither do we need a return to the equivalent of sticking children up chimneys.

The role of PR must be that of a real “boundary-spanner” able to communicate the organisation’s position, clearly and effectively – but also to be a listener and capable of honesty internally by advising management when they are wrong and need to recognise responsibilities to constituents – on whom their success depends.

That’s enlightened self-interest not altruism – and a recognition that survival isn’t just for today or tomorrow, but for the long-term too.

By: Paul Seaman

Paul Seaman — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:01:25 +0000

The one thing we won’t see in this recession is a return to class war politics. There’s no support for it in any section of society.

As for the worst excesses of CSR advocacy, if it came from anywhere it was from the rump of the old left, which had given up on achieving socialism.

I hope to cover the issue of modern protest in the near future. Perhaps next week following the anti-G20 demonstrations in London.

By: Tim Pendry

Tim Pendry — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:19:09 +0000

Well said – but it could be argued that the whole language of CSR etcet was designed to lull the wider population into thinking that capitalism was something that it wasn’t: essentially benign rather than just merely an effective but often cruel means of production and distribution.

Capitalism may now revert to “frankness, honesty, robust communication rather than fluff, flannel and puff” but so will its more intelligent critics who will no longer be sidelined by all that puffy nonsense spouted from PR Departments and backed by so-called centre-left Governments.

This suggests that we will be seeing a new age of straight down-the-line class war propaganda centred on persuading people about their own self interest concerning their job and wealth prospects and directing where votes must go if the system is to be protected or abolished.

What a relief!