Charlotte Otto, retired Procter & Gamble Global External Relations Officer and now Senior Corporate Strategist for Weber Shandwick, will receive the Jack Felton Medal for Lifetime Achievement. Otto will be thanked for her major contributions to the advancement of research, measurement, and evaluation in public relations and corporate communication by the IPR Measurement Commission at the IPR Distinguished Lecture and Awards Dinner on November 30 in NYC.

"Charlotte is a pioneer in the field of measurement and evaluation, and helped Procter & Gamble build a strong program that served as a model for others," said Dr. David Michaelson, IPR Research Fellow and a member of the award's selection committee. "Espousing the measurement philosophy of Jack Felton, Charlotte has greatly contributed to the advancement of the science beneath the art of public relations and the development of research standards for our industry." Read more.
Hailey Gerhard, Institute for Public Relations

The Benchmark by the Middle East PR Association (MEPRA) is the largest research project delving into the views, performance and aspirations of the public relations industry in the Middle East. MEPRA sought the opinions of senior practitioners - heads of in-house departments, agency chiefs and independent consultants- about their expectations for 2016. The results give a picture of an industry generally in good health, one which is growing in skills, confidence and scale.

The PR industry in the Middle East demonstrates a clear link between practice and performance. The most successful, world-class organizations in public relations, be they agencies or in-house departments, are those which have invested in policies, processes and quality control procedures; these deliver the strongest results. Read more.

Alisa Agozzino, Ph.D., Ohio Northern University

Pinterest is a social media tool practitioners can utilize to cultivate relationships among their publics in a visually stimulating way. The Top 10 most popular accounts on Pinterest supply useful information, provide opportunities to engage and encourage users to stay on the site.

Organizations should create messaging around "call to action" invites with their accounts, and by doing so, will be taking further steps to build relations with stakeholders. Read more.
The Latin American Communication Monitor (LCM), the largest study on communication management in Latin America, recently launched its second edition survey. This biennial study explores the use of big data and automatization of communication, strategic issues, and professional competences in strategic management and social media. This research program also studies emergent approaches in communication training for CCOs and other members of the organizations, engagement strategies with stakeholders, and the roles of virtual influencers.

PR professional from Latin American countries are encouraged to participate in this survey, available here.
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