04 Sep 2018

Principles in Vogue? What Communicators can Learn from Diplomacy & International Relations

One Philosophy Group of Companies has initiated an important dispute on a Global PR Summit #PRovoke18.

Nataliya Popovych, President of One Philosophy has moderated a discussion panel dedicated to values and principles of modern PR:

Joined by Michael Carpenter and David Patrikarakos the meaningful talk on what businesses should learn from the actions of the malign foreign actors, influencing elections, challenging the role of democratic institutions and ways of life of others led to some key take-aways, that we hope will live and have a lasting impact further:

Global communicators need to develop a better understanding of the global environment in which they operate, geopolitics, history and conflicts surrounding the markets where they decide to be present.

There's a risk and responsibility to be taken for operating in environments – like Russia or Saudi Arabia – be it sponsorships of the events or full-scale operations, that have a very different understanding of the basic values, like human rights, from those practiced in the Western world.

Hire professionals to assess the new markets where companies decide to invest in brand-building. Investigate the local environment, complexity of relationships among the stakeholders before investing and making mistakes.

Demonstrate decency standards and look beyond the short-term profit. Discipline organizations to establish a long-term view to building lasting relationships and global footprint.

Brands should be morally and legally obligated to not spread the language of hate or misinformation.

This era of #fakenews is going to appear quaint. Just wait until #AI comes in.

Fighting ignorance vis-à-vis international relations, countering the actions of malign foreign actors is not an act of charity but an investment to support the very system – an infrastructure of the democracy – which is the best environment for sustainable global business growth.

More insights to come later this year on our annual Global PR Insights event, that we'll announce a bit later, so stay tuned!