What control does AR have in a credit crunch?

This month’s IIAR forum will discuss ‘AR in a credit crunch’ (details below). It’s notable that the panelists aren’t AR managers, but analysts. It reflects the widespread expectation that professionals have to focus on presenting the value they add to others, especially in terms of attracting, retaining and developing clients relationships. I chaired a similar discussion for London PR and Branding, and there also the discussion was really about other people. The sort of questions that came up were an excellent indications of the mood in the industry:

  • Are people nervous about moving into new jobs
  • How can people feel more secure in their current situation?
  • Will there be employment opportunities in the next year?
  • What’s the value ratio between your firm and your competitors? And what does that mean if clients start to put more weight on price rather than quality?
  • Will marketing retain control  in the future, or will higher-ups start to determine things?
  • What’s the best way to demonstrate personal value?

The impact of all this anxiety can be positive. More people are thinking about how they can develop their effectiveness and connect up to others. We’re certainly seeing a rapid change in the way communications professionals are prepared to connect up in order to get more out of what they have. It will be interesting to hear the analysts’ perspective on all that.

This is the invite sent to IIAR members:

This is a reminder that our next London Forum is on 20th May and will focus on `AR in a credit crunch’. We are delighted to announce that David Mitchell from Ovum will be joining guest panellists Mike Cansfield from Forrester Research, Jon Collins from Freeform Dynamics, and Martin Hingley from Martin Hingley Research. The panel will discuss what challenges vendors will face in the current economic climate and how analysts can help them.

The location will be Edelman’s offices in London.

The forum kicks off at 3:45 p.m. and runs until 6:30 p.m., followed by an informal dinner.

Forums are open to IIAR members — members who would like to attend, please RSVP to me, stating whether you will be coming to the dinner. For further information on the IIAR and to join, visit our website at www.analystrelations.org. We also have a limited number of guest places available for those who have not previously attended a meeting — if you are interested in attending as a guest, please email me at hkirkman@analystrelations.org.

Duncan Chapple

Duncan Chapple is the preeminent consultant on optimising international analyst relations and the value created by analyst firms. As SageCircle research director, Chapple directs programs that assess and increase the business value of relationships with industry analysts and sourcing advisors.