FutureComms15 Highlights

25 top speakers from the world of PR, comms and content shared their insights on current PR topics. See the highlights of FutureComms15, featuring quotes from Robert Rose, Alex Myers, Robert Phillips and Chris Webb and visitors of the conference:

Jonathan Bean, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Mynewsdesk, began the proceedings showcasing Mynewsdesk recent groundbreaking campaign - Surfing The Silver Way where a 82-year-old discovers the internet for the very first time. He then opened up Eduardo Conrado's notion that "PR is at an inflection point between what we're comfortable with, what we have permission to do, and what's possible". For more details watch the video.

Robert Rose, the world’s leading content marketing strategist, continued with a keynote on brand storytelling. PR is in a state of change. The industry is evolving every day. The opportunity for brand storytelling can be huge for organisations and PR practitioners, but only if we commit to both organisational change and a different approach to the services we provide. It's not about what you sell but what you stand for. More insights in this video. 

In the panel "PR & Content, The Great Divide?"led by Jon Bernstein, Adam Cranfield, Robert Rose, Sarah Pinch and Francis Thomas were discussing whether the PR industry is facing the threat of extinction. If brands act as publishers, are PR professionals still required or will they slowly turn into content marketers? The nature of how brands communicate with consumers has changed as their ability to publish content through their own channels has increased, and there is the argument that traditional media is becoming irrelevant. Watch for yourself. 

In the context of "The Death of SEO & the Rise of the Brand Story" Neville Hobson, Alex Myers, Gem Griff, Max Tatton-Brown, Carlos Menezes and Lukasz Zelezny discussed how Google’s Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird algorithm changes have had profound effects on the SEO industry. Search rankings are now dependent on the quality, originality and relevance of online content, rather than the way it's coded. Content marketing has risen to the fore as the way of achieving this, and this has brought together SEO practitioners, social media marketers and PR professionals. Watch here. 

Chris Webb, who was the Metropolitan Police’s Strategic Communications Lead at the time of the 7/7 bombings in London, gave insights how he and his team handled crisis communications. If the events of 7th July were to unfold again today, how differently would the news emerge? What part would social media channels play in the media? And would the government and emergency services’ communications teams and strategies be able to cope? Watch some of the tips he provided. 

"Why Communicators Must Embrace the PESO Model" was discussed between the panelists Paul Sutton, Danny Whatmough, Matt Gilbert, Stella Bayles and Charles Arthur. The growth of sponsored content and native advertising has integrated paid media firmly with earned, owned and shared media. Brands have little choice but to adapt to this changing environment, fast. Watch the video.

Stephen Follows, writer and producer at Catsnake, shared his experiences and tips for when it comes to brand storytelling. When people share content, they do it for interesting reasons - and brands should learn from and consider these. People fall into predictable patterns of behaviour. By acknowledging and understanding these patterns, brands can create content which is far more likely to be shared. More insights in this video.

The conference was rounded up by Stephen Waddington, Chief Engagement Officer at Ketchum, with the following key points:

• The customer doesn’t care about blurring disciplines
• Recognise the evolution of public relations
• Listening, data
• Communities, hacking
• New skills: search, paid and earned
• Speed, agile workflow 
• Sometimes silly shit just works but planning helps

Read the full summary of Stephen Waddingtons keynote here or watch the video.

Stay excited for FutureComms 2016!