JOTW-2020年传播、公共关系和公共事务调查（英文）-2020.7-64页_1mb

Summary of the 2020 JOTW Communications Survey

Core Content

The 2020 JOTW Communications Survey is the third annual survey conducted by Ned's Job of the Week (JOTW) in partnership with Sword and the Script Media, LLC, and it includes responses from 300 communication professionals. The survey aims to understand the evolving landscape of communications, public relations, and public affairs, focusing on challenges, trends, and best practices.

Main Findings

Political Partisanship and Its Impact

• 72% of communicators believe political partisanship complicates their work.
• Many feel that brands are viewed through a political lens, even when not intended.
• 38% of respondents think brands should not take a stand, while 29% believe they should.
• Open-ended comments suggest that stance on political issues varies depending on the organization and the issue at hand.

Top Challenges in Communications

• The top challenge has shifted from budget to proving value and ROI (50%).
• The second top challenge is an executive team that doesn’t understand comms (45%).
• Cutting through the clutter and expanded responsibilities are also significant challenges.
• The in-housing trend has slowed, with only 30% of respondents reporting more work moving in-house compared to 47% in 2019.

State of Media Relations

• 75% of PR professionals say media relations is getting harder, up from 68% in 2019 and 51% in 2018.
• 64% still find exclusives useful, while 61% see value in press releases.
• 52% believe embargoes can help, but there is a warning that using them without prior agreement may be ineffective or seen as manipulative.

Media Objectivity and PR Ethics

• 41% believe professional reporters are objective often, and 37% say sometimes.
• 51% believe communicators often present truthful information, and 44% say sometimes.
• There is a general consensus that truthfulness is not always absolute, and spin can be part of truthful communication.

Top PR and Communications Tactics

• The top five tactics (by weighted average) are:
  1. Data & analytics (4.15)
  2. Storytelling (4.03)
  3. Content marketing / blogging / brand journalism (4.01)
  4. Business social responsibility (3.99)
  5. Thought leadership (3.95)
• Measurement and internal communications are also highly valued.
• Press releases and eBooks are seen as less important, with 2.79 and 2.46 weighted averages, respectively.

Social Media Importance

• LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram are ranked in the top three by weighted average.
• Twitter ranks fourth, despite its popularity among journalists.
• Messenger, Snapchat, Quora, and Signal are seen as less important.
• TikTok is evenly split in terms of importance.

PR Measurement and Technology

• 48% of respondents measure PR efforts often or always, while 38% do it sometimes or rarely.
• PR technology vendors that are recommended by at least 10% of respondents include:
  • PR Newswire
  • Cision
  • Business Wire
  • Meltwater
  • PRWeb
  • Nexis Newsdesk
  • Critical Mention
  • Factiva
  • TVEyes
  • Burrelles
  • Muck Rack

Organizational Reporting Structure

• 41% of respondents say their communications function reports to marketing.
• 33% report to the CEO.
• Other reporting structures include COO (7%), HR (5%), strategy (5%), and legal (3%).

Key Information

• The survey was conducted during the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic, which influenced the responses and highlighted the increased importance of internal communications.
• The newsletter and community have grown significantly, with over 5,800 communication professionals now receiving it.
• The survey is not limited to one organization, and insights are drawn from a diverse range of industries and experienced professionals (92% have 11+ years of experience).
• Open-ended comments provide context and depth to quantitative results, showing that while there are clear trends, individual perspectives vary.
• Ethics and truthfulness are important but not always absolute, with some respondents acknowledging the role of spin and bias in communication.

Conclusion

The 2020 JOTW Communications Survey highlights a shifting landscape in the communications industry, with proving value becoming a top priority, media relations becoming more complex, and storytelling and data analytics emerging as key tools. The impact of the pandemic is evident, with a greater emphasis on internal communications and increased reliance on in-house teams. The survey also raises important questions about media objectivity and ethical communication, suggesting that the industry continues to grapple with these issues.