Transcript Munslow PRISA conference 2016

Insights into the South African
Communication Landscape
A study by VMA Group Global, in
association with PRISA and IABC
Daniel Munslow
Director, MCC Consulting
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Executive Summary
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Representation for the 2016 research report expanded to include feedback from communicators in
East and West Africa
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In line with cost cutting, there is a trend to centralise the communication function across federated
businesses
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30% of communicators say their salaries were cut or remained the same year on year
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Career development is the number 1 reason people leave their jobs. Remuneration is rated the 3rd
reason only.
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Nearly 9% of respondents have started their own consultancies on the back of retrenchments (5%
of those surveyed have been retrenched since March 2015)
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There has been an increase in the use of personal contacts for career development, with
recruitment firms still holding a strong lead position as a way of sourcing top talent
A study by VMA Group Global, in association with PRISA and IABC
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Executive Summary
•
There has been a drastic downward trend in communicators looking to expand into Africa, with 66%
saying they have no plans to expand.
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35% of comms budgets have increased, and the exact same amount have decreased their budgets
•
51% of respondents say business acumen is a critical skills for communicators, up from 5% in 2015!
•
While training remains a critical skills development tool, not to mention that the absence of training
is the number one reason for loss of talent, 51% of companies have cut their training budget in the
last year
•
Downward pressure on budgets has overtaken skills shortages as the number 1 concern for
communicators. In 2015, 22% said budget was a key challenge for business over the next 12 months.
This number has skyrocketed to 58%
•
29% have indicated there is a shortage of good skills and talent on the marketplace in 2016, up from
25% in 2015.
A study by VMA Group Global, in association with PRISA and IABC
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Demographics
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Demographics
What is your
gender?
Do you work in an
agency or in-house?
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Current job title
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Years' Experience
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Which industry do you work in?
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What is your role primarily
focused on?
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How does your salary compare
to one year ago?
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Which benefits do you receive as
part of your package?
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In terms of remuneration do you
believe you are:
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What are the top three reasons
for leaving your last role?
Career
development and
training
New challenges and more
interesting work
My line manager
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22%
Higher Salary
Top three methods of gaining
employment:
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Is your role:
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Is your business looking to expand their
communications team in Africa within the next
two years? If so, in which locations?
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How much of the communications
function is outsourced to an agency?
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What is the current
size of your team?
How does your
current team size
compare to two
years ago?
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To whom does the most senior
communications professional report?
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What are the most significant challenges
the communication industry is facing?
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What are the most significant challenges
the communication industry is facing?
[year-on-year comparison]
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Do you have clearly defined KPIs/financial targets to
measure your own performance?
If yes, what criteria
are these targets
based on?
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What are the top five skills currently
lacking in the marketplace?
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What are the top five skills currently
lacking in the marketplace?
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How have your training budgets been
affected by the current economic climate?
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Which platforms your company uses to engage stakeholders?
What enterprise social network do you use to engage with stakeholders
and employees within your business?
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What are your company’s three biggest
challenges in developing its external or internal
social media offering?
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I expect the influence exerted by the communications function to
increase in the next two years:
When my organisation undertakes new
projects, the communications team is
involved in the process from the
beginning:
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Recommendations

Skills Development and Investment in Human Capital
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Leadership Communication
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Improved research and measurement is critical to drive better buy-in to the communication function… this
measurement should be done on an outtake, outcome, and outflow level to ensure financial ROI as well as ROE are
calculated and demonstrated
Social Media
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Lack of leadership visibility during times of change is a major concern for communicators locally. Make sure you
support your leaders and ensure they are visible, especially during times of change
Strategic Communication Measurement
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Increase training budgets and ensure skills development in the right fields for communicators. Focus on business
acumen and strategic thinking.
Support HR in better communicating to employees about the EVP and benefits within the organisation, in accordance
with the needs of employees to drive staff and IP retention
Dramatic shift from tactical to strategy
More education required internally to get senior leadership buy-in
Manage social media as part of IMC, reputation management and crisis comms strategies
Collaboration
–
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Silos within organisations are causing disruption and misalignment for integrated communication programmes. Find
better ways to create collaborative forums to enhance interdepartmental synergies
Thank you
Daniel Munslow
E [email protected]
C +27 83 338 7794
@munslowd
https://za.linkedin.com/in/danielmunslow
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