Rohan Exton
Director, Business Public Relations Group
Written by Juliet Smith on 2008-10-12
What do you see happening in the next five years in the public relations industry?
The current level of infrastructure construction is absorbing a large number of communication people into community Relations style roles. This level of infrastructure spending cannot continue indefinitely – although the Queensland Government is planning to spend $107 billion in infrastructure in South East Queensland over the next 20 years and $36 billion for the regions over the next decade. Community Relations style programs will continue to be a large part of the Public Relations (PR) landscape, but that should not diminish the focus on more traditional style campaigns.
I am curious to see the impact of international labour sourcing arrangements, such as O-Desk. By some accounts, the number of English speaking Chinese will exceed the number of native English speakers in the rest of the world by 2025. And that is not taking into account the Indian population who are already conversant in English. While there will always be a need for face-to-face communication, it remains to be seen as to whether much of the back room work can be outsourced for much cheaper labour rates. I also see that there will be more independent sole operators. Technology enables individual operators and we will see more clusters of independent professionals. For example, a cluster could include public relations, printers, marketers and designers.
What are the biggest challenges you and your organisation face as a member of the Brisbane media community?
The biggest challenge the industry has is finding quality and experienced staff. Finding enough work to keep busy is not a problem. There are not enough senior, experienced people, although there seem to be many graduates. Public Relations has been a traditionally female dominated workforce, and also has high turnover rates. The industry needs to be more family friendly, allowing flexible work options. Harnessing the energy of graduates and actively training them for the future should also be a consideration. Our industry needs to invest in the future, and then ensure that it capitalises on that investment by minimising staff turnover.
What are the most important/valuable skills that graduates can bring to your industry?
Writing skills are the most important that a graduate can bring to the industry. I believe that if you employ a graduate, they should have a core set of skills and one of them is excellent writing skills. They should ideally also have a fundamental understanding of the Public Relations process and media, but ultimately those things can be relatively easily trained. But it is harder to train good writing. Either you have it as part of your skill set or you do not. I also look for graduates with a good Grade Point Average (GPA) (around five and a half to six) and showing some life balance with outside interests. I do not want to employ someone who has achieved a GPA of 6.5+ but has no concept of the world they live in!
How would you rate the performance of Brisbane-based media organisations in comparison to other national and international media hubs?
I am a big consumer of online media – particularly the online editions of The Courier-Mail, Brisbane Times and ABC News Radio. We have seen massive convergence between print, online and video through the internet with these web sites now offering all three. I am always wary of the dominance of The Courier-Mail in the Brisbane marketplace, so was pleased to see Brisbane Times enter the scene. I still am amused to see nearly identical stories in both publications from time to time. While the internet has given me more choices as to where I get my news from, the flip side is that local media (and I am talking really local suburban media) still have a powerful place in the marketplace that should not be ignored.
How has new media such as the Internet and mobile communications revolutionised your workplace?
These technologies have made a huge difference to the workplace. They have made information a lot more accessible, and have facilitated the Small Office, Home Office (SOHO) person and the independent operator. The ability to access databases remotely has totally revolutionised the workplace. The operating costs for a business have also lowered. For example, using a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone system really decreases the costs of phone use. New media is also changing the media and the communication landscape. For example, print, video and radio are converging online. Individuals are also now able to express their views in a more public way.
What changes have you seen in the industry since you started?
Technology has changed in the industry the most. When I started in the industry in 2000, we had an office of 10-12 people and only one computer was connected to the internet – that was all. Now the internet has become a fundamental part of doing business. As well as this, there is now more of a focus on community consultation because of the number of infrastructure projects. My first job in Public Relations was more of a “industrial” Public Relations approach – where communication was with industry association members and communication was about products and services. Community consultation is more about true engagement with stakeholders with communication going both ways.
What career path would you recommend to a public relations graduate?
My recommendation for graduates is firstly, build your contacts. Get to know people, join your professional association and attend events. Spend around two years in a consultancy and get fantastic experience (even though the pay may not be much), then go into government and that will provide you a good foundation. Government is such a big part of society, the workforce and a big part of the communication mix. Quite regularly you are dealing with a government project and if you have worked on the inside you are better able to understand the process, approvals and bureaucracy. This is a good base for doing whatever you want after that.