Trust & Ethics in PR — PRSA Training Series

Note to speaker:It is very unlikely you will make a presentation using all of these slides. This was prepared so that you can pick and choose material that suits your needs, all designed to communicate the importance of ethical communication. Most of the sources noted on each slide update their information annually. Just do a Web search for the most current information.

Questions?Contact Tom [email protected]

Blank Slide

What’s the key to selling a car? Or anything else?

PRSA Board of Ethics and Professional Standards, 2011

It’s one word.Just five letters.

And it defines each of the following people.

__ __ __ __ __

See if you can fill in the blanks based on hints in the following slides.

James Earl JonesNo. 1 on this attribute

Tom HanksNo. 2

Michael J. FoxNo. 3

Morgan FreemanNo. 4

Forbes e-Poll 2010

Others in the Top Ten on this attribute

Sally Field

Ron Howard

Will Smith

Bill Cosby

Denzel Washington

Mike Rowe

Forbes e-Poll 2010

__ R __ __ __

Need a hint?Let’s reveal one letter at a

time…

__ R __ S __

__ R U S __

TRUSTIt’s critical to success in public relations.

What does it say about us that some celebrities are trusted so much and

business, government and other institutions so little?

“There is a pervading crisis of confidence and trust in the global corporate culture. Trust has been ruptured between many organizations and their constituencies.

Yet trust is at the basis of every relationship. The loss of trust leads to the loss of

reputation and, ultimately, to the loss of business.”

Ruder-Finn Public Relations

Listen to Carly on trust.

And think about the attributes of trust you’ll see on the bottom left of the screen.

Carly Fiorina, former CEO of HP

Trusted? Top 10?

Trusted?

Trusted?

Trusted?

Most Trusted Brand In the U.S.

Millward Brown research, 2010

#2 Most Trusted Brand in America

Millward Brown research, 2010

Top 10 Most Trusted Brands

Amazon.com

FedEx

Downy

Huggies

Tide

Tylenol

Toyota (changing?)

WebMd

Pampers

UPS

Milward Brown research, 2010

Is trust important to business?

“Trust is something business can’t do without...It isn’t some fuzzy nice-to-have; it’s the lubricant

without which the City and Wall Street are as frozen as a rusted motor.

If there is debt or credit, there has to be trust.”

Business columnist Simon Caulkin, The Guardian

Who is trusted among TV News Networks?

Public Policy Poll, 2010

America’s Most Trusted “Newsman”

Jon Stewart

Can “Experts” Be Trusted?

2010 Edelman Trust Barometer

2010 Edelman Trust Barometer

Can sources be trusted?

What professions are most trusted?

Will you define your profession?Or will it define you?

#1 Profession for Honesty and Ethical Standards

Nurses

Best (and worst) Professionsfor Honesty and Ethics

Nurses

Pharmacists

Police

Engineers

Dentists

College Teachers

Clergy

Chiropractors

Psychiatrists

Journalists

Bankers

Governors

Lawyers

Business Execs

Advertising practitioners

Senators

Insurance Sales

Stockbrokers

Members of Congress

Health Insurance Managers

Gallup Poll, Nov. 2009

Do we trust government?

Only 17% of Americans trust the government to do the right thing most or all

of the time.

52% of Americans agreed with the statement that “quite a few government officials are

crooked.”

NY Times/CBS Poll, Oct. 2008

Do we even trust what we eat?

Less than 20% of consumers trust food companies to develop and sell food products that are safe and healthy for themselves and their families. 60% are concerned about the

safety of food they purchase.

IBM ResearchJune 24, 2009

CAN I TRUST YOU?That’s what defines reputation.

What Affects Corporate Reputation?

2010 Edelman Trust Barometer*Ranked #1 in 2006**Ranked #3 in 2006

DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT?

Trust is the most important consideration I make, even more than political viewpoint, when I consider who to vote

for, and more important than price and quality when I consider who I do business with, or who I invest with.

Researchers asked:

Edelman Trust Barometer, 2007

DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT?

Trust is the most important consideration I make, even more than political viewpoint, when I consider who to vote

for, and more important than price and quality when I consider who I do business with, or who I invest with.

85% Agreed66% Agreed StronglyOnly 10% Disagreed

Edelman Trust Barometer, 2007

Ethical behavior is the right thing to do.

It’s also the foundation of long-term business success and

profitability.

How to earn trust

Note to Speaker

Please use the following slides as needed for your presentation. Feel free to mix and match any slides

to fit the subject matter you’ll be addressing.

Code of Ethics

The Public Relations Society of AmericaA standard for ethical behavior and trust building

Basic Code Principles

HonestyAdhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth

in advancing the interests of those you represent and in communicating with the public.

Maintain the integrity of relationships with the media, government officials, and the public.

To ensure honesty, investigate the accuracy of information given to you. Reveal sponsors for causes/interests. Disclose financial interests.


FairnessDeal fairly with clients, employers, competitors, peers, vendors, the media, and the general public. Respect all

opinions and support the right of free expression.

Build trust with the public by revealing all information needed for responsible decision making.


ExpertiseAdvance your profession through your continued

professional development, research, and education. Build mutual understanding, credibility and

relationships among a wide array of institutions and audiences.


AdvocacyServe the public interest by acting as responsible

advocates for those you represent. Provide a voice for the organization through ideas, facts and viewpoints to

aid informed public debate.


IndependenceProvide objective counsel to those you represent.

Avoid real, potential or perceived conflicts of interest you will build the trust of clients, employers and the

public.

Professional Standards Advisories

(Code Additions & Updates) Plagiarism

Falsely representing another’s ideas or words as your own

Different than copyright infringement

All too frequent today with Internet availability

Must give proper credit to creator


(Code Additions & Updates) Looking the Other Way

Failing to sound alarm for ethical dilemmas

Some professions don’t tell by custom

Too much “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”


(Code Additions & Updates) Expropriation of Intellectual Property of

Others

Stealing ideas from business presentations

Can happen when ideas are presented as part of RFP

Must have an upfront understanding and presentation must be presented with a copyright indicated


(Code Additions & Updates) Use of Video News Releases as a Public

Relations Tool

Increasing scrutiny by FCC, Congress and other groups

News stories, B-roll and clips on video are VNRs

Producers of VNRs must indicate their origin

TV stations must indicate the origin of a VNR


(Code Additions & Updates) BEPS is responsible for producing PSAs to

inform and instruct PRSA members and other on how to deal with real-life ethical dilemmas.

More than 20 have been produced during the past decade.

PRSA members are urged to review all PSAs on the PRSA Web site --- www.prsa.org.

DWYSYDCREDIBILITY IS:

DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU WILL DO

The Page Principles(The Arthur W. Page Society includes PR leaders from America’s leading corporations)

Tell the truth.

Prove it with action.

Listen to the customer.

Manage for tomorrow.

Conduct public relations as if the whole company depends on it.

Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people.

Remain calm, patient and good-humored.

How does trust pay out?

Efficiency. Business transactions take longer and cost more when trust is absent.

Improved employee performance. One study showed trust in senior management improved profitability 13%.

Customer retention. Trust in salespeople has a significant impact on customer retention.

Vendor Selection. A survey of purchasing managers shows trust is a top criteria for selecting vendors.

Innovation. Product innovation increases when there is trust between business units.

Arthur W. Page Special Report, 2009

How does the following clip measure up on honesty, transparency, full disclosure and

candor ‘til it hurts?

TrustIf you build it, they will come.

(Domino’s Sales up Dramatically)

Board of Ethics and Professional StandardsPublic Relations Society of America