Public relations professionals, media and other interested parties who want to learn more about the public relations industry often turn to the Council of Public Relations Firms for survey findings and industry research. The following facts were culled from internal surveys as well as other industry-related sources.
Most Recent Survey Data: Quick Survey Results from Q2 2010
The Council conducted an online surveys of its members at the end of Q2 2010 to gauge various aspects of the public relations industry
Compared to the first half 2009, 74% of firms have seen an increase in revenues so far in 2010
81.5% of firms expect to see higher revenues this year
A majority of firms, 75.9%, have indicated a stronger new business pipeline through the first have of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009
Quick Survey Results from Q4 2009 & Q1 2010
Compared with Q1 2009, 65% of firms are experiencing higher revenues in Q1 2010.
75% of firms are experiencing an increase in new business opportunities in Q1 2010 compared to Q1 2009
Digital and social media: According to the Q4 2009 survey, 82% of firms expect to see the demand for those services increase in 2010.
According to the following percentage of Council members, Consumer (56%), Healthcare (46%), and Technology (37%) had the most new business activity during Q1 2010.
Results from Research Conducted by the Council in Collaboration with Kelton Research
Online interviews of 285 public relations practitioners were conducted between January 21 and February 4, 2009, on the state of the public relations industry in 2009.
Despite the recent downturn in the economy, the majority (67%) of public relations practitioners are optimistic about the forthcoming year.
Social media (79%) and digital content creation (55%) are the campaign elements that are believed to have the most potential for growth in 2009, although 59% feel technology is under-used in public relations campaigns.
With regards to the 2008 presidential election nearly seven in ten (69%) believe that the Obama administration will be good for the PR industry. Government and nonprofits (20%), healthcare (16%), and technology (14%) are sectors forecasted to likely benefit the most.
In facing the troubled economy, many PR professionals find their skills to be relevant, namely for enforcing transparency in business practices (70%) and helping the U.S. government communicate problems to the rest of the nation (52%).
Online interviews were conducted among 57 principles of public relations firms between January 15 and January 22, 2009.
The majority of respondents (61%) reported growth in 2008 on the average of 4%.
Sectors that reported the largest percentages of growth were consumer products and services (21%) and healthcare (19%).
Despite the decrease in revenue and the troubled economy, most respondents (39%) are expecting to match numbers from the previous year and some (33%) believe they will see a revenue increase in 2009.
Principles showed the most optimism towards opportunities and growth for public relations in online media (25%), issues and crisis management (21%), and public affairs (14%).
Digital Data
According to a survey of 2008 Internfest attendees, the overwhelming majority of digital natives think that digital media is here to stay. Seventy-one percent (71%) think it will change the PR business forever. Click here for the complete results.
Blog monitoring is the top digital capability PR firms offer to clients, according to a March 2008 Council survey. Click here to see the top ten list.
Eighty-three percent (83%) of firms said an agency's social media capabilities are either extremely or moderately important to clients and prospects, according to a Council survey.
In the 2007 blogger/PR professional relations survey conducted by the Council and APCO Worldwide, the majority of public relations professionals believed they are doing a good job in reaching out to bloggers; while most bloggers disagreed. Fifty-two percent (52%) of PR executives agreed that their "firms are doing a good job identifying the specific interests of bloggers and sending them relevant information." But 65% of bloggers disagree with that notion. Read best practices guide on The State of Blog Relations site.
According to a 2007 Council’s survey on web 2.0, public relations firms are utilizing online/social media tools in large numbers to help guide clients through the changing communications landscape (respondents chose more than one tool):
Blogs 84%
Podcasts 60%
RSS 53%
Microsites 53%
Interactive Portals 42%
Mobile Marketing 33%
Wikis 22%
Client-related Data
Public relations firms have generated the majority of their profits from longstanding clients with five years or more, according to the 2008 Business Benchmark Survey.
Internal communications is a potential growth area for public relations firms. Thirty-three percent (33%) of firms said they have seen more high-level internal communication or employee engagement work from clients. Click here for full results.
In recent years, "virtual teams" have become more acceptable, but it is up to the client to decide, said 39% of member firms. Here are the full survey results.
In the same March '08 Council survey, sixty percent (60%) of participating firms responded that they have, or are in the process of building, a "green" practice area. View the complete results here.
Talent-related Data
According to a March 2008 Council survey, thirty-eight percent (38%) of participating firms will increase their firms' staff training budgets in 2008 versus 2007, while 54% maintain the same budget as last year. View the complete results here.
Public relations today, as measured by employees, is 55 percent larger than in 1990, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Click here to view chart. Here's a related story that ran in March, 2007 in an Adweek article.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, employment in the public relations field is expected to increase faster than average through 2012.
