Jeremy Galbraith: “Public relations has a vital role to play for Africa’s development”

Global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller Chief Executive Officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Jeremy Galbraith, was in Mauritius currently for the All Africa Public Relations Association Conference. He spoke in an interview about the evolving trends in the global PR industry.

BUSINESSMAG. This year’s conference theme is “Advancing Africa”. How can public relations help in advancing the continent?

PR has a vital role to play in “Advancing Africa”. It can be used to raise the profile of emerging markets to showcase how open and connected the economies of African countries are becoming. It can help to shed light on their demographic and economic situations and the frameworks in each country for trade and business. With the right infrastructure in place, these markets will open up to businesses hoping to build consumer markets in countries that they never had access to before.

PR can also be a catalyst for the establishment of a tourism relationship between a tourist-generating country and a tourist destination. Highlighting what Africa has to offer tourists and why it is a special continent to visit.

PR campaigns have been used, very effectively, in Africa to assist people by educating them about issues of public concern, including the eradication and prevention of diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. Our clients in the banking sector use education campaigns to offer life skills training in financial management.

BUSINESSMAG. How is the global public relations industry faring? What is its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product?

When we announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Arcay Communications in 2011, I said that the next decade would bring immense growth in the PR industry across Africa and that we were committed to growing our business there. Three years on - with Burson-Marsteller Africa having increased revenue by over a third, referred more than 35% in additional revenue to our network partners in Africa and having doubled profit in 2013 in the midst of one of the worst ever global economic downturns -, I am more than ever convinced of this view.

PR agencies around the world employ hundreds of thousands of people. And you can add to this the communications professionals of companies, non-governmental organisations and governments.

PR contribution to GDP however goes way beyond that since effective PR helps companies promote and sell products, achieve their business objectives and financial targets, and can boost investor confidence and consumer sentiment towards both companies and markets.

BUSINESSMAG. What are the major communication trends that are shaping the way organisations engage with their audiences?

As I see it, the major trends in communication are finely balanced between the emotional: periods of crisis, loss of trust, the desire for personalised communication, the drive towards greater transparency and the rational: purposeful, strategic counsel with tangible, evidence-based outcomes.

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