Occasionally, there are moments in politics that define our course for years to come. Last Thursday’s EU referendum was one of these: a fork in the road and a choice of a new direction that will have long-lasting implications.
What it truly means for the communications industry is not yet clear, but Brexit is likely to provide plenty of headaches.
In the short-term, there’s an immediate upheaval for clients, with stock markets sliding and businesses holding back on investment whilst the uncertainly continues.
There may be longer-term economic consequences, if companies relocate jobs, factories and offices overseas as a result of the referendum. Any slowdown in the UK economy would inevitably hit comms budgets negatively.
Public relations has some particular challenges too. For an industry heavily dependent on talent, many of whom are drawn from countries across the EU, any threat to the free movement of labour could have a significant impact on UK firms.
Disruption and uncertainly are going to dominate in the coming period, but there are opportunities to be found in the chaos, if we act swiftly.
In the immediate aftermath, UK-based companies need help understanding the implications of the vote on their business. Public affairs teams will be busiest but this isn’t just a political question - every PR team should be engaging with their clients about what Brexit means for them.
Communicators will also need to rethink brand Britain. The decision to leave the EU has, for right or wrong, been perceived by some as a sign of British xenophobia and intolerance, negative values that could have far-reaching consequences for British products and services being sold abroad, let alone for the tourist industry at home.
PR professionals have lessons to learn from the campaign itself. The ineffectiveness of ‘experts’, the extent to which social media became an echo chamber and the enduring importance of traditional media in framing the debate, are all things that should give us pause for thought.
But more than this, the referendum result provides PR leaders with a fresh opportunity to fulfil their real purpose: not just as the communications arm of the corporate world, but as the conduit of public feedback to the top table.
The referendum showed a growing disconnect on Europe between large sections of the public and the views of the UK establishment, a gap which the Remain campaign lamentably failed to bridge.
However, this disconnection isn’t just about the EU. It’s something people feel about many aspects of modern life: products that fail to deliver on their promises; customer service which neglects to serve the public; companies that ignore their responsibilities to society; bosses that fail to understand their staff; public institutions that aren’t built to fit around our lives.
The EU may be one of the most disliked and distrusted institutions, but many businesses and business leaders are not much better off. They too have to understand their audiences better and do more to address this disconnection.
If we reflect our full role, public relations professionals are well-placed to bridge this gap, helping organisations to understand the hopes and fears of their staff and customers better, thereby improving the effectiveness of their decision-making and the impact of their communications at the same time.
Thursday’s referendum marks a real moment of division in UK opinion: separating people by nationality, ethnicity, age, region and education. Whatever the uncertainties and economic effects to come, PR professionals have a unique role to play in helping to stitch our divided world back together again.