European Public Relations - an interview with Dr Herbert Heitmann, President of EACD

Last year I joined the European Association of Communications Directors and in June I will also speak at their first European Conference.

I thought it would be interesting to do an interview with the President, Dr. Heitmann and see what he thinks about the public relations profession and its challenges in Europe. So here it is:

Q: On November 8, 2006 you launched the European Association of Communications Directors. Looking at the myriad of national and European associations that already exist in the field of business communications why do you think there is a place for the EACD?

A:  Indeed, you are quite right: there are plenty of associations at national level but surprisingly few on a European plane and certainly none that brings together those of us who ultimately drive the communications community and agenda across Europe on a day -to-day basis.

Q: the EACD is clearly targeted at "in house" business communicators on a European corporate level. Why this focus?

A:  For my part, I would struggle with all the intricacies involved in my job were it not for the support of SAP's global PR agency. Needless to say though, our roles are very different and associations clearly benefit from a clear focus. As a community at large, we could not survive without the support of those extended communicators, like our agencies and the like. As such, the EACD founding assembly was very articulate and unanimous regarding the need for this specific focus. As such, it then also makes sense that there are so many different associations already in existence, as you stated earlier.

Q: the board of the EACD is a mix of members originating from different European countries. How is your first impression working with such a culturally diverse team?

A:  From my perspective, the board comprises and represents the ideal membership profile, namely senior professional communicators from all over Europe representing major corporations, EU institutions, governments and various prestigious European associations. I have been favorably impressed by my board colleagues and I would not have necessarily anticipated what fun it can be to head such an association - but with the board we have, it truly is the case. The diversity of the team, their collective profound experience in all different kinds of communications and their dedication to make EACD a success appears to be a winning combination for ongoing mutually-beneficial collaborative success.

Q: in the Communication director Magazine, one of the publications from the EACD I read an interesting article about "new media". Can you give us a general feeling about how these new media are perceived by your members?

A: We are well beyond the point where any credible communications professional dare ignore the advent of "new media" and its impact. We are, however, still years away from truly understanding what the implications of this development in the media landscape may be, how best to leverage these new channels and what they mean for our profession if we look ahead. In my opinion, the best way of dealing with the unknown in this sort of situation is to boldly experiment and to start developing one’s own experiences, to make effective use of the new technologies, to share best-practices, to join communities and incorporate them in the participation of your particular challenges. One of the things that the European Communication Summit will spend time on is this new media trend.

Q: one of the objectives of the EACD is to build the image of the PR profession. Can you tell us a bit more on your plans to achieve this goal?

A: Relatively speaking, PR is still a very young profession. Like any comparable 'adolescent' profession, it sometimes suffers from ill -defined roles and responsibilities as well as the lack of established standards and clear definitions. In a sense, the discipline of PR often reminds me of an artistic-like discipline, rather than one that is manufacturing or engineering -based.

When things go well in the PR arena, people tend to believe you walk on water, and, for the most part, should something go wrong you usually know how to still make the outcome look like a success. As a result, you will come across various kind of communications organizations  - ranging from those where PR is still perceived as marketing's cheap little sister; to those where it is clearly the CEO's ultimate lever in accomplishing his/her job both internally and externally and indeed is the cornerstone and custodian of the  precious corporate reputation.

I clearly  vouch for the latter perception, but obviously this end-state requires a strategic approach, which includes total accountability, business (not just communications) savvy and a razor-sharp understanding of what an organization is doing; including upfront definition of success criteria, awareness of complex communications influencer matrix, re-use of content and the syndication of services.

The more members that are equipped with the knowledge and the invaluable network of experts to operate in such a fashion, the more respect the profession will be accorded and the less we will have to worry about PR’s image. In many respects, PR operations need simply to be run more like a business, while at the same time not losing its independent nature.  

Q: on your list of to do's for the EACD, what is number one?

A: Focus and critical mass are more than likely the two most pertinent success criteria for any association. By critical mass, I mean the size and scope of the membership sample. I admit that by targeting 1000 members, we have set an ambitious goal for the first year but from the members statistics thus far, this is doable. And once we have critical mass, we can start shaping and driving our agenda. The EACD European Communication Summit on June 11th/12th presents a good opportunity to not only network and share best-practices, but also provides an opportunity for the Board to get a better understanding of what the main obstacles and challenges are that currently face our members.