Caps to Clicks

By on June 2, 2010

Among the movie selections on my flight from London to Lima, Peru were Precious, The Blind Side and Up in the Air.


Not a bad way to describe the current state of the worldwide economy, it occurred to me.


Nevertheless, it’s an incredibly exciting and historic time to be in the public relations profession and that was the gist of my speech this morning to the International Public Relations Association’s World Congress. 




I called it “From Caps to Clicks,” and with the help of my friend and colleague Bill Delaney, the address was framed around a moment early in my career that has served as motivation ever since.


It was 25 years ago and the occasion was a joint pitch with an advertising agency. And it went on and on and on. Until finally, crammed onto the last line of the last slide along with, literally, a list of ad-on’s, and sweeteners was Public Relations.


I mean, PR came after, literally, “t-shirts, caps and visors and other stuff.” Other stuff!


If I ever harboured a sneaking suspicion that to the ad guys – and to some unwitting client prospects – the PR was the poor relation to advertising – that was the moment that confirmed it for me.


And truth be told, I have been motivated by that chip on my shoulder ever since.


We have come a long way.


A chip on your shoulder isn’t necessarily dead weight! 


Read all about it here: http://www.ketchum.com/Jon_Higgins_PR_and_the_Power_of_Connection_speech

About Jon Higgins

Jon Higgins is responsible for Ketchum’s offices in Asia and South America. In these regions, he is responsible for client stewardship, business development, and new ventures, as well as enhancement of the agency’s global reputation for creativity, innovation, and thought leadership. Jon is a member of Ketchum’s Executive Committee. Prior to assuming this role in 2008, Jon was CEO of Ketchum EMEA, covering offices in the U.K., Germany, France, Spain and Italy, as well as an exclusive network of 20 affiliates. In addition, Jon helped lead the creation, global launch and agency integration of the Ketchum Programming Process (KPP), an ambitious undertaking aimed at leveraging the agency's digital strategy, creative resources and unique culture into a consistent approach to client programming. Jon is based in Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California.

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