One of the main reasons why businesses are still ‘scared’ to jump on the bandwagon and put themselves out there on social media platforms is because of the potential criticism and negative comments they might receive from users. Indeed, such negative reviews can be damaging to a company’s reputation, but hiding behind the scenes is no good either – these conversations are happening with or without the company’s involvement, so businesses might as well start participating in them to potentially change people’s minds, gather ideas how to improve their products and services and so drive the conversations into a positive direction.

Similar applies to negative media coverage. A new academic study coming from the US, Burr Under the Saddle: How Media Coverage Influences Strategic Change (registration required), shows that even though negative press is unpleasant and especially unwelcome by the C-suite, it can also influence strategic decisions to make significant company improvements. As the authors of the paper identify, “the media is neither an enemy nor an ally to upper management... but one of a number of key stakeholders that can significantly shift a firm’s direction, often for the better.”

The other day I came across a fantastic surprise PR stunt about the reopening of the Rijksmuseum – Amsterdam’s National Museum of Art and History – on 13 April this year. Especially those who are fans of art and creativity will appreciate the thoughtfulness and the efforts behind this really cool idea.

The surprise campaign took place at a busy shopping mall and amazingly recreated Rembrandt’s Night Watch (considered one of the most famous paintings in the world) in the form of a flashmob! Brilliant, right?

Totally unexpected, over twenty members of the Shooting Company of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq – the common name for Rembrandt's famous painting – just started their performance with the mission to ‘capture a 17th-century rogue.’ This was indeed such an outstanding way of promoting the reopening of the museum, don't you think? (I envy those people who were at the shopping mall – I really want to witness such a stunt!)

As some of you know I served a five month internship at Montpellier Public Relations – a PR consultancy in the UK – between September last year and February this year. This was an invaluable professional experience. It not only taught me a lot, but it also proved that I have made the right career choice, which is why I decided to share with you what I’ve learned and what I would advise others who want to work in PR.

While serving this internship I gained firsthand insights into how exactly a PR agency functions and how relationships with clients are being established and maintained. I developed thorough understanding and appreciation of the management and business model of a full service PR and marketing communications consultancy operating across a range of clients from various sectors – from healthcare, facilities management, professional services to recruitment. This helped me realise that really comprehending client expectations is the first and probably even the most important step towards meeting client needs.

First of all, I am glad that I chose a smaller agency, because I was given a lot of work, which I very much enjoyed, and I had the chance to learn a lot both on my own and with the supervision of the team. Working in a smaller rather than a large consultancy has allowed me to take on more responsibilities, be in a direct contact with clients and the media and so progress faster and develop a set of essential PR and marketing skills.

Now that you've seen the interviews for my dissertation I conducted with Heather Yaxley, Shelley Fletcher-Bryant, Annie Bowden and Rob Brown, here's the final one to go online (I conducted a few more, but promised to keep them confidential and not publish them).

Below you’ll see the responses of Alison Theaker. Alison has over 30 years of experience in public relations and management as a practitioner and academic. Currently she is a freelance consultant at The Spark and an Associate Lecturer in Public Relations at London College of Communication. Alison is the author of ‘The Public Relations Handbook’ (a principal PR textbook since the 2000s) and co-author with Heather Yaxley of ‘The Public Relations Strategic Toolkit’ (a must read for anyone in PR). You can follow her on Twitter @thesparkuk.

Digital and social media has been a main area of interest for a number of industries, but it is PR that has been transformed to an unrecognisable state thanks to these new developments. For over a decade now PR professionals have experienced firsthand how social media has affected the practice, but it seems they still haven’t got to grips with it. PR specialists seem to still struggle with this new communications channel.

I didn’t make this conclusion on my own just like that; it was something I discovered while doing proper primary and secondary research for my dissertation about social media’s impact on the PR industry. And as it turns out, a brand new research confirms this lack of digital skills among comms specialists.