Marianne Eisenmann

Recently, I attended the International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC) at the University of Miami. Since 2003, I’ve been participating in this truly international event, attended by leading academics and practitioners from 25 countries. There is no other conference like it. Like speed dating for research fanatics, participants rotate tables every 15 minutes during each one-hour session, choosing from the six papers being presented simultaneously. Presenters share the highlights of their research and invite discussion four consecutive times for 15 minutes during the one hour period. With six one-hour sessions a day for three days, more than 100 papers are presented! That’s both mental saturation and inspiration. What were these academics and practitioners talking about? Social media was the number one topic. About 25% of papers focused on some aspect of its use or impact in public relations (only two-thirds of the top US PR agencies use blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media on their websites). Other social media papers presented how corporations are using social to cultivate relationships (the number one reason people engage with corporate social networks is remuneration like coupons/discounts); the ethics of CEO ghost blogging (79% surveyed say okay if executive gives content ideas andContinue Reading

As communications counselors, it is important to stay abreast of healthcare and communications trends to keep strategies and tactics fresh and to develop relevant, impactful programs. An understanding of broad trends and their implications keeps us smart and a step ahead of competitors. One of the most important healthcare trends is toward “greater accountability” and I’ll be watching it evolve over the coming year. The idea of accountability – for both healthcare providers and consumers – has broad implications for communications. With the passage of comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation, the landscape of the healthcare delivery and payment systems will be transformed over the next decade. Beginning in 2012, the Nation’s first Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) will be rolled out for Medicare beneficiaries aimed at keeping down costs while providing good quality medical care. A network of doctors and hospitals that share responsibility for providing care to patients, ACOs create savings incentives by offering bonuses when providers keep costs down while also meeting quality benchmarks to keep patients healthy and out of the hospital. If the hospital and doctor groups cut the cost of treating their Medicare patients, they keep a portion of what they save. The rest goes to theContinue Reading