Step back a few years and it seemed the entire PR industry (as it exists on Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs) fawned over Edelman’s annual launch in Davos of its now legendary Trust Barometer.
It usually received favourable mainstream media coverage (with the FT even sharing the launch stage in Davos). This year with the launch of the Edelman Trust Barometer 2023 The Guardian slated it, and Elon Musk went as far as to say Richard Edelman was a “despicable human being” (maybe he was looking in a mirror?). Some of the PR Twitterati couldn’t wait to join in the Edelman bashing. What hypocrisy they say. How dare Edelman preach about trust while shock horror working for the hated fossil fuel companies? They gleefully poke holes in its methodology while conveniently forgetting that for years they’ve included the data in their pitch decks.
It’s time for me to shout, “Shut the… Up!”
The public relations and communications industry should be grateful to Edelman for investing in the Trust Barometer for the last 23 years and making the data available to us all. Edelman’s privately held ownership means it can afford to make that ‘risky’ investment. Undoubtedly the Trust Barometer has helped it become the world’s biggest PR firm because it wouldn’t have kept doing it if it didn’t make a difference. But undoubtedly it has also helped the industry. That’s why its data is used by Edelman’s competitors, by PR academics and in countless PR training courses – including the ones I and my companies run. The Edelman Trust Barometer has had an impact on business, far beyond just corporate communications.
Is it perfect? Of course not, but no research project of this scale can claim it is. What is clear from reading the methodology and talking to Edelman executives is that it cares about the quality and is constantly checking it and attempting to ensure it is as robust as possible.
What about the claims of hypocrisy? How can Edelman claim to be the authority on trust when its clients include the owners of the 21st century’s dark Satanic mills? For many Edelman’s work for fossil fuel companies and foreign governments like Saudi Arabia put it beyond the pale. But why? Do law firms, banks, accountants, medical supply companies receive the same opprobrium for working with these clients or customers? A little maybe, but it’s far easier to direct the bile at the PR industry, the purveyors of the dark arts of spin.
It’s understandable that the media and many journalists don’t get it because they have little knowledge of the public relations profession and remain convinced it is media relations because that’s what they see every day. It’s less forgivable for Edelman’s PR industry critics.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong, immoral, unethical or hypocritical in working for industries or governments that some people disagree with. It’s only wrong if the work done by the firm is unethical by seeking to lie or mislead. If it’s factual, truthful and honest then it’s ethical, even if you personally fundamentally disagree with it. Whatever your individual opinions on the nuclear energy industry it would be naive and foolish to assume that Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth is any more truthful than the nuclear industry. Both sides seek to make their case in the most persuasive way they can.
Often the work done by public relations firms is advising clients on the need to modify and improve their behaviour. That’s always a journey and even if the client agrees immediately then doing so might take many years.
That’s why it was so disappointing to see PR professionals join in the Edelman Trust Barometer bashing. There appears to be confusion between personal morals and professional ethics. If they don’t want to work for a fossil fuel company, then that is their personal belief and morals. It is not and should never be unethical, as long as the work is ethical and complies with the professional codes of conduct of bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and Public Relations and Communication Association (PRCA).
My message to Richard Edelman and team is to say thank you and keep up your good work with the Trust Barometer for many years to come.
Edelman Trust Barometer 2023
I’ve often blogged my own insights from the Edelman Trust Barometer, but this year decided to tackle its critics. PRovoke and O’Dwyers both have good roundups.
I was inspired to write this blog post after I’d curated a blog post by David Brain to include in our PR Futurist newsletter. Usually, we write a short opinion nib of one or two paragraphs. But this one quickly turned into a multi-paragraph opinion article, which became this blog. I’d urge you to read David’s ‘Trust, schadenfreude and the PR industry‘ article. He’s a senior Edelman alumnus who has previously led Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia (although not all at once!).
You can see the Edelman Trust Barometer 2023 on Edelman’s site and keep your eye out for different Edelman regions and divisions publishing more detailed insights about their respective areas.
What do you think? Are the brickbats thrown at Edelman justified? Should PR professionals really be joining in?
