Dentsu Public Relations Inc. Announces Results of 2018 Corporate PR Capability Survey
Tokyo, Japan (Oct. 2, 2018) – Dentsu Public Relations Inc. today announced the results of its third Corporate PR Capability Survey, revealing key insights about the position of communications in Japan’s business landscape. The survey, which is conducted by the Corporate Communication Strategic Studies Institute (CSI), an internal think tank, collected responses from the PR managers at over 500 listed companies in Japan. The results were analyzed utilizing the parameters of the Octopus Model, a proprietary metric developed by the CSI which defines eight key PR capabilities.
Among the trends identified in this year’s survey was an overall improvement in scores for Organizational Integration and Risk Management, two fundamental components of all PR activities, as well as Relationship Building and Analysis capabilities, both of which were indicated as areas needing improvement in the previous survey (conducted in 2016). Another notable development was the recognition of a more diverse population of stakeholders, such as graduate jobseekers and students, in addition to an expanded role for PR managers in corporate strategy development and recruiting. However, as was the case in 2016, responses suggested that PR practitioners still felt the need to strengthen their capabilities in the strategy and planning phases.
“The results of the 2018 survey indicate that PR is becoming an increasingly important tool for addressing business challenges,” said Akihiko Kuroda, chief researcher with the CSI. “When it comes to social topics such as work-style reform, SDGs and compliance issues—all of which are increasingly in the spotlight—the critical factor today is what companies communicate and to whom, and how well they are able to express their true values through PR activities.”
Based on the insights obtained from this and future surveys, the CSI will continue to share information with academic institutions, corporations, and other organizations as part of its ongoing efforts to improve understanding of PR capabilities and progressively raise the standard of communications in Japan.
Corporate PR Capability Survey
The Corporate PR Capability Survey seeks to capture the current status of corporate public relations practice in Japan and identify common challenges. For the third survey in 2018, questionnaires were sent to the PR managers at 3,651 listed companies between April and June 2018, producing 518 valid responses which were analyzed according to the proprietary Octopus Model. This eight-pronged metric defines and measures the following key PR capabilities: Intelligence, Analysis, Strategy Development, Content Creation, Content Delivery, Relationship Building, Risk Management, and Organizational Integration.
Corporate Communication Strategic Studies Institute (CSI)
A research group headed by Kentaro Miura, established in December 2013 within Dentsu Public Relations Inc. The CSI conducts surveys, research and analysis of corporate communication strategies and frameworks, in collaboration with management and communication specialists including university professors and researchers.
Dentsu Public Relations Inc.
Since its founding in 1961, Dentsu Public Relations Inc. has served as strategic partner to a diverse range of companies, governmental bodies and other organizations. Over 270 employees provide clients with comprehensive reputation management solutions, creating new value and building advocacy through approaches including data analysis, insight-driven content design, and targeted information delivery. Dentsu Public Relations Inc. was recognized by the Holmes Report as Japan Consultancy of the Year in both 2009 and 2015, and as North Asia PR Consultancy of the Year in 2018.