PR practitioners must embrace innovation to grow industry ― Phillips

The Chairman of Phillips Consulting Limited, Mr Folusho Phillips, has urged Public Relations practitioners on the need to embrace innovation in other to stay relevant in the industry.

He said as consultants, it is important to be aware of their role as role models who should be rendering tangible services, building institutions and also innovating as there is a huge paradigm shift taking place every day, he noted.

The renowned industrial economist made the call during his presentation at the second edition of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN) Breakfast Meeting held to discuss ‘The Business of Consulting,’ and how consulting firms and clients can win in a VUCA economy.

The industry expert pointed out the need for PR practitioners to deploy cutting-edge tools and embrace best global practices in their service offerings because world events change at the speed of light. He noted that innovation is the next step for customers’ convenience.

The lecture, designed to enable PRCAN members to plan for economic headwinds and anticipate inherent opportunities in the Nigerian economy, saw a number of industry practitioners in attendance.

Commenting at the event, PRCAN President, Mr Israel Jaiye Opayemi, said: “As consultants, we need to stay ahead of the curve, and we need to be ahead of our clients across the industries that we service by investing more in research and acquiring data across sectors to be well informed and equipped to deliver rich value to clients.

“When you look at the growth rate of the service industry and its contribution to the GDP of Nigeria over the last two years, the service industry has been doing great. Public Relations and communication consultants are significant players in service growth. We don’t want to be the catalyst that changes things but doesn’t change itself; we want to see evidence of the growth in our businesses.”

In his remark, the president, African Public Relations Association (APRA), Mr Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, stated that going with the trend is the strategy in itself to help PR practitioners to be relevant in the industry. He, therefore, encouraged practitioners to run their businesses as perception consultants.

The event, which was held at Mike Adenuga Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, witnessed a roll call of dignitaries in the marketing communications industry, including Mrs Comfort Nwankwo, Lagos State Chapter Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Mr. John Ehiguese and Chido Nwankanwa, both past Presidents of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN).

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