Against the backdrop of a rapidly and continuously shifting technological landscape, changing dynamics of globalization, the impact of COVID-19, and the juxtaposition of new and tenured members of the workforce, the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) Future of Communications in Asia Report investigates key changes that are impacting communications functions in Asia.

The report is based on an analysis of interviews with nearly 30 communication leaders at Asian-headquartered companies and three focus groups of communication executives from 2019 to the end of 2020.

A thematic analysis revealed five major themes that will impact the future of the function. Each theme within the report is a deep dive into the topics and subtopics. Verbatims from the research participants accompany each theme in the report. The five themes include:
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IPR is featuring some of the many Hispanic pioneers who have had an impact on the field of public relations in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
 
Donald G. Padilla devoted his career to helping a range of community organizations communicate better with their audiences. He founded his agency, Padilla & Spears (now Padilla), in Minneapolis in the 1970s.

Padilla was diligent in teaching the clients of his firm about best practices and seeing the many benefits of community stewardship. He was widely recognized for his excellence in the public relations industry as well as his dedication to service.

In 1986, Padilla received the highest honor for public service from PRSA, the Paul M. Lund award. He also received The King's Medal from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, The Medal of St. Olav from Norway, the Minnesota Press Club award for Distinguished Service, and more.
 
McKinsey studied the skills that employees will need to succeed in the future. A set of 56 foundational skills for workers in the future was identified.

A survey of 18,000 people in 15 countries was conducted July – October 2019.

Key findings include:
  • The 56 foundational skills that were identified fell under four main categories:
  • Cognitive (i.e., agile thinking)
  • Interpersonal (i.e., crafting an inspiring vision)
  • Self-leadership (i.e., self-motivation and wellness)
  • Digital (i.e., data literacy)
  • Participants with a university degree had higher average proficiency scores across the 56 skills, suggesting that those with higher levels of education are better prepared for changes in the workplace.
  • Holding all variables (including income) constant, self-motivation and wellness, coping with uncertainty, and self-confidence had the highest impact on respondents’ job satisfaction.
  • Employment was most strongly associated with proficiency in self-leadership skills, namely adaptability, coping with uncertainty, and synthesizing messages.

FutureBrand partnered with QRi and PwC to identify the global top 100 companies according to brand perception.

A survey of over 3,000 professionals across the globe was conducted from April 27 – May 12, 2021.

Key findings include:
  • Thriving companies were those that prioritized innovation to impact individual well-being and drive change for good.
  • The top five brands (ASML, Apple, Prosus, Danaher, and NextEra Energy) deliver customer experiences that enhance everyday life or maintain it for the future.
  • Technology brands dominated the list, with three of the top five brands coming from this sector.
  • In a post-pandemic world, businesses must accept and deliver on a new tier of public expectation that is more diverse and unwilling to compromise than ever before.

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