Call for licensing in PR industry

Public relations global bigwigs today called for licensing in the industry at the International Communications Consultancy Organisation's (ICCO) Global Summit.

Harold Burson, founding chairman of Burson-Marsteller and a pioneer in public relations, said: "Public relations is likely to not gain the professional status it wants and deserves unless it embraces licensing. Unfortunately, I have doubts that self-licensing will meet the test."

He added that he could not think of a single profession "" be it medicine, accountancy, law or engineering "" that was not government licensed.

Agreeing with Burson, John Saunders, president, ICCO, told Business Standard, "If we expect doctors, engineers and journalists to go to college, it does not seem unreasonable to expect people from our industry to be qualified." Licensing would remove the "yellow packs or generics" from the industry that equated PR with press releases.

Describing another of its advantages, he said, "Many people enter our profession to earn a quick buck and in the process adversely impact its reputation. Licensing can play a big role in allowing only those to enter PR that truly stand for something."