Influence shortlisted for 2016 MemCom Award

Influence began in 2015 when Stephen Waddington and I reviewed the CIPR’s communications with its members. Many said they still loved print, which presented a challenge. An Interim Editorial Board set the framework. The CIPR hired Rob Smith to be Editor, Think Publishing were appointed and a new Editorial Board guided the journey.

I’m really proud that Influence has emerged as a tangible expression of what the CIPR can and does do for its membership. It’s a credit to all involved and most importantly it’s a really great magazine.
 

While the whole world was banging on about stacks and domain authority, the CIPR was brave enough to go with the feedback it had received from its members: we’d like a print magazine, please.

That courage was fully vindicated. The magazine has been extraordinarily well received, praised for its quality of writing, production standards and far-sightedness. There are elegant essays, spiky opinion pieces, hilarious first-person PR stories, lots of little nuggets of wisdom. And it is a really beautiful thing.

The launch of Influence magazine shows that a scrupulously researched, planned and executed magazine still cuts through like nothing else in media.
 

It’s tremendously satisfying to make the shortlist for the MemCom Awards after just one edition of Influence and testimony to how the magazine has connected with the CIPR’s membership.

While obviously acknowledging the huge input from the editorial team both at the CIPR and their partners Think Publishing, credit has to go to how Influence is set up. Having an Editorial Board made up of members from a wide variety of specialisms has truly enabled Influence to represent the diversity of modern public relations practice.

 

It's been such a privilege to work on Influence with Rob, Think and the CIPR's Editorial Board- such a talented and diverse group of people.

The fact that there's been such a demand from PR professionals, as well advertisers, is testament to its 'influence'. It's perhaps also proof that print is far from dead!
 

From the outset, the team behind this has had a determination to give members something that's relevant, thought-provoking and truly useful for the modern public relations professional.

I was already very proud to be so close to it through my role on the editorial board and am even more so on hearing this news.