Global public relations and communication management: A European perspective

• International public relations are daily business for more than 90 percent of CCOs in Europe.
• Nearly a quarter of CCOs in Europe responsible for 20 countries or more.
• Sensitivity to multiple cultures is the main challenge.
• English as business lingua franca is only a partial solution of the language(s) problem.
• Solid structures for international public relations are rare.

The article reviews the status of international public relations research and reports on a pan-European study into international communication practices in the corporate sector. It is based on a quantitative survey of 579 heads of corporate communication from 21 European countries and a semi-structured qualitative survey of 42 chief communication officers (CCOs) in large multinationals from 12 European countries. Results reveal that international public relations are a part of daily business for more than 90 percent of CCOs in Europe, with nearly a quarter of them dealing with 20 countries or more. Sensitivity to multiple cultures while preserving core identity and the ability to change is the main challenges, along with the language(s) problem where introduction of English as the business lingua franca is only a partial solution. Only about a half of CCOs reported solid structures for international public relations operations.