World’s Largest PR Association Repositions Reputation Management At Heart Of The Profession

Marilize Jacobs from VocalCord PR and Reputation Management says if you still think PR stands for ‘press release’, this update is your wake-up call (Image supplied)

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) – the world’s largest and most influential PR professional body) has officially put the ‘management’ back into ‘reputation management’.

And honestly? It’s about time.

3 reasons I love it

Here’s what landed on my desk the day before yesterday, and why I’m genuinely here for it:

New definition, same alphabet soup

PR is now officially: “The strategic management discipline that builds trust, enhances reputation and helps leaders interpret complexity and manage volatility – delivering measurable outcomes including stakeholder confidence, long-term value creation and commercial growth.”

Translation for the C-suite

No, it’s not just media monitoring and event invites. It’s board-level counsel. It’s navigating uncertainty. It’s the difference between being seen and being believed.

The principles hit different

What I really love? The ethos underpinning it:

Relationships, not just rollouts.

Earned credibility through behaviour and third-party scrutiny (radical, right?)

Platform-agnostic storytelling – because TikTok isn’t the strategy, connection is.

Two-way engagement, not broadcast blasts.

Long-term value over ‘flooding the internet with content’

Whether you’re hiring, briefing, or just trying to explain what you actually do at a braai – this is the new benchmark.