Strategic topics and main professional trends in public relations: Results from 19 Latin American countries

Abstract

Although Latin America has a long history of well-established academic development and public relations professionals, multiple North American and European conceptualizations and trends still prevail in theoretical debates and professional practices. Nevertheless, a series of international studies sponsored by the EUPRERA and a broad network of researchers, universities, and local professional associations has become a fundamental precedent to consolidate the profession in the region and make it visible worldwide. In this respect, the results are presented below that show the strategic themes and main professional trends in public relations, grouped as follows: (a) trends in public relations management: strategic themes, the impact of fake news, information for decision-making, and the professionalization of public relations in the third sector and (b) the professional development and organization of the activity: excellent communication departments, gender, workplace climate and stress, job satisfaction, and work engagement. Such categorization, in addition to portraying the issues addressed in the third edition of the Latin American Communication Monitor (LCM), allows an analysis of the status quo of the non-continent profession, as it demonstrates the perception of the category on itself. Therefore, it allows reflection on melhorias, especially, in terms of professional training and institutionalization of professional training in Latin America. A sample of 1165 active professionals, who work in communication departments of companies, consultancies, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, from 19 Latin American countries was analyzed. The impact of the results and of conducting studies like this one are extremely important for the development of the profession, its compared analysis with the state of affairs in other regions, and an explanatory self-understanding of the path traveled and that to come. Scientifically determining the levels of perception and their representativeness in Latin America amounts to a sign of maturity and evolution of the profession and the study thereof.