The purpose of this research is to find out how the organization of events adapted to the COVID-19 lockdown and how digital transformation can be a solution for events when physical distancing is required. Using a qualitative approach based on case studies, the paper analyzes the changes in the organization of traditional festivals during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, focusing on the Spain’s five most populated cities. Complementary to the study, in-depth interviews were conducted with the heads of Protocol and Institutional Relations of the city councils in charge of organizing these events. The results show that, while some festivals were postponed, others were redesigned to be held without an audience, enhancing live streaming, strengthening communication through social media, and offering virtual tours. COVID-19 has been a catalyst for event digitalization. The existence as yet of only a small amount of scientific literature on how COVID-19 has impacted event and festival management makes this research a relevant contribution. This work provides insights for events crisis and emergency risk management, as well as for the digital transformation of festivals. The study highlights the need for contingency plans for organizing events in situations that require physical distancing and how online tools and virtual events can be part of this solution.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has an impact on the reputation of companies and institutions, so its management is also crucial from a communicative perspective. Stakeholders –not just consumers– demand that companies take a position on the main problems that affect society and act conscientiously, resulting in a constant evolution of CSR communication. The purpose of this research is to examine successful CSR communication practices based on a study of the most award-winning campaigns of 2018. Qualitative content analysis is applied as the research methodology. Specifically, the PR Daily Corporate Social Responsibility Awards, Cannes Lions PR Lions, and IPRA Golden World Awards are analyzed, focusing on a total of 29 actions and programs awarded in the CSR categories. The categories analyzed are client, sector, geographic scope, implementer, topic, objective, public(s), and techniques, tactics, and channels used. The analysis of the results reveals successful practices such as the alignment of CSR actions with the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) (especially gender equality and women’s empowerment, reduction of inequalities, and environmental protection), the linking of CSR issues with the mission and purpose of organizations (especially by technology companies that seek to promote scientific–technological careers among young women), the involvement of employees in the implementation of CSR actions (which shows a more comprehensive conception of CSR management), and finally, the use of bidirectional channels to favor dialogue between organizations and their stakeholders. Resumen La responsabilidad social corporativa (RSC) tiene un impacto en la reputación de las empresas y de las instituciones, lo que convierte su gestión en crucial también desde el punto de vista comunicativo. Cada vez más, los stakeholders -no únicamente los consumidores-, piden a las organizaciones que se pronuncien sobre los principales problemas que afectan a la sociedad y que actúen con causa, por lo que la comunicación de la RSC está en constante evolución. El propósito de esta investigación es examinar prácticas exitosas de comunicación de RSC a partir del estudio de las campañas más premiadas en 2018. Se ha aplicado como metodología de investigación el análisis de contenido cualitativo. Concretamente, se han analizado los certámenes PR Daily Corporate Social Responsibility Awards, Cannes Lions PR Lions e IPRA Golden World Awards, centrándose el estudio en las acciones y programas premiados en las categorías de RSC, siendo éstas un total de 29. Las categorías analizadas han sido: sujeto promotor, sector, zona geográfica, sujeto ejecutor, tema, objetivo, público/s y técnicas, tácticas y canales utilizados. El análisis de los resultados ha permitido detectar prácticas exitosas como: la alineación de las acciones de RSC con los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible (ODS) propuestos por la ONU (siendo los más recurrentes la igualdad de género y el empoderamiento de la mujer, la reducción de las desigualdades y la protección del medio ambiente); la vinculación de los temas de RSC con la misión y propósito de las organizaciones (especialmente en empresas del sector tecnológico que buscan la promoción de vocaciones científico-tecnológicas entre las jóvenes); la involucración de los empleados en las acciones de RSC (lo que implica una concepción más integral de su gestión); y, por último, el uso de canales cada vez más bidireccionales para favorecer el diálogo entre las organizaciones y sus públicos de interés.

No abstract

Business in general, and advertising in particular, recognise creativity as a crucial component of success and competitive advantage, but it has received little research attention in Public Relations (PR). This study seeks to address that neglect in relation to the understanding of how creativity is perceived and managed in PR consultancies. It involves a total of 23 interviews that included international PR creative directors as well as senior managers of PR consultancies operating in Spain. The initial findings suggest that creativity is considered a skill required by PR professionals, is seen as something valuable for clients, and is acknowledged in PR industry awards. Nevertheless, the article argues that some unhelpful myths and prejudices still exist around the area of creativity and that creative processes common elsewhere are not widely used in PR consultancies. It concludes by identifying elements that could encourage creativity within the sector.Key Words: public relations, creativity, consultancies, industry INTRODUCTIONOver the last 30 years, creativity has been considered a competitive advantage and a crucial element in business (Golen, 1983;Mumford, 2000;Florida, 2012), as well as a central component in the advertising sector (El-Murad & West, 2004). Even so, there has been very little scientific investigation focused on creativity in PR although authors in the PR literature cite it as part of the professional competence of a PR practitioner (see Wilcox et al., 2007, Gregory, 2008.The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of how creativity is perceived and managed in PR consultancies, to discover the creative processes and techniques that do operate there, and to examine the role of the creative director. It concludes with proposals for further encouraging creativity within the sector. RESEARCH APPROACHES TO CREATIVITYDefining the concept of creativity is complex (Runco, 2007). Creativity simultaneously refers to a cognitive process and the result of this process (the product or creative idea), to an attribute of the individual, and also to an environment (Rhodes, 1961). Psychology has been one of the disciplines which has studied creativity in more depth with theories generated as early as the 19th century in the London School of Differential Psychology (1869) The concept of creativity has evolved throughout history (see Tatarkiewicz, 2002). Taylor (1959), for example, considered the process of creativity as consisting of a system that entails shaping or designing a stimulating environment in which problems could be transformed into productive solutions through facilitation. In contrast, Landau (1987) claimed that creativity resided in the capacity to discover connections -between previously unrelated experiences -which can, in turn, transform into new mental schemes generating ideas or novel products. The creative process has similarly been the subject of studies, with Wallas (1926) being one of the first to define its stages (preparation, incubation, illumination and v...

No abstract

Desde el ámbito profesional de las relaciones públicas (RRPP) comienza a percibirse un interés creciente por profundizar en los elementos que influyen en la toma de decisiones y en los cambios de comportamiento de los individuos que conforman los públicos de las organizaciones. Estudios científicos han demostrado que, cuando estos públicos están saturados de información, resulta más difícil que reaccionen a argumentaciones racionales y que, en cambio, sí lo hacen frente a mensajes y estímulos que les afecten y despierten su imaginación. El componente emocional de la estrategia persuasiva se convierte, así, en un aspecto a no menospreciar a la hora de planificar programas y acciones de comunicación y RRPP.

No abstract

Datafication in today’s communicative ecosystem poses a challenge to media and digital literacy, especially with regard to young people’s participation and civic and democratic engagement. We address this issue using the notion of digital citizenship, in order to study the gender digital divide as it relates to competence (i.e., skills and knowledge) and the possibility of leveraging said competence to promote civic education grounded in gender equality in the digital environment. For this study, we surveyed a representative sample of 600 young people between the ages of 16 and 18 in Spain to gauge their digital competence through three variables: technical skills, informational skills and critical knowledge. We then performed a descriptive analysis resulting in percentages, means and standard deviations and a bivariate analysis using significance testing (T-tests) between the above variables and the gender variable. Results show a relative balance between men and women in technical and informational digital skills, albeit tipped slightly in favour of women. By contrast, men claim to have more critical knowledge. Based on these results, we discuss the need to consider the contributions of feminist theories in the field of technology to develop proposals for teaching digital competence that encourage active digital citizenship based on gender equality. El escenario de dataficación del ecosistema comunicativo actual plantea un desafío a la alfabetización mediática y digital, especialmente en lo que respecta a la participación y el compromiso cívico y democrático de la población joven. En este artículo abordamos esta cuestión a partir de la noción de ciudadanía digital con el objetivo de estudiar la brecha digital de género en términos de capacidades ?competencias y conocimientos? y la posibilidad de aprovecharlas para promover una educación cívica fundamentada en la igualdad de género en el entorno digital. Para ello, mediante una encuesta con una muestra representativa de 600 personas jóvenes ?entre 16 y 18 años? en España, observamos su nivel de competencias digitales a través de tres variables: competencias técnicas, competencias informacionales y conocimientos críticos. Los resultados del análisis descriptivo, mediante porcentajes, medias y desviaciones típicas; y bivariado entre dichas variables y la variable de género mediante pruebas T-test de significatividad, muestran que, si bien hay relativa igualdad de condiciones entre hombres y mujeres en cuanto a competencias digitales técnicas e informacionales con un ligero dominio de las mujeres, los hombres afirman tener más conocimientos críticos. Desde ahí, discutimos la necesidad de considerar los aportes de las teorías feministas en el ámbito tecnológico para elaborar propuestas educativas en competencias digitales que fomenten desde la igualdad de género la promoción de una ciudadanía digital activa.