Book review: Planning and Managing PR Campaigns 6th edition

Running a successful PR campaign takes meticulous planning, strategy, and solid research from start to finish. Now in its sixth edition, Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns: A Strategic Approach – already regarded as pretty much the definitive text on the subject – serves up a blissfully clear and practical roadmap for students and mid-level professionals, whether in the public, private, or non-profit sector.

Written by Anne Gregory, professor of corporate communication at the University of Huddersfield, and Mandy Pearse, an award-winning consultant, CIPR trainer and a former CIPR President, it draws on decades of their combined hands-on experience and academic insights. Across these nine chapters, readers receive all the tools they need to deliver campaigns that really work – while keeping up with today’s fast-changing industry.

The book begins by examining the shifting PR landscape: how social change, technology, and evolving audience expectations are rewriting the map. From there, it walks readers step by step through the entire process: setting objectives, carrying out research, mapping stakeholders, planning strategy, managing resources, and evaluating the results – with a focus on measurable outcomes: campaigns should demonstrate real impact.

And there are plenty of case studies here, from the World Health Organization, Vodafone, Avon and even the government. This new edition also contains up-to-date info on ethics, corporate purpose, ESG, corporate responsibility, behavioural change, social listening, and the growing role of AI in PR. Online resources have been updated too, with handy slide decks for lecturers and a library of campaign examples.

Described as “an absolute gift for anyone studying or working in PR”, it’s already received glowing praise from around the world: current CIPR President, Farzana Baduel, affirms it “blends academic rigour with practical wisdom”, while Professor Gregor Halff, from the Free University of Amsterdam, notes “the professionalism of PR is better served by reading this book than by another generation of hand-wringing about why we are not being taken seriously by senior management.”

Ultimately, this is a tremendous resource for anyone serious about delivering high-quality, strategically sound, and socially responsible PR campaigns. As Sarah Pinch, a CIPR fellow and managing director of Pinch Point Communications, succinctly puts it: “Buy this book, read it and refer to it.”

Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns: A Strategic Approach by Anne Gregory and Mandy Pearse is published by Kogan Page. 

CIPR members can use code KoganPage25 to receive a 25% discount

How to plan an impactful PR campaign

From setting objectives to developing creative and evaluating results, find out how to plan an impactful PR campaign with the CIPR's practical 'PR Campaign Planning' course on 10 March in London.
 

Ali Catterall is an award-winning writer, journalist and filmmaker whose writing has featured in the Guardian, Time Out, GQ, Film4, Word magazine and the Big Issue, among many others. Ali is also the writer and director of the 2023 film Scala!!!

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