Annenberg’s PR study: Good news for the industry

And yet, the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism has released one that is just that. The seventh biennial Generally Accepted Practices report finds public relations budgets on the rise (if only slightly), social media use on the upswing, and perhaps most surprising of all, a majority of executives on board with what their PR and communications staffs are doing.

The study surveyed 620 PR and communications professionals in private companies, public companies, government organizations and agencies. Here is what they had to say:

1. Budgets are rising, but communicators don’t expect any increases this year.

From 2009 to 2011, PR budgets increased for every type of company in Annenberg’s survey except one: those that make between $5 billion and $9.99 billion. Even so, communicators don’t have high expectations for this year. About 53 percent of those in private companies and 57 percent of communicators in public companies said they expect budgets to stay flat.