[DECLARATION: I was sent free copies of CorpComms to review by its publisher. In the spirit of openness I have also reviewed the other two main PR trade publications here and here]
With CorpComms you’re talking top-end trade mag! With its swanky matt finish and clever front pages this is a mag that will look good in your boardroom even if it’s not read!
Sorry for the recycled analogy, but according to its website, CorpComms “has been created to fill the gap in professional trade publications aimed specifically at senior executives who are responsible for managing and communicating their corporate image and identity.”
So it’s aimed at exec level PR people then… thus the content will be quite theoretical and focused on management and evaluation? No. Despite its title, CorpComms covers a range of serious and quirky topics across all PR sectors from voluntary to financial.
The content’s biggest influencing factor is that CorpComms is published monthly so current industry news is sparse with the exception of long-lead in stuff like major survey results etc
But the proliferation of feature articles, covering crisis management, PR in the US, carrying out ethical PR campaigns, make CorpComms a different read than PR Business and PR Week. And these features are mostly good reads that did include insight into other areas of the PR industry unknown to me.
However, these articles may not hold such illuminating tit-bits for all practitioners. One criticism I have (and I have to have at least one!) is that given CorpComms target audience (ie senior practitioners), some features are perhaps pitched a bit low. Or maybe standards in the UK industry are declining !
Also, so far CorpComms has been a bit lite on new PR/tech issues, which is ironic because this whole PR exercise came about as a result of CorpComms’ publisher sending me some free copies of his mag to review!
Web-wise, CorpComms’ site is pretty utilitarian. It is pretty easy to navigate and all the hard copy features are there, although the text is a bit small (Disability Discrimination Act??). Having said that when I viewed the site (2 May 2006) the latest-issue copy was from the March edition and I’m guessing there’s a new issue out now (actually I know there is because the office has received it!).
My view is that CorpComms is a good monthly read that spans a range of PR sectors. It stands alone because of its frequency; there‘s nothing else in the monthly PR trade mag stakes. But if it came to the crunch and I only had time to read one PR mag in my hectic schedule(!) I would turn to one of the weeklies for up-to-date info.
Next up, that review rating system in full.
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