I recently attended PRSA’s Leadership Rally, which featured a luncheon keynote by Mary Lee Sachs on ‘The Changing MO of the CMO.’ As we witness each day within our own organization and those of our clients, the roles of marketing and public relations are constantly evolving. As Ms. Sachs noted in her presentation (as did fellow presenter Deidre Breakenridge) there is a new type of PR/marketing pro emerging. Ms. Sachs sees this individuals as one who understands the importance of blended thinking between PR and marketing, seeks to drive influence and knows how to leverage the best of paid, earned and owned media.
While there is no limit to the number of opinions out there as to where PR should reside within an organization, it is evident that what’s best for business is taking a strategic, integrated approach to marketing communications. As PR/Marketing pros work to support organizational goals and generate quantifiable results, regardless of where there roles sit within an organization, I encourage each to keep some of Ms. Sachs tips/takeaways top-of-mind:
- Reputation is becoming more important
- Word-of-Mouth is becoming a more powerful influencer (in part, thanks to social media)
- Even if your company/client isn’t global, they are competing with a global brand
- Research and analytics are critically important in the PR/Marketing landscape
- PR/Marketing professionals need to consider how to market their/their client’s organization to the c-suite
As Ms. Sachs pointed out in her presentation, while silos between marketing and PR shouldn’t exist, they often do. The two functions need to be linked and each team’s strengths need to be leveraged for the benefit of the organization.
Do you work within an organization that divides its marketing and PR functions among different departments? Are you a PR practitioner who collaborates with external marketing agencies on behalf your clients? Share how you foster collaboration and avoid working in silos by leaving a comment in response to this post.
