If you haven't read the January 11 issue of Ad Age magazine, the article from Lindsay Stein conveyed beautifully the unique relevance of the public relations discipline.
It's very much worth reading in its entirety, but here are three of the more noteworthy quotes from the article:
"...the emergence of skippable, blockable, opt-out-able advertising, not to mention ever-more integrated campaigns, means PR can suddenly demand more than a supporting role - and maybe even take center stage."
Communications technology has made instant publishing, streaming and real-time consumption of media and messages a routine part of our lives, creating a more transparent world where only messaging that is relevant and of real value to the audience is able to break through. That's where public relations practitioners have always focused, but our work - based on a deep understanding that communication is a two-way street - is more powerful than ever before in creating and sustaining relationships with consumers.
"There is no better discipline than this (PR) in today's transformative and interactive marketing landscape."
This quote came from Coldwell Banker Chief Marketing Officer Sean Blankenship. And he's right. No other communications discipline takes into consideration all of an organization's audiences, nor is able to both promote and protect its brands as credibly.
"Edelman, the largest independent PR agency, is 'getting not just a seat the table, we're getting half the table.'"
This comment came from Jackie Cooper, Edelman's global chair-creative strategy, and underscores that PR is not just a media relations function (and never was). It's why more organizations should use a PR chassis to build their programs in order to provide consistent representation of a brand to every important audience - internal and external.
There will always be a place for traditional advertising and marketing communication. But it's great to see the recognition of PR's growing importance in driving brand communications strategy among the world's top marketing companies. As we've been saying - #PRisEverything.
Have you re-assessed your marketing programs through the valuable lens of the PR discipline?