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Who Rules - Marketing or PR?
There is an interesting discussion raging (and I do mean raging!) on one of the LinkedIn groups I'm involved in - Network of PR Professionals. It all started with this post:
"Have observed/noticed in many cases Marketing wants PR to be part of their function/department...However as PR (External and Internal) is developing, it needs to have a separate identity of it own." This comment was almost immediately followed by another: "Wrong, Wrong and Wrong again! PR is simply one of many routes to market, and may or may not be the most appropriate use of budget." - and the debate ensued.
There is an amazing amount of misinformation and misperception being shared in this post. It's a bit disconcerting for someone like me in the communication industry and somewhat disheartening. Here's just one example: "PR/ Corporate Communications is not and can not be treated as a sub-text of Marketing." Egad!
I have a strong opinion about the subject, but the thread here has made me ponder why it all really matters.
Keep in mind that this is a PR group which certainly raises the odds that there are some personal agendas/ego issues at play. But as one poster commented: "Interesting discussion - and you didn't even get to ...should marketing follow sales?"
There has always been and probably always be conflict and competition between all of the various elements of the promotional mix that is part of the marketing function.
I think much of the confusion/debate results from semantics - and, primarily, the definition of "marketing" which, in a literal sense is an organizational function which encompasses the "4 P's" - product, price, place and promotion (and, under promotion, you'll find advertising, PR, sales, etc.). PR is, therefore, definitely a subset of marketing, but so are many other organizational functions.
The key, I think, is to ensure that *all* communication functions are well coordinated, regardless of where they officially reside. Otherwise, we run the risk of sending mixed/inconsistent messages out to our various publics - some of which may well overlap.Doesn't matter so much what we call things, or who reports where, but how well we coordinate our messaging so that we're all aligned to achieve the overall goals of our respective organizations.
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Practical Social Media Applications
Social media and social networking are "all the rage" these days, of course. But, beyond the purely "social" aspects of sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, does social media represent any legitimate business value? The answer is a resounding yes. Here are three specific areas you may wish to explore.
Recruitment: Three-quarters of hiring managers check LinkedIn to research the credentials of job candidates, according to a Jump Start Social Media poll on how social media is being used in the hiring process. Of the hiring managers surveyed, 75 percent use LinkedIn, 48 percent use Facebook, and 26 percent use Twitter to research candidates before making a job offer. When sourcing job candidates, 66 percent of hiring managers visit LinkedIn, 23 percent visit Facebook and 16 percent use Twitter to find job candidates to fill openings.
In addition to active searching for candidates, the Internet makes it easy to find information about applicants to augment the traditional reference-checking process. HR professionals need to exercise caution here, however - both because overreliance on these tools may increase your risk of liability from candidates who feel they have been unfairly discriminated against and because you may miss some very good candidates whose online profile/information did not represent them well.
Communicating in a Crisis: While most organizations today are at least aware of social media and its uses as a means of communicating with external audiences, its use as part of an organization's crisis communication plan for addressing the needs of internal audiences is not as widespread - yet. The benefits are clear:
- Ability to immediately connect with employees during crisis situations in which safety may be an issue.
- Ability to arm employees with important messages about what the company is doing to respond to questions that they - and their familiar, friends and acquaintances - may have. These "key messages" are critical to help protect the company's image and ensure consistency.
- Ability to provide employees with a trusted source of information rather than forcing them to rely on other reports shared through the media or social media channels that they may already be a part of.
- Ability to remain in contact with employees who may not have access to internal communication tools - e.g. the company intranet site. The key is putting a plan in place now, before a crisis occurs.
Helping Customers Help Themselves: Companies like Hewlett-Packard, Lyris, Jama Software and BestBuy are early adopters of social media as a tool to allow customers to engage with each other to get their technical and customer service questions answered - impacting traffic to existing customer service and help desk functions and, even more importantly, improving service and cementing relationships in the process.
A big benefit for companies using these systems - whether for internal or external customers - is the ability to generate useful content on an ongoing basis - content that may be created not necessarily by the company, but by users whose collective knowledge can be extremely valuable. In addition, through monitoring the activity in these communities, companies can learn about customer concerns, interests and even ideas, prompting proactive actions and even policy/service innovations.
Clearly, the social uses of tools like Facebook and Twitter are obvious. Companies should not overlook, though, the growing potential for these tools to benefit them in other - business-oriented - functions as well.
For More Information: Mashable; Chris Brogan |
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| Cutting Back on Perks -
Ramping Up Communication | |
It doesn't seem like that long ago that companies were coming up with new and innovative ways of offering "special perks" to employees - anything from personal concierge services to on-site dry cleaning and massage, to employer-sponsored sports teams, food services, travel-planning services, and other nontraditional "extras." But how prevalent are these special perks now in an economy of high unemployment and increasing budget cuts?
A Towers Watson (formerly Watson Wyatt) survey of 248 employers with a median of 6800 full-time and 400 part-time employees indicates a number of changes that these employers have already made or expect to make over the next 12 months in response to events in the economy and financial markets. Another recent survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., showed similar results. Has your company considered eliminating any employee perks in light of the economic slowdown? If you have, you should make sure that you're not cutting back on communication. There can be a tendency for managers to "lay low"during tough times, but that's an entirely wrong approach to take.
The Forum Corp., a consulting company, reviewed research on past recessions and identified 10 actions that successful leaders can take during economic downturns to settle the organization and engage employees. These include:
- Encourage questions and new ideas by making it safe for employees to raise them. Leaders who admit they don't have all the answers and ask for input empower their people to contribute their best ideas.
- Communicate authentically. Strong leaders acknowledge the challenges they struggle with and, by doing so, build trust among followers. Rather than being a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength.
- Make sure everyone's on the same page. When alignment on key goals is absent, performance suffers, according to studies on strategy execution. Top leaders frame an agenda ad meet with key stakeholders to gain support and build commitment to overarching goals and values. Ineffective leaders let interoffice politics fester and hidden agendas dominate.
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