After reviewing this blog, an editor from public relations trade publisher Ragan Communications asked me to pen an op-ed about the changing role of PR during an economic slowdown.
Rather than the typical gripes about how companies just don't "get" the value of public relations, I put the responsibility squarely on communications professionals to be more proactive in enhancing our role in corporate success. Is my tone too controversial? Are my suggestions on target?
A New PR Paradigm for Recessionary Times
Ragan.com
July 2008
http://tinyurl.com/5vdcmv
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Calling Out My PR Colleagues
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1 comment:
Mark,
You couldn't have hit the center of the circle any closer. In fact, as an employee communicator, I would vouch for your common sense approach in my role as well. Working to support more than 400 field client managers and sales people, we have had a hyper focus these last six months on eliminating the corporate speak, minimizing the wasted time of "setting the economic context," etc., and we have cut to the chase. In even the best of times, employees want to hear less about strategy, and more about how management is trying to help them achieve their goals and maximize their bonus at year end.
In answer to our employees' perennial question, "So what's in it for me?" this year, it's all about how to improve their ability to target new and more profitable business, and how to shorten the sales cycle so that the revenue appears on the books as quickly as possible.
Even if we cannot prove what percent of the team's production is tied to our communications, at the very least we are receiving tremendous anecdotal support from our audience, and management cannot help but see the direct correlation between the resources we expend to communicate, and the link to business results.
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