Mark Weiner, CEO of Delahaye, a division of Bacon's
Information, took us to task on our survey on integrated
communications (See PR News, Feb. 9, 2005). The gist of the
survey: The rhetoric about integrated communications hardly matches
the reality and corporate America, despite the constant chorus
about "teamwork," is still very much a universe of silos, where
advertising and PR are often like two ships passing in the night.
But Weiner disagrees. He writes:
"Integrated Communications, or IC, and PR have something in
common: Most businesspeople would agree that each is important but
fewer people can agree on their respective definitions, their roles
and how their success is measured. Two other points:
- IC strategy begins with good communications research. Only
after the opinions, preferences and perceptions of stakeholders are
known can salient, relevant communication occur. Research also
provides a common framework for evaluating communication
performance. - While not every company achieves true synergy through IC,
highly admired companies such as FedEx, CDW and
Accenture tend to follow an integrated model. These
companies succeed in part because they deliver consistent
communication to all their stakeholders; the communications succeed
because they focus on the sweet spot between what target audiences
consider important and credible, and what propels the organization
forward.
"The principles of IC are as true today as ever and the risk of
ignoring these tenets is considerable. So while IC may not be
visible at the front-and-center, it is dangerous to infer that IC
is a trite anachronism: It is the 'lion that purred' rather than
'the mouse that roared.'"
Contact: Mark Weiner, 203.663.2446, [email protected]