Savvy PR professionals have for years advocated an integrated communications model. But until recently, most companies maintained a segregated model that could lead to
inconsistent messaging and missed opportunities. The events of Sept. 11 and the economic slump have prompted many businesses to reevaluate their communications, opening new
opportunities for PR pros to lead the revolution, and thus prove their contribution to the bottom line.
"Public relations and public affairs professionals are being asked to vet more marketing messages these days, given the attacks on Sept. 11," says Tom Joyce, VP of public
affairs for American Express Financial Advisors. "In many ways, our marketing brethren are relying upon us as tuning forks to make sure messages are in key. Everything from
advertising to marketing communication to client communications needs to go through the filter created on Sept. 11, and that filter is the role of the [PR] pro right now."
Michael Ertel, PR manager for Marketplace Bank, a Florida-based arm of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, experienced that phenomenon firsthand on Sept. 11. After hearing the
news of the attacks while waiting to board a plane to New York, Ertel raced back to the office. He immediately contacted the advertising department to find out what promotions
were scheduled to run in the near future and discovered a potential disaster in the making. "Our theme was, 'We break through the banking myths,' and we had a piece featuring our
4.4 percent rate exploding out of a pile of rubble," Ertel says. "It was in red, white and blue. Certainly, we needed to pull that ad."
Though Ertel says the Marketplace advertising team has always worked closely with his department, in the past "it was for damage control or a grammar check." Now the
advertising team looks to PR to serve as a much more proactive partner. "Instead of 'make sure the commas are in the right places,' it's 'are we doing the right thing.'" Ertel
played an instrumental role in developing an alternative to the "rubble" ads, helping to craft a patriotic remake of a promotion that had originally run on the Fourth of July.
The Business of Trust
Companies have begun leaning on the PR department recently because "PR is a great tool for building trust," says Mack Bradley, VP with The Vandiver Group, a St. Louis, Mo.-
based subsidiary of Pinnacle Worldwide. "Advertising is a great tool for building brand loyalty, but we've seen over and over again [in research] that people want to do business
with and buy products from companies they trust."
In the wake of the disaster, most marketing efforts have focused on corporate reputation and community relations - in lieu of product promotions - meaning trust, rather than
brand loyalty has been the primary goal for communications efforts.
But as product marketing begins to pick up again, companies are keeping PR in the mix to help build trust not only for their corporate identities, but also for their brands.
One of The Vandiver Group's clients, for example, recently launched a major branding initiative and has turned to the PR firm to help develop and implement the initial thrust of
the campaign. And corporate clients are asking their ad agencies to coordinate more closely with their PR shops on all fronts, says Michael Kempner, president and CEO of The MWW
Group.
Isolated Incident?
Despite increased reliance on PR, some communications professionals are concerned that once the nation develops a new sense of normalcy, businesses will eventually slip back
into old habits. "I hope the level of PR involvement in other disciplines will continue," says Lee Duffey, president, Duffey Communications in Atlanta. "There shouldn't be
disjointed communications kingdoms in companies."
Duffey recommends that communicators take the opportunity to guarantee the recent progress toward integration doesn't turn out to be a one-time occurrence by ensuring senior
management understands the impact integrated communications have had since the attacks. "Smart communicators will take the outcome of the communications activity [that has taken
place in recent weeks] and use it as a case study to show the streamlined efficiency and effectiveness of a PR-driven communications program."
Citing concrete examples and credible metrics that demonstrate reduced costs, streamlined use of human resources, averted crises, heightened brand awareness or increased
credibility is the only way to make a case for long-term integration.
Kempner agrees that the most crucial step in maintaining PR's influence in overall marcom strategy is for the PR department to be active and vocal supporters of an integrated
model. "PR practitioners have been told in the past, 'Here's what we're doing. Go publicize it.'" Instead, he says, communications professionals should seek out other advocates
for a more holistic approach to promotions and be vocal about the need for the PR department to drive marketing strategy - and not the other way around. "Advertising and PR should
never operate separately," Kempner says. "If they're not brothers, they should at least be first cousins."
(Contacts: American Express Financial Advisors: Tom Joyce, 612/671-2598, [email protected]; Duffey Communications: Lee Duffey,
404/266-2600, [email protected]; Marketplace Bank: Michael Ertel, 407/659-6293, [email protected]; MWW Group: Michael Kempner, [email protected]; The Vandiver Group: Mack
Bradley, [email protected])