Is "integrated communications" the new "synergy?"
Remember "synergy?" In the mid- to late-1990s it was the
buzzword among media circles, a catch-all phrase that was used to
describe all the wonderful melding of media products and marketing
disciplines alike. These days, while "brand extension" is a huge
part of the marketing arsenal, you no longer hear very much about
synergy, which promised more than it ultimately delivered.
Nearly a decade later, however, synergy seems to have been
eclipsed by "integrated communications," harkening visions of
marketing, advertising, PR, IR and HR executives all working
together in harmony and singing kumbaya as the company's stock
price soars and customer growth exceeds expectations.
A recent joint survey taken by PR News and Porter
Novelli shows a different reality, one far removed from what
can be truly defined as integrated communications. According to the
survey, just about a third of respondents allocate between 10% and
49% of their PR budgets to integrated communications, while just
10% devote more than 75% (see charts).
The survey also found a lack of cohesion between PR execs and
their IT counterparts as well as a chasm between PR and legal.
"Communicators have to find ways to more deeply immerse themselves
in areas they may consider foreign," says Gary Stockman, president
of Porter Novelli.
Asked why PR and legal/IT are like oil and water, Stockman says,
"Silos have grown up on their own, and those boundaries are not
easily crossed."
Tom Martin, senior vp/director of corporate relations at ITT
Industries (and president of the Arthur W. Page
Society), adds that the IT numbers "should not be as bad as
they are because it's becoming part of the normal way of doing
business to communicate [via the Web] both internally and
externally."
Contacts: Tom Martin, 914.641.2157, [email protected]; Gary Stockman,
212.601.8114, [email protected]
| What percentage of your PR budget generally is allocated to integrated communications? |
|
|---|---|
| Less than 10% |
25%
|
| Between 10% and 49% |
31%
|
| Between 50% and 75% |
23%
|
| More than 75% |
10%
|
| 100% |
11%
|
| What percentage of your work-week is spent on integrated communication efforts? |
|
|---|---|
| Less than 10% |
14%
|
| Between 10% and 49% |
36%
|
| Between 50% and 75% |
25%
|
| More than 75% |
16%
|
| 100% |
9%
|
| Do you measure your integrated communications efforts? |
|
|---|---|
| Yes |
26%
|
| No |
29%
|
| Sometimes |
45%
|
| How would you characterize your relationship with other departments in your company (Great, Good, Bad, Ugly)? |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great | Good | Bad | Ugly | |
| Advertising |
45%
|
4%
|
4%
|
3%
|
| Marketing |
52%
|
33%
|
3%
|
3%
|
| Investor/Financial Relations |
20%
|
44%
|
8%
|
3%
|
| Internal Communications |
50%
|
33%
|
7%
|
0%
|
| Public Affairs |
43%
|
37%
|
6%
|
0%
|
| Business Development |
24%
|
50%
|
9%
|
1%
|
| IT |
25%
|
50%
|
11%
|
1%
|
| Legal |
22%
|
5%
|
8%
|
1%
|
| Do you update your Web site and intranet site to reflect PR campaigns? |
|
|---|---|
| Web site is updated to support PR campaigns |
41%
|
| Intranet site is updated to support PR campaigns |
10%
|
| Both are updated to support PR campaigns |
38%
|
| Neither the Web nor Intranet sites support PR campaigns |
10%
|
| Before a major PR campaign, how closely do you work with these departments to ensure consistent messaging and follow- through? |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very Closely | Closely | Marginally At Best | Worlds Apart/ Never Coordinate |
|
| Advertising |
50%
|
25%
|
11%
|
7%
|
| Marketing |
56%
|
27%
|
5%
|
4%
|
| Investor/Financial Relations |
17%
|
25%
|
21%
|
2%
|
| Internal Communications |
45%
|
30%
|
12%
|
4%
|
| Public Affairs |
4%
|
29%
|
13%
|
12%
|
| Business Development |
20%
|
3%
|
25%
|
1%
|
| IT |
1%
|
3%
|
31%
|
2%
|
| Legal |
22%
|
3%
|
22%
|
12%
|
| Outside PR Firm |
16%
|
21%
|
16%
|
25%
|
| CEO/Senior Management |
50%
|
32%
|
8%
|
0%
|
| Other |
10%
|
12%
|
0%
|
10%
|
Source: PR News/Porter Novelli: some percentages may
not add up to 100% because respondents didn't answer all
questions.
Survey Breakdown:
90% of the people responding to the survey held the title of
director, VP or higher
Organizational type:
- 57% Corporate PR execs
- 30% Association/nonprofit/government PR
- 13% PR agency