Does PR deserve a seat at the boardroom table?
Last week saw the CommsCon conference spotlight the public relations industry at its best. But the profession still has an image problem in the wider marketing mix. Nic Christensen reports.
A self-confessed ‘reformed PR’, Andy Lark, chief marketing officer of the Commonwealth Bank, revels in throwing a cat among the pigeons.
With almost a hint of glee, Lark did precisely this last week, during the CommsCon conference, when he told a room full of public relations executives they were “the ugly red-headed child” of the marketing world.
“The ad agencies aren’t your friends,” said Lark. “I sit there and people try to convince me that you’ll all get together and work. Believe me, I’m a CMO and I spend a lot of money with ad agencies and all through my career it’s been the same – you’re the ugly red-headed child of their world.”
marketers and C-series execs don’t really care which type of agency drives a marketing strategy these days … there are so many breeds of agency to choose from. They just want the one with the best, most accountable campaign – the usual objectives, creativity, understanding of the brief, successful track record, accountability and value for money.
Andy is right. PR needs to not only get off its arse, but stop whingeing and just get out there and take the briefs that are waiting to be executed.
If a bunch of no-name SEO experts and self appointed social media gurus with no relevant marketing comms degrees can take the clients money we sure as hell can.
“no relevant marketing comms degrees”
haha had to laugh at that FabFour. My guess is you are a fairly recent graduate?
anyway, it’s a pity that Mumbrella had to rehash its earlier identical story…is this an indication of a dwindling audience?
it’s also a pity that Lark is inaccurately crapping on the industry that gave him his break
the only problem is that Corporate Affairs already has a seat at the Board table
Perhaps lark and others whinging about PR should inform their PR firms that they now have an ad budget.
When people have money they get more creative because their imagination is not limited by their financial capability or lack thereof. It’s no use complaining about PRs being stuck in their ways when you’ve changed the rules but failed to tell them
Rather than bitch about your suppliers why dont you tell them what your new rules are?
@NS I’m two decades into my profession actually and have run my own agency for half of that time. What I was trying to say kindly is that many of the cowboys who have taken clients money in the digital sphere have no relevant qualifications at all. Most we employ now (and in the past) have some kind of degree in a comms related field.
apologies FabFour and i agree that more snake oil has been peddled by social wannabees than real experience and advice
I’ve always found it interesting that when times are good and consumers are consuming that all credit goes to the sales and marketing teams. They spend lavishly on campaigns because they can. But the moment it all goes south and the money dries up they come crying to PR to do something. Do ANYTHING! PR, remember, is about relationships. And those relationships last through times of wealth and times of hardship. The moment marketing runs out of the cash it’s interesting to see how quickly all those loved up contributors dry up. And just as in real life … relationships can’t be measured. PR sometimes can’t either. And they can’t be explained at times. But business based on good relationships sure as hell outlasts those based purely on money. Marketing needs to wake up because if PR’s the ugly red-headed child then marketing is the fat lonely bully who thinks he’s funnier than he really is.