Could Chief Communication Officers (CCOs) become CMOs? Would they want to be CMOs?

Many already have. They are few and far between but those who have made the transition are thriving in a world of silo-busting integration. We all know who some of them are: Jon Iwata of IBM; Beth Comstock of GE; Christa Carone of Xerox; and Anne Finucane of Bank of America. But some are less celebrated.

When Simon Sproule was promoted from director of communications at the Renault-Nissan Alliance to corporate vice president of global marketing communications, effectively the CMO, of Nissan, he was interviewed by a PR trade in the UK that shall go unnamed. This publication also interviewed a few PR people on Sproule’s new role and the comments were almost universally negative.

I asked Sproule about this, and he said that, “They felt that PR needs to be independent; that PR is different to marketing.” He continued, “I talked to the reporter afterwards and said that this is the classic kind of silo mentality that we don’t need. I suggested that they ring up each one of those skeptics and ask them the basic question that if the CEO walked into their office and said I want you to become the head of marketing and PR for my company, will you do it?”

Continue reading " The Changing MO of CCOs and CMOs "

Social media has hit public relations and the world by storm. It has shown its effectiveness through campaign fundraising (President Obama) and the Middle East uprisings.

However, the full potential, application and usefulness of social media and social networking as a business tool has yet to be fully developed.

Organizations are eager to engage in social media, but often lack full understanding of the return-on-investment (ROI) and applicability. The business applicability of social media is still largely in a “trend state,” rather than a fully developed business tool that provides predictability.

For all its enormous benefits, the social media platform comes with challenges. Even as the medium changes how we work, we are at the same time learning that some things cannot be replaced by technology.

We now speak in 140-character sentences, misuse the English language by finding shortcuts to words (e.g., r = are, c = see, u = you) and are basically inventing a new culture around nascent digital tools.

Ironically, this wonderful communication method hampers face-to-face and voice-to-voice contact with employees, customers and clients.

Continue reading " Mentoring in the Digital Age Requires Real Communication "

Aristotle is quoted as saying, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” In the world of communications, this philosophy hits the nail on the head. Communications today is a process, not an event. Messages need to be on target and disseminated via multiple channels to be heard and, more importantly, retained. Creating an internal communications program aligns business strategy, generates employee commitment, leverages technology and cultivates actions that engender trust.

In hospitals across the country, a new methodology modeled after the Baptist Health Care System is taking hold. In the book, “The Baptist Health Care Journey to Excellence,” CEO Al Stubblefield outlines four key ingredients to the recipe for excellence.

Continue reading " Excellence in Internal Communications "

Continuing in the HAPPO spirit, I thought I’d remind my fellow public relations professionals of how important it is to “pay it back” and “pay it forward” in return for their good fortune in being gainfully employed.

As a PRSA Jobcenter mentor, I’ve responded to more than 100 inquiries in the last year about searching for public relations positions and landing “the ideal job.” These questions have covered nearly every conceivable topic, including cold calling, search techniques, bad bosses, jumping ship and jumping fences, compelling resumes, coaching references and network building. I’ve seen or heard the good, the bad and, frankly, the downright ugly.

Continue reading " “Do’s” for Helping a Public Relations Job Search: Pay it Back/Pay it Forward "

One of the best things about teaching at The City College of New York is overseeing internships for advertising and public relations students.

At their frequent best, internships benefit both students and their sponsors. They provide students with invaluable experience bridging the gap between academia and the real world. Students apply what they’ve learned to the public relations business and are exposed to workplace demands, deadlines, expectations and culture. They learn how to adapt to the workplace and its politics. Best of all, successful interns often are hired upon graduation.

Continue reading " Making Internships Work (Without Breaking the Law) "