Thoughts

The Roar of New Breed Public Relations

How next generation public relations is shifting from deliverer of the message to deliverer of business results

by Mark Raper, CEO

Thanks to advancements in automation and technology, productivity is at the highest level we’ve seen since the WWII era. Throughout the past 30 years, companies have invested wisely to improve their supply chain and automation processes. They have down-sized, right-sized and re-engineered their business models. In the process, CEOs have squeezed business functions deemed to have the greatest influence on their business – operations, manufacturing, sales, human resources, vendors, and even advertising and marketing – to maximize top-line impact and bottom-line results. But, amidst all of this activity, one business influencer has been left virtually untapped: communications.

As organizations strive to achieve even greater efficiency and success, some CEOs are looking into their toolbox to determine how to take their business to the next level of productivity; their customer service to a higher plane; and the appeal of their products or services among customers to an even higher standard. The common denominator in all of these business issues is amazingly simple: people. These people take the form of employees, suppliers, customers, shareholders, regulators, consumers, special interest groups, allies and host of other groups that can be lumped into that catch-all bucket often referred to as stakeholders. 

In recent years, study after study has reinforced how communications play a vital role in creating favorable environments that motivate these groups to act. This is not just communications in the sense of building awareness. It’s more. It’s drill-down, specific-attribute, wrap-your-arms-around-something communications that tell stakeholders something about you, your business, what you stand for, if you can be trusted and what’s in it for them. It’s communications that deliver the results CEOs are looking for and need.

Consider the following data:

• A study by Mercer Human Resources Consulting suggests that good communications may be more important than pay for businesses that want to hold onto their workers.
• 91 percent of employees who understand how their job fits into the big picture are motivated to help the company succeed (Towers-Perrin). This compares with 58 percent who say their boss motivates them to do their best (Towers-Perrin), and a Watson Wyatt survey that indicates only two out of five employees have trust and confidence in their senior leaders.
• An Ernst & Young study indicates that 35 percent of a company’s valuation by institutional investors is attributable to non-financial factors.
• A Walker Research study finds that 95 percent of customers who view a corporation as supportive of the community will continue to do business with that company and a Golin/Harris study states 70 percent of respondents were willing to start or increase the amount of business they do with a company based specifically on a company’s corporate citizenship record.
• A Business Week survey of MBA students indicates 42 percent would not work for an employer that was not socially responsible.
• And, surveys reported in the Harvard Business School “Working Knowledge” newsletter suggest CEOs believe engaging employees in corporate vision is their biggest challenge (for two years in a row).

All of these measures are indications of the value added by communicating the goals, personality, image and attributes of a company inside the organization and in the marketplace. And, all of these goals can be best accomplished by the new breed of professional public relations professionals providing communications strategy and counsel at the highest levels within an organization.

The Lion Wakes

In roars the new breed of public relations practitioners. They are enlightened professionals and agencies who assume the responsibility for much more than message delivery. They prefer to drill down into their organization’s core needs, and help them understand and predict the impact of their communications efforts on the bottom line. And, they listen.

They also realize the following:

• Agencies must understand business, C-level concerns and the entrepreneurial spirit.
• Agencies can no longer submit “off-the-shelf” solutions that are measured using criteria that are not important to the company.
• Agencies can hire inspired, smart youngsters, but seasoned experts will maintain value (and the relationship).
• Agencies need to be experts in forecasting what’s next in communication solutions – not just what has worked in the past.  

At CRT/tanaka we adopt an operational philosophy we call “creative intelligence” – the melding of business aptitude, communications experience and aggressive creative practices. These are some of the same characteristics of the new breed of PR practitioners. 

New breed PR practitioners are masters of creative intelligence, taking a daVincian-like attitude toward their profession. They’re not afraid of accountability. And, they have several other important characteristics and/or priorities:

They are business all-stars. Having a deep understanding of business is paramount. The new breed knows the difference between symptoms and the root causes of a business issue.  They do not just accept assignments, they understand them. They anticipate the motivations of the executive suite. The PR practitioner who understands profit structure, ROI, budgeting, manufacturing, sales and productivity are the ones who will positively affect the bottom line.

They measure themselves differently. Many PR folk are envious of advertising professionals who have been given more respect and responsibility for important business issues. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that PR has tended to apply the same elementary model of metrics used by early advertisers (impressions) to boost its credibility. But the new breed of PR pros will earn value and respect from C suites by measuring productivity, engagement, relationships and other critical factors that can impact top line and bottom line performance.

They are communications visionaries. Information is oozing out of everyone’s pores. So, to make a valuable impact, the next-generation PR pro will look into the future, understand human nature, measure audience attitudes, leverage technology and select the most innovative programs to deliver the message. The new breed questions the validity and effectiveness of a news release or a press conference and looks for the most efficient and striking ways to deliver a message.

They understand the value of experience. The dot com boom made a lot of young PR folks “experts.” So, they tell me. The new breed is driven by the need to bring value, and they listen intently to uncover and understand business issues. They are quick to seek experience and information that can create better solutions. Although young PR professionals can’t be seasoned overnight, they can seek experience.

They understand people and their value. According to Mercer’s 2002 People at Work Survey, communications will be the key to reaching higher levels of productivity moving forward, improving employee commitment, satisfaction and retention. Plus, recent data suggests that employee attitudes fundamentally impact brand acceptance, sales, trust and share price. Next generation PR will evaluate their value with these important business measures.  

They are artists. The new breed’s ideas are not just creative – they are effective. Because the world is saturated with information, the artistry of PR takes on a whole new meaning. It’s about more than the news angle or the publicity stunt. It’s about creativity at the strategic business level. Instead of building creativity into a plan, the artists build a plan out of creativity.

The late psychologist Abraham Maslow said, “If the only tool you have in your toolbox is a hammer, you tend to treat everything like a nail.” “Creative intelligence” requires we continue to add to the toolbox. 

Regardless of the vitality and vigor of economic recovery and its impact upon business, you can be guaranteed that organizations across all industry segments and markets will continue to seek higher levels of business performance. As public relation professionals, we have an unprecedented opportunity to provide value and enhanced economic outcomes.  

The new lion’s roar is not just a case of sound and fury, signifying nothing new.  It is the sound of the new king of the jungle.