Is there such a thing as PR anymore dahlink?

So much more than PR
Times they are a changing… if you asked me a few years ago what I did for a living. I would have said I’m in PR. Ask me today and you’ll get a different answer.

So what do I do today? I work in communications.

It’s not just the old PR vs. marketing debate but with online/digital having entered the arena I believe that for quite some time now there is a bigger, better industry that has been bubbling away, growing and refining itself. Yes – communications. Forgive me if I am stating the obvious but have talked about this at length with colleagues and other industry professionals and I don’t know that everyone can see it as clearly as maybe I do. I suppose it’s a bit like the EU debate. Some want to be part of it (and are), some will not and still see themselves as individual member states and others will be in it to make the most of the benefits.

Integration and understanding are key
Ultimately for me communications is about understanding and engaging with people in the most appropriate way and thus finding the right solution for the client. Many people are still trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and it’s not just wrong in an ethical sense but it’s a big waste of time for everyone involved. People who do this are just setting themselves up for a big #FAIL.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there will always be a need for expertise in different areas of the traditional marketing mix, however I think that the future holds integration and collaboration for PRs and marketers, a place where people allow themselves to see the bigger picture, doing away with tunnel vision and having the courage to admit that there is not always one solution.

So do you see yourself as a member state or will you embrace integration?

To blog or not to blog?

I’ve been mulling it over for a while and I feel it’s time to bite the bullet and start the blog that I have been threatening to begin for months (maybe even years!).

I live and breathe communications. Whether it’s catching up with my mum on the phone, advising clients on integrated comms strategies or keeping in touch with my mates on social media sites - I am constantly communicating with someone in some shape or form. So why does it feel so alien sitting here writing this? I write for a living you see – from features on BREEAM excellent-rated buildings, newsletters on what’s hot and what’s not in the fashion world this season, to pieces on the benefits of organic milk. Yet, there is something quite unnerving about sitting down in front of my laptop sharing my thoughts in cyberspace.

I’ll keep this short and hopefully find something other than myself to write about next time (we PRs do love to talk about ourselves – if you are a PR reading this I know you are smiling because you know it’s true even if you don’t admit it!).

I am sensing that there will be something quite cathartic about pressing the ‘publish post’ button shortly.

Take care out there!