Your Ayes Tell Me Yes, Yes, But... The PR and Marketing Clash 05/13/2010

A Vocus "Snapshot of Integrated Communications" summary from March 10, 2010 to March 31, 2010, surveyed 966 public relations professionals about their perceptions of integrated communications. Survey participants were provided the following definition: In the context of this survey, the term "integrated communications" means a management concept that ties all aspects of marketing communication, including, but not limited to advertising, search marketing, sales promotion, public relations and direct marketing, together to function in a unified an comprehensive fashion as opposed to functioning in isolation or silos."

Key findings include the following:

· The lines between PR and marketing are blurring: Marketing and PR have formalized working relationships, but data suggests "formal" does not necessarily mean "functional." 78% of marketing and PR professionals say they report to the same boss, while 77% of the same group report formal working relationships to create a common communications strategy. However, 67% hold cross-functional meetings only "sometimes."

· Turf battles" are still evident: Despite formalized processes or structures, 34% cited "organizational structures, functional silos, or turf battles" as the single largest barrier to integrated communications. The next largest barrier is budget shortcomings with 20% of respondents.

· Ownership of social media and blogging is still undecided: PR and marketing each have a strong sense of ownership. 43% of PR professionals feel they should own social media, while 34% of marketers make the same claim. 37% of PR professionals think PR should own the corporate blog versus 23% of marketers expressing the same sentiment.

· Benefits and communication measurement provides common ground: 56% of marketing and PR professionals say integrated communications increases overall effectiveness of their outreach programs. 48% cite sales and ROI as the single most important factor in measuring the results of an integrated communications strategy.

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