In the last month, I’ve had conversations with peers, colleagues and clients about the state of communications in business today and what companies, brands and leaders need most from us. This mid-year point always seems an optimal time for this kind of examination.
On one hand, the usual misunderstandings about PR are, unfortunately, still alive and well (real-time example: the new head of marketing of a consumer health brand recently told me he thinks of PR as a ‘single-digit retainer’ proposition). On the other hand, I, and other comms colleagues also report that our discipline is considered by business leaders we work with to be integral to business growth.
A tale of two extremes.
There will always be people out there who have an antiquated, narrow, uninformed view of public relations. So, let’s focus our attention where our intellectual partnership is actively sought and valued and on growth, where our discipline makes meaningful and measurable contributions.
According to the 2025 Cision and PRWeek Comms Report, 84% of communications leaders say they are being consulted by C-suite executives more this year than ever. Further, the #1 priority of CEOs for comms is to build sustainable growth and value for the company. All our skills as communicators empowers us with the knowledge and abilities to accomplish these goals. And now, we have AI-enabled tools for real-time listening, sharp targeting, precise measurement and more.
Here are just a few ways comms uniquely contributes to growth:
Create and manage the narrative –The first topic on CEOs’ agendas according to a report from PwC, is ‘reinvention’ – and how to accelerate business transformation to be ready for a new age.’ Toward that end, what’s needed? A more finely-honed narrative or a refresh? And once we have that in place, we, often in concert with marketing, HR and other groups within the company, bring it to life through words, pictures, video, our own ‘rockstars,’ and actions that present the company in the desired way to existing stakeholders and likely attract new ones.
Comms for business impact–Comms is how leaders’ visions are shared, company and brand attributes and values are communicated and how connections and brand preferences are established –all for business and human impact.
Alignment and integration – Often, companies grow through strategic partnerships, acquisitions and mergers. Communications is the glue that creates a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. It is through communications that siloes are broken down and cross-functional/cross-team collaborations can flourish. Effective internal communications after mergers or acquisitions builds trust, allying uncertainty. Externally, communications is key to telling the new, stronger, enhanced company story.
Reputation – Comms builds, rebuilds and nurtures reputations to establish authority and leadership, mitigate or prevent issues or crises, and more. Practitioners also know that reputation influences factors like sales, shareholder perception, brand preference, and purchase intent. Accordingly, reputation initiatives are created for storytelling, sustained emotional connection and relationships as well as for bottom line growth.
Consistent visibility–One way in which communications supports growth, that I often feel is under-rated, is consistency. Often, companies invest in ‘big bets,’ such as a video with the potential to go ‘viral,’ an exciting but short-term activation, or a ‘campaign’ that, although super creative, is not built to be sustained. In healthcare, the space I primarily work in, companies invest in communications around data milestones—whether presentations, publications or regulatory announcements. These are all critical and one can instantly see the link between amplification of these to share price (and other measures like visits to the brand or company websites). But it is well-planned and consistent communications between the milestones that avoids the peaks and valleys of visibility and keeps the company and brand on the minds of stakeholders.
See what’s coming – Comms has always been called on for scenario planning, trendspotting and issues or crisis management. These contributions will always be critical and companies that use comms for organisational readiness (vs. just when a crisis hits or when they think it might hit) significantly benefit.
It’s an exciting time for comms, indeed. And I want to give a shout-out to the team behind the Lucky Yactra campaign for Indian Railways, PR Grand Prix winner. There was a lot to like about this campaign. For me, it was a terrific illustration of how creativity, deep cultural understanding and emotional connection (e.g. aspiration) were brought together in pursuit of a business goal that also provided value to stakeholders.
As always, this dynamic time is not without challenges. The Cision 2025 survey also found only 18% of PR teams are properly integrated with marketing, and 81% of comms leaders feel more pressure to do more with less, to which I say, what else is new? Overcoming obstacles like these is well within our expertise, too.
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