He Said It

On the centrality of media relations to any communications program: "That's not to say that other aspects of PR are less important, it's just the front line where the battles are fought on a daily basis. I just think that's a part of PR that is the nitty-gritty of what we do."

--Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Carter, chief of media relations for the US Coast Guard, from PRWeek article, Gurus of the Media World.

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The May 15 edition of PR Week featured its annual New York Regional Forum, where leading communications professionals from a variety of agencies, corporations, nonprofits, and other organizations in the nation’s top media market took part in an extensive roundtable discussion about major issues facing the industry.

The public relations industry has a received a collective pat on the back from the top names in corporate America. The evidence comes from a study by the USC Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center, Los Angeles, that found more than three-quarters of Fortune 500 companies now have PR reporting directly to the C-level executive suite.

Chief Marketing Officers are responsible for the marketing strategies and initiatives that move a business forward. They have to build brand recognition, corporate reputation, and make their company top-of-mind in their segment. So why can’t CMOs market themselves?

It’s a good thing futurist and business consultant Watts Wacker believes in paradox. Last month, in his keynote speech at the Public Relations Society of America’s Counselors Academy Convention in Savannah, Wacker attempted to put notions such as the “abolition of context” into -- for lack of a better word -- context.