The above is also the headline of a recent article extolling the virtues of public relations – in a leading advertising industry newsletter!

Yes, The Delaney Report, which tags itself “The International Newsletter for Marketing, Advertising and Media Executives,” lauded those “alert” companies that proactively use public relations as an integral part of their marketing mix rather than just as “a tool to fall back on when unexpected corporate or brand crises occur.”

Companies taking the latter approach do so “at their own risk,” the newsletter warned, because the Internet, cell phones and other new technologies are creating a “communications environment where information (good and bad) is conveyed instantly around the world.”

“As a result,” Delaney continues, “companies need to rethink how they are employing public relations.” The article says that what’s needed is “engagement with…constituents -- consumers, employees, shareholders, activist groups, etc. – on a more frequent and timely basis.”