Why marketing and PR should have a seat in the boardroom

Trying to get companies to take marketing and public relations seriously as business tools that should be factored into overall business strategies has been a brick wall many of us in the industry have been climbing for many years. I have always believed strongly that these business elements should be represented on boards and not just as a token effort but that they should be considered as key factors in the overall business dynamics and as drivers of economic growth.

Too much energy is spent on executives questioning the validity of marketing and PR instead of embracing the opportunities these disciplines can bring to any firm, and often they get missed off the list altogether as simply fancy 'add ons' that are nice to have if you can afford them.

I was very pleased to read the following paper http://goo.gl/M3bw9 posted by the Australian Institute of Company Directors and put together by the Australian Marketing Institute and Deloitte  that clearly dispels the theory that marketing is just about creativity and through research has proved that marketing should command a seat in the board room. Sadly the report didn't include public relations in its research which also deserves a seat at the table and can make an enormous difference to the communications, and therefore success of an organisation but it's a big step in the right direction.

Communications, and therefore PR, has never been more important to businesses today and yet so many are still only just finding their way through the new digital age and are failing to understand how this part of a business's infrastructure can dictate other outcomes, in terms of business success, or failure.

I am fortunate to be on the board of the Australian Baseball Federation as the Director of Marketing and Communications and even more fortunate that the board understands the importance of having this element of the business clearly represented - but not just as a token, but as a key decision maker that will help to improve the operations on many levels. If only more boards would follow this example. Businesses would soon see that marketing and public relations can really make a difference on so many levels, and while it can't always be measured in pure dollar for dollar terms the sum of the whole can undoubtedly have a dramatic, positive impact on a company, both internally and externally, that is frankly invaluable.

Yasmine Gray
Company Director at Graymedia