Aaron Pearson

PRWeek's great 2024 Business Report highlights the key challenge facing our industry. Communications is more important than ever. Comms and policy leaders are being asked to play far larger roles as business partners supporting ever more stakeholders. So why did the industry suffer so much in 2023 after many years of growth? As an sector, we are not adapting fast enough to the needs. Organizations are desperate for help but also under tremendous financial strain. They now need both senior level counsel and advisory support as well as deep domain expertise to actually produce. By and large, our industry is still split by this chasm - between strategic and tactical. Clients cannot afford to separate these, either in time or money. At Bully Pulpit International our goal is to bridge this divide, building a team that can both 'think and do' at the highest levels. It's not always easy. Last year was a challenge. But if you share this vision for the future, please check out some of our open roles: https://lnkd.in/dGQwJUSG

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Why Strategic Communications Is a Must for Every Business Recently, many corporations have found themselves in the headlines, but not in the way they wanted. These situations underscore the essential role a seasoned communications leader plays in shaping a company’s public perception. Whether in-house or outsourced, having someone oversee the communications function is crucial. A strategic communicator supports your business plan, navigates challenging situations, and amplifies your story with priority stakeholders. Whether you're an early-stage startup, a well-established private business, or a publicly traded giant, each stage in your company’s journey requires a unique communications approach. Here's why prioritizing communications is a must for every business: 1.  Strategic Counsel and Advocacy 🤝 Communications leaders are trusted advisors, providing insights on public perception and aligning strategies with company values and goals. They evaluate how actions impact stakeholders, crafting messages for each audience. Integrating communication strategies into your core business plan prepares you to adapt to changing dynamics.   2.  Crisis and Reputation Management 🔥 Every business faces potential crises, threatening reputation and stability. A seasoned communications advisor is crucial for proactive crisis planning, working with leadership to swiftly address issues. They help preserve brand integrity by delivering transparent, honest, and timely information. As recent news cycles show, maintaining trust during a crisis demands experience and situational awareness.   3.  Brand Awareness and Storytelling 📣 Communications professionals build credibility with the news media to tell compelling brand stories through earned coverage or a combo of paid + earned. Marketing and comms teams must work in lockstep, ensuring a consistent, authentic, and cohesive brand message across all channels.   4.   Internal and External Message Alignment ✳️ Consistency in messaging across all organizational levels is vital. A great external strategy starts with an internal focus. Ensure employees understand business goals and their roles in supporting them. Aligning internal and external messaging maintains a cohesive culture and delivers a consistent brand narrative.   5.  Business Growth 📈 Strategic communication fuels business growth and transformation by crafting compelling content and narratives that highlight products, services, and initiatives. A communications advisor ensures an ongoing dialogue with priority stakeholders. Their awareness of current trends and media strategies enables you to seize opportunities and tell your story. Investing in a skilled communications leader or advisor is investing in the long-term success and resilience of your business. It's not just a nice-to-have but a critical component of a successful business strategy. #StrategicCommunications #BrandReputation #CrisisManagement #CorporateCommunications

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Why aren't corporate affairs teams sending more eDMs? They've got a high ROI, they're perfect for handling sensitive messaging, and they allow for deeper, more personal stakeholder engagement. Yet unlike marketing eDMs - which probably already flood your personal inbox - those sent for a corporate affairs purpose are few and far between. Tap into the unrealised potential of the platform with four foundational principles ⬇️ 📧 Consider the value exchange between sender and recipient 📧 Get creative – use interactive and visual elements to your advantage 📧 Tailor your content through segmentation and personalisation 📧 Don’t stop testing, and don’t stop learning Simon Masterton Kate Fagan

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Why do we do PR? Well, I would answer it's because trust and confidence among all audiences is at historic lows—an avg of 28%. With low/no trust, there is no commerce, there are no deals and business GRINDS to a halt. So, THAT is why we do PR. https://lnkd.in/g9M-_JQ4 #publicrelations, #pr, #trust, #credibility

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Maybe you’ve asked yourself this question before. The answer? Because it transforms abstract goals into tangible projects and provides clear direction to all team members. It’s more than just a campaign plan - it’s a strategic document. Read Christine Pilkington’s contribution as a member of Forbes Business Council on the impact of a marketing road map: https://lnkd.in/gZy4hCGN #marketingroadmap #marketingstrategy #marketingplan #businesstransformation #changemanagement

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What is one skill that differentiates Chief Comms Officers from their C-suite peers? We are dot connectors. 🔗 We can connect the dots between seemingly disparate initiatives and messages. ↔️ We tend to have a wide-ranging remit that enables us to see across the organization. 🧩 Because storytelling is core to what we do, we can fit all the pieces of the puzzle together to tell one larger story. 💡We love digging into audience insights, which means we can tailor that story to different audiences. That’s true even with employee communications. 🎯We can channel what employees want to speak to their direct needs. We can also help build bridges to connect internal efforts while breaking down silos. ⁉️What do you think? Does this ring true for those of you who are communications professionals?

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🎉 Another big announcement and a team effort! 📚 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 is now live, and you can download it for free. Focused on value measurement, not vanity metrics, and utilising the latest best practices and the AMEC Measurement and Evaluation integrated framework to demonstrate ROI in comms.   Download your copy here: https://lnkd.in/giVptTEJ   #PRStrategy #UltimateGuide #Communications #Ebook #Measurement

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The @PageSociety just released its newest report Beyond Communication: CCO Leadership in Navigating New Complexity. The findings underscore the CCO as an ever-more-essential partner with the CEO in defining and activating corporate character. Read more here: https://hubs.la/Q02x4nPQ0

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Comms Pros know - more than most - words matter. But sometimes, we use language that undermines our value. In-house stakeholders aren’t “clients.”  → We’re shoulder-to-shoulder partners. P&L centers shouldn't be called “The Business.”  → We're part of the business, not a subordinate function. Reinforcing an "us'" and "them" mindset is a disservice: It positions us as a less strategic function and makes us less effective. Ultimately, our job is to protect & promote brands and reputations. - Our roles are critical. - Our opinions are essential  - Our voices / expertise truly matter. We're Strategic Partners, not Service Providers.

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The main expectation for comms and marketing leaders in 2025 is that they master the art of doing more with less as they work at connecting with consumers, a new SourceCode Communications study says https://odwpr.us/4eyO01K

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Good article on the value of original quality content and risks of GenAI’s generics & distortions today when AI volume is everywhere online. The image simulation is cool example!

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Communicators — are you feeling overwhelmed by all the new technology we’re being challenged to adopt? You’re not alone. AI is forever changing the world of work, and I believe internal communicators have a central role to play in that transformation. What are you doing to help your organizations embrace AI? Let’s share our strategies and learn from each other! #AI #InternalCommunications #Innovation #Leadership #TechAtWork

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Elevate Your #Marketing #Career Today Uncover five non-intuitive approaches to boost your career, as detailed by Jennifer Lewis. “During my interview at The Pollack Group — something seemed different. Maybe it was my boss’s love for classical music that had us discussing Chopin for 30 minutes, or maybe it was learning about how Noemi Pollack, began Pollack as a strong, independent woman in the 1980s. Whatever it was, something whispered to take a chance on the agency, and I’m glad I did. We’re not like most #PR agencies. We’re small but mighty. We’ve worked with brands in start-up stages that, with our help, became household brand names. We are women-founded, bi-coastal, armed with a content studio, an agency podcast, and a well-rounded team that covers every marketing sector.” Check out the article here: https://lnkd.in/gwCFH-m3 #MarketingStrategy #CareerAdvancement #PollackProud

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#Clientwin Rayne Strategy Group client Mary Beth West, APR, FPRCA, shares her insights on #greenwashing and closing the authenticity gap with The Institute of Internal Auditors Inc.

Here's added support for the claim that comms pros are taking their rightful seat at the "strategy" table. Why? Because brand building and reputation management are strategic pillars for businesses. Memo's new "Evolving Role of Comms" report shows: 💡 A 34% increase in comms teams reporting directly to CEOs. 💡 A 26% decrease in reporting to marketing since 2023. 💡 An expanding role for comms, beyond earned media. 50% say they now own executive comms, internal comms, and marketing campaigns. CEOs experienced the value of comms during the pandemic and other challenging events of the early 2020s. These data suggest the C-suite is taking a serious look at a range of reputational risks, including: 🚨 Misinformation and disinformation due to AI. 🚨 Cybercrime, cybersecurity, and customer privacy. 🚨 Activist investors, including those pushing back against ESG policies. 🚨 Macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical, and climate events. The report also underscores the power that comes from: ⚡ Sharing executive perspectives to promote understanding of corporate values and ethics. ⚡ Having an aligned workforce. Empowered employees are your best advocates. The most interesting tension in this report is the question of priorities. Gaining competitive share-of-voice (SOV), raising awareness, and amplifying key messages top the to-do list more frequently than, say, managing disinformation or changing perceptions. It's a tightly-knit group of priorities, however. And that speaks to the complexities of modern communications. Comms folks drive clarity about purpose and values. They also understand the importance of closing the gaps between corporate stories and actions. Shout out to the comms folks out there who are claiming more space. Check out the full report in the link below. #Comms #PR #StrategicCommunications

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The debate over digital versus traditional mediums continues to create divisions among communicators. This struggle hinders collaboration and limits creative, innovative approaches to audience engagement. The argument overlooks their complementary nature. Both digital and traditional platforms have unique strengths and can effectively reach different segments of your audience. Persisting in this argument can lead to missed opportunities for integrating strategies that leverage the best of both worlds. Instead of choosing sides, embrace a blended approach that utilises the strengths of both mediums. Assess your target audience to determine which platforms they engage with most and tailor your messaging accordingly. For instance, use traditional mediums like print or radio to build brand trust, while leveraging digital channels for real-time engagement and data-driven insights. Encourage collaboration within your teams to create campaigns that seamlessly integrate both mediums, ensuring a consistent message that resonates with diverse audiences. Need more help? Elevate your craft with the Guild of Communicators (GOC) at https://buff.ly/3XpOTTY . As a professional community for communicators, GOC offers access to best-in-class resources, comprehensive training programmes, and a supportive network to help you achieve excellence. By joining, you’ll connect with fellow communicators, gain valuable insights, and enhance your ability to drive measurable outcomes within your organisation, solidifying your role as a key business partner across critical functions like sales, marketing, product, and strategy. Follow me on LinkedIn to receive my weekly newsletter where I share my learnings and opinions from a communicator’s perspective. #strategiccommunications #strtgcommsgrp #levelup #training #upskilling #lifelonglearning #publicrelations #PR #prstrategy #communications #storytelling #narrative #branding #brandstrategy #stakeholderengagement #projectmanagement #marketing #marketingstrategy #leadership #marketingtips #prtips #SMEtips

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