Setting the creative strategy

Advertising agencies have traditionally taken the creative lead, but with the rising demand for content, PR agencies are making a claim for strategic leadership.

With PR no longer just about obtaining media coverage, embracing social media sharing and content creation, the old rules and demarcations are changing. But then again there have always been turf wars between advertising and PR agencies because although display advertising or editorial coverage are the lead products for each respectively, they merely head up a raft of other creative services. Product brochures and newsletters being typical examples which arguably differ on content derivation from copywriters versus journalists, but other products become less attributable to one camp or the other, but can be profitable work and worth fighting for. And then again there are the digital agencies that also thrive on content consumption.

To the typical b-2-b business this may not matter. May be a good marketing manager can set and hold the line on strategic direction and micro manage external agencies. But then again creative concepts are one of the reasons you hire an external agency in the first case. Undoubtably creative, relevant and 'on message' content is essential for not only being taken seriously on the web, but also being found on there too.

Because of the immediacy of content sharing the author needs to be well informed, skilled at communicating, mindful of legal pitfalls and perhaps wary of revealing confidential information. Hardly a job for a junior employee and may explain why chief executives are responding to twitter messages?