pr means business: how communications firms are evolving

PR MEANS BUSINESS:

HOW COMMUNICATIONS FIRMS ARE EVOLVING

TODAY’S PRESENTERS

Matt Cookson

President and CEO, Cookson Strategic Communications

Jennifer Zingsheim Phillips

Founder, 4L Strategies

How has the PR business evolved in the last decade?• Digital transformation

• The expansion of social and digital media

• The rise of freelancers• Firms commonly work with a network of consultants, rather than a large team of full-time employees• Allows firms to hire specialists

as neededPhoto courtesy of Jason Howie

Where does it still need to evolve?

• Putting more emphasis on measurement• Linking communication efforts with business goals to

show value and justify larger budgets

• Creating a flexible schedule, partially in response to the 24/7 media cycle

• Reevaluating existing practices, such as the billable hours model, to determine their effectiveness

Predictions for the future of the business

• Continued digital transformation

• The expansion of technology including:• Predictive analytics• AI• New social platforms

and features

Q&A

www.carma.com@CARMA

@CARMA_US

Matt CooksonMatt@cooksonstrategies.com

Jennifer Zingsheim Phillipsjennifer@4lstrategies.com