Thought leaders around the country are relatively unanimous in their belief that integration is a key to effective communications with our customers and stakeholders.

A series of "Thought Leader Roundtables" was held around the country earlier this year, sponsored by VMS, PR News, and Media Industry Newsletter (min). Senior level participants from PR and advertising agencies, corporate communications, brand management, or other marketing functions discussed all aspects of integrated communications. There was near universal support for abandoning silos and looking at advertising and public relations from a unified perspective. PR News covered each roundtable. A compilation of their coverage is listed here.

One of the participants, Rose McKinney, president of Risdall McKinney, suggested that one way of integrating communications effectively is to remove the labels that organizations place on what PR does, what marketing does, etc. The focus, as she and the Roundtable participants agreed, should be on the goal of the particular campaign or initiative first and the communications tools second. Marketing, advertising, and PR - whether they're in-house or outsourced - need to be comfortable with a little ambiguity of roles and more fluidity in how internal departments and outside teams work and interact for the end goal.