Last fall, my good friend Gini Dietrich asked me and 30 other senior PR and marketing folks to contribute to a project she was working on. She was compiling a collection of letters to an unnamed CEO offering our honest perspective and advice.

The result is the recently published ebook, Dear CEO, now available on the SpinSucks website.

I think the ebook and her latest project, SpinSucksPro – a fresh take on how agencies can add education modules to their suite of services – are great examples of how Gini and her team innovate and push the boundaries of our profession. Both are worth checking out.

Anyway… here’s what I wrote:

Dear CEO:

Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve written anyone a formal memo?  I watched a couple of seasons of Mad Men recently, and while I’m not in advertising, it reminded me of that crisp, useful document that was once de rigeur.  

So I’m dusting off the format because it’s the ideal vehicle to convey my thoughts. Don’t worry – it’s not typed.

First, let me thank you for your confidence and support. It’s hard to believe how long we’ve been promoting your news.  I’ve always felt energized after your briefings, when we came up with a strategy, story, snappy headline and quote, drafted the release, blasted it to media we knew and presto… we had coverage.  More often than not front page features complete with photo – above the fold.

PR works, you said, as you held up the papers at board meetings.  And it did.

Today you told me that last year’s results weren’t up to your usual expectations and you wanted us to turn back the clock, put our thinking caps on, and get back on track. I assume you meant to our past successes.  And that gave me cause for concern.

You see, and this is probably not the best thing for an agency head to say, but PR doesn’t work anymore. Or, let me re-phrase it: traditional PR doesn’t work the way it once did.

Am I resigning your account?  Not at all. I prefer to say I’m resigned, but in a good way.

Resigned to a media landscape that has changed quickly and irrevocably; resigned to the idea that newspapers and TV aren’t the prime news sources anymore; resigned to the fact that the expression ‘because that’s how we always did it’ just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Truth be told, I’m excited.  The People (no, I have not made a sharp political left) – your customers – are becoming more important than the media they consume.  They are the ‘media’.

And they’re social, not mass (but you know that); individuals who want to hear from you directly and appreciate if you show them how you can help. Think relationships, the second part of public relations.

That doesn’t mean we should throw away everything traditional.  Far from it. We need to be open to try untried ways to tell our stories. This is similar to the way it was when you first hired us and challenged us to do something new.

We want to come back to you with a fresh approach – one that isn’t shop-worn, but also isn’t a proven commodity.  Same budget, of course.  Or perhaps, we should discuss an increase. We’ve already agreed PR has value and we believe it’s on the rise.

Thank you.

I’m interested to hear your thoughts. What would you add?

About Martin Waxman

Martin Waxman, MCM, is a digital communications strategist. He conducts AI research, leads digital and social media training workshops and speaks at events across North America. He's co-founder of two PR agencies, president of a consultancy and has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. Martin is a LinkedIn Learning instructor, teaches digital strategy and social media at McMaster University, the Schulich School of Business, University of Toronto SCS and Seneca College. He's a member of the Institute for Public Relations Digital Media Research Center and a past-chair of PRSA Counselors Academy. He has a Master of Communications Management (MCM) from McMaster-Syracuse Universities.

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