Whose job is it anyway?

Yesterday, I read an article in AdWeek entitled Digital Dips Toes in PR Water: A need for earned media spurs big change. Now personally, I don’t mind if the digital folks want to dip their toes in my water - I dove head first into theirs - so to that I say, “Come on in, the water is just fine.”

The Adweek article discusses how social media coupled with increased competition to be noticed on the Web has led digital firms to create internal PR teams to develop creative ways to drive traffic to clients’ projects. These types of articles add fuel to the fire of an argument that is as old as the marketing profession itself - whose job is it anyway? Does PR get to call dibs on social media? Can the digital realm get in on the advertising action? Can brand managers master PR principles?

As these thoughts swarmed around in my mind, I had an epiphany…”Isn’t all of this stuff just a part of marketing? And doesn’t the client need all of it in order to sustain the longevity of a brand?”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for specialization - which is why I identify myself as a PR professional. But look at the evolution of agencies. Nowadays you’d be hard pressed to find a public relations agency that doesn’t have a digital or brand expert on staff or vice-versa. I think that’s what makes EOS a unique agency; our agency has a media neutral approach. We focus on the idea, and once it is established, we devise the best way to use our agency’s capabilities to convey that idea to its intended audiences. EOS has a range of expertise from branding and advertising to interactive marketing to graphic design to PR and more. This means that we’re a one-stop shop that produces integrated, long-term marketing solutions, which is what clients are looking for.

So what are your thoughts on this new integrated agency trend? Is it  the new normal in the marketing world?