CMOs Need PR That Proves Impact, Not Coverage

CMOs have not stopped needing public relations. But they have stopped accepting coverage reports as proof of progress. In a sharp guest column, independent communication consultant and author Ganapathy Viswanathan argues that PR needs to give marketing leaders stronger reasons to believe in it—by measuring what changes, not just what gets published.

01 · The coverage trap

Marketing chiefs live under quarterly pressure. Advertising tends to hold its ground because scale, visibility and performance data are easier to demonstrate. PR often begins its case with stories placed, reach, impressions and share of voice. The obvious follow-up from a CMO is: what did that actually move?

The point is not that visibility numbers are useless. They show activity. They do not show influence. Many measurement systems still capture outputs rather than business impact.

02 · Outcomes, not outputs

The remedy is to move the measurement conversation from output to outcome. Did awareness rise among the right audience? Did credibility improve? Did the category conversation change? Did consideration or confidence shift? For a CMO, these questions matter more than the number of clips.

That does not mean claiming every sale came from one story. Consumer journeys are rarely that linear. A buyer might watch a creator review, read an article, search online and ask a peer before purchasing. PR should show where it contributed along that journey, not demand credit for the entire path.

03 · What PR leaders can do now

• Begin with the business objective, not the story angle.
• Track shifts in awareness, credibility, consideration or adoption—not just coverage.
• Treat paid influencer posts as paid communication, and protect earned credibility as a separate asset.
• Enter the strategy conversation before the communication plan is locked.

04 · The influencer overlap

Influencer marketing keeps blurring the lines between PR, advertising and digital. Viswanathan suggests the more useful question is not where it sits, but what role it plays in the communication ecosystem. Third-party voices—journalists, experts, creators and specialists—can add credibility a brand’s own message may not achieve. But paid influencer content is still paid communication; it should not automatically be labelled PR.

05 · Earn the earlier seat

The deeper issue is timing. Too often the PR agency receives the brief after the advertising idea is ready and the media plan is being discussed. That puts PR in a supporting role by default. Instead, agencies need to be in the room while the business objective is being defined, helping answer what consumers currently believe, who influences the conversation and what reputation risks could block the brand.

Viswanathan’s closing challenge is direct: “PR should stop asking where it fits into the marketing strategy and start showing what the marketing strategy loses when PR is not part of it.”

For India’s marketing leaders, the takeaway is not to ask for more weightage. It is to show evidence, insight and ideas that make PR relevant to the business result.

Source: Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.