Comms directors are focusing on investing in teams according to a recent survey conducted by recruitment firm Whitney Murray with the help of insights company The Pulse Business. Their other two main priorities are finding out about influencers and coming up with creative ways to tell stories.

Which one of these, if any, is your top priority this year?

Telling tales

Discussing the study, Kirsty Leighton, founder of agency Milk & Honey PR, is pleased that so many in-house operators are prioritising storytelling. “We have developed a specialised storytelling methodology which we call CREAM that allows us to think through the story narrative and control as much of the message delivery as possible. Focusing on the message and how to bring that to life is central to our offer as an agency."

Measuring up

However, Leighton is less than delighted about agencies not putting enough emphasis on measurement: "It is concerning for an industry that has been playing second fiddle to some of our marketing cousins so long budget wise, that we are still not focused on prioritising more effective measurement. We must prove our impact. We still have a long way to go here."

Moving in-house

The other finding that Leighton is intrigued by is the investment in in-house teams: "The investment in in-house teams is also interesting. Is this at the expense of working with agencies I wonder? Having that external perspective and access to senior counsel and extended resource is invaluable. But I would say that!"

Methodology

The sample size was c400 UK-based communications directors. The Whitney Murray Insight Pulse was run by The Pulse Business