Matt Cookson, President and CEO of Cookson Strategic Communications, and Jennifer Zingsheim Phillips, Founder of 4L Strategies, co-hosted "PR Means Business: How Communications Firms are Evolving," a webinar sponsored by CARMA. Understanding the key functions and connections between the business and communication side of the PR industry yields stronger campaigns that add value to companies. The session covered the evolution of the PR business over the last 10 years, additional changes that would enhance the industry, and predictions for the future of the business.

2. PR MEANS BUSINESS:
HOW COMMUNICATIONS FIRMS ARE EVOLVING

3. TODAY’S PRESENTERS
Matt Cookson
President and CEO, Cookson Strategic Communications
Jennifer Zingsheim Phillips
Founder, 4L Strategies

4. How has the PR business evolved in the last
decade?• Digital transformation
• The expansion of social and digital media
• The rise of freelancers
• Firms commonly work
with a network of consultants,
rather than a large team
of full-time employees
• Allows firms to hire specialists
as needed Photo courtesy of Jason Howie

5. Where does it still need to evolve?
• Putting more emphasis on measurement
• Linking communication efforts with business goals to
show value and justify larger budgets
• Creating a flexible schedule, partially in response to the
24/7 media cycle
• Reevaluating existing practices, such as the billable hours
model, to determine their effectiveness

6. Predictions for the future of the business
• Continued digital transformation
• The expansion of
technology
including:
• Predictive analytics
• AI
• New social platforms
and features

7. Q&A

8. www.carma.com
@CARMA
@CARMA_US
Matt Cookson
Matt@cooksonstrategies.com
Jennifer Zingsheim Phillips
jennifer@4lstrategies.com