Bite Size Comms

The call comes from a senior manager, “We need a communications strategy on [something]”. What do they mean, and more importantly for PR and communications practitioners, what do they want? The senior manager may be using the term ‘strategy’ to mean a detailed plan of action, rather than the overall approach that should be taken. In the field of PR and communications, we often see terms such as strategy, objectives, plans, and tactics used interchangeably, which can lead to confusion among practitioners.

Let’s clarify what we mean by communications strategy and what it should encompass.

A communications strategy should provide both a strategic vision and a roadmap for communications over the long term.

First, a bit of history. The term strategy has its origins in the military traditions of ancient Greece. It is derived from the Greek word strategos, meaning “general” or “commander of an army”. The related term stratēgia referred to the office or command of a general, and by extension, the art of generalship – the direction and management of military operations at the highest level. While the word itself is of Greek origin, the concept of strategy – planning and directing large-scale operations to achieve overarching goals – appeared in various forms in other ancient cultures, including those of the Chinese and the Romans. The term strategy entered European military discourse in the late 18th century. The French term stratégie and the Latinized strategia were adopted to distinguish higher-level command and planning from tactics. In Britain, the term began to be actively discussed in the early 19th century.

OK, that will bore a few people at your next strategy team meeting!

I like to refer to strategy as the overarching approach and direction. It differs from objectives, plans, or tactics in scope and purpose. The GOST model (Goals, Objectives, Strategies, Tactics), developed by Rich Horwath, founder of the Strategic Thinking Institute, provides clarity on these distinctions. While objectives are the measurable steps taken to achieve a strategy, strategies are the approaches used to achieve a goal, or what we refer to as an aim in our communications plans. If the overall goal is to increase brand awareness, your strategy might involve engaging specific audience segments through targeted messaging, the objectives set out the targets to achieve this, and the tactics are the specific activities you conduct to reach the objective. A hierarchical, interlinked structure. The fundamental distinction is that strategy is about the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of your communications, while tactics are about the ‘how’ and ‘when’ of these communications.

As my PR apprentices know, my go-to glossary of communications terms is from Joep Cornelissen’s excellent book, Corporate Communication. Joep defines a communication strategy as “The general set of communication objectives and related communication programmes or tactics chosen by an organisation to support the corporate strategy of the organisation”. Joep also defines a communications programme as a “set of communications activities and campaigns put in place to address ongoing needs as laid down in the communications strategy”. A communications programme is probably what the senior manager requires.

While we are at it, how does Joep define objectives? Simply, “A company’s defined and measurable aims for a given period”.

We need to incorporate GOST in our communications planning. I have nothing against the marketing communications SOSTAC or the Government Communications Service’s OASIS. I have used both in the past. The model I recommend to my PR apprentices is the Anne Gregory planning model. It is more detailed than the other models and therefore helps us consider more aspects in our planning. And aims, objectives, strategy and tactics are all sections of Anne’s model. Together with an understanding of the present situation, an analysis of our stakeholders and audiences, and how we will monitor, evaluate, and eventually review the campaign.

Strategy is a term derived from military history that managers and practitioners often misunderstand. However, a well-crafted strategy serves as the essential foundation for tactical planning, ensuring coherent and effective communications that achieve meaningful outcomes.

[Image of an ancient Roman leader in a horse-drawn chariot leading warriors. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons]