Public Relations has fought a quiet battle for legitimacy within the C-suite. Too often, the function is relegated to the “tactical basement”, summoned only to polish a press release or manage the fallout of a crisis already in motion. However, the launch of “Winning with Strategic Communications” by Godfrey Adejumoh, Head of Corporate Relations at Diageo West and Central Africa, has reignited a critical industry debate. It is time for PR to move from the periphery of “support” to the centre of “strategy.”
The Paradigm Shift: From Tactics to Influence
Adejumoh’s thesis is direct: if you are not in the room where the MD or CEO is chosen, you are not yet practising at the highest level. This is a challenge to the “Director of Corporate Communications” title as a final destination. For the modern brand manager or corporate affairs lead, the goal should be organisational leadership.
Strategic communication is not about how many mentions a brand gets in the morning papers. It is about how communication facilitates business objectives and mitigates enterprise risk. When we treat PR as a decorative layer, we fail the business. When we treat it as an analytical and influential force, we drive the bottom line.
Breaking the Silos of Silence
One of the most constructive takeaways from the discourse surrounding the book is the need for interdepartmental interconnection. PR does not exist in a vacuum. A crisis in manufacturing or a shift in human resources is, at its core, a communication challenge.
- Financial Alignment: Can you explain the ROI of a reputation campaign to a CFO?
- Commercial Synergy: Does your narrative support the sales funnel or contradict it?
- Operational Insight: Are you identifying risks before they become headlines?
True influence comes from a place of “doing the work.” It requires a mastery of data, a deep understanding of market sentiment, and the emotional intelligence to navigate complex internal politics.
The Measure of Strategic Maturity
We must move beyond vanity metrics. The industry leaders who gathered at the book launch, including Jaiye Opayemi and Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, echoed a shared sentiment: the gap between theory and practice is wide. To bridge it, practitioners must internalise “strategy” as a living framework rather than a static document.
The strategic communicator’s job is to manage the “dominant coalition” within an organisation. This means being the person who interprets external reality for internal decision-makers. It is about scenario planning and measurable impact. If a communication lead cannot articulate a “big idea” as a business strategy, the market and the board will never respect the function.
A Roadmap for the Next Generation
As many industry titans approach retirement, the focus shifts to knowledge transfer. Adejumoh’s book serves as a playbook for the next generation of leaders who must navigate a landscape redefined by AI, instant global scrutiny, and shifting consumer loyalties.
The call to action is clear: stop asking for a seat at the table and start earning it through tangible business value. We are the ones “backing the business forward” from the shadows; it is time to take the lead on the front row.
