Communications Controlling symposium: "On the move into the future"

Controlling has been discussed as part of corporate communications for around 20 years. The DPRG/ICV reference framework has made a name for itself as an impact level model. On the marketing communication side, it is the advertising impact principles that have established themselves as a controlling instrument. PR and marketing communication are experiencing a mutual convergence, but do not share the same understanding of communication controlling models.

One of the main aims of the conference was to provide a platform for representatives of both communication disciplines. And so it was not only the 100 or so participants from the fields of public relations and marketing communication who attended, but also the speakers.

Christopher Storck, Quadriga University of Applied Sciences Berlin, got off to an impressive start and painted a picture of corporate communications in transition. He argued for an integrated communications function that helps determine strategy and culture, protects reputation and promotes cooperation with all stakeholders. The management of these tasks would be unthinkable without controlling that focuses on the key objectives.

Lars Hanf then reported on his practical experience as Director Marketing Communications at Sartorius and showed how the media shift is leading to Marketing 2.0, which can no longer be managed without technical knowledge of data streams. Chris Öhlund, CEO of Verivox, also demonstrated the extent to which knowledge of user behavior will be central to corporate success in a media landscape that has become more complex, using the advertising impact of TV commercials as the third keynote speaker.

In keeping with tradition, the five labs at the conference got down to business: Patrick Goldschmidt, uberMetrics; Daniel Hünebeck, Daniel Hünebeck Digital; Rainer Pollmann, Fachkreis Kommunikations-Controlling des Internationalen Controllervereins, Daniel Järg, Farner Consulting and Marion Marxer, Marxerevolution, demonstrated what communications controlling looks like in agencies and companies today.

As guests at the tenth edition of the conference, Andreas Hugi, President of the BPRA, and Roland Ehrler, Director of the SWA, emphasized that the disciplines of marketing communication and public relations are moving closer together under the pressure of digitalization. Their joint patronage of the HWZ symposium should be seen as a sign of this development.

Jens Windel, CEO of Media Focus, and Presenting Partner: "Media convergence and increasing bi-directional communication are changing the demands on corporate communication and brand management in equal measure. Media Focus' communication research sets new standards for holistically answering future key questions in PR & marketing." (pd/Andreas Jäggi)