Not so long ago, it would have been impossible to imagine a dialogue between a creative professional and a PR one, but that must now become a daily reality for brands wanting to keep up with the world.

All aspects of a brand need to focus on purpose – its reason to exist – so the two cultures must come together. We now have a Creative Strategy Director and a PR Practice Leader in the same Agency.

Purpose-driven storytelling is a step-change for brand communication. It opens a full range of comms possibilities beyond traditional advertising – and beyond traditional PR. It truly takes the best of both disciplines to create something completely new.

What’s the difference between a marketing idea and a PR idea? You might say that through PR, brands can become more generous, producing ideas about what is relevant for people and not just for themselves. They become less self-oriented. More responsible. And this is key to today’s communication.

Historically, a PR agency was the go-to-place for one-to-one communications, while long-term creative strategies were designed elsewhere. In the era of purpose, we can – and must – have both.