Where does it belong? Is it HR?  Or Corporate? ...Or Marketing?

I have written about this recently.  However I keep being asked about it.

They say things happen in threes, but in the last week I have been asked about this five times.  These times it has been different.  The link to Marketing keeps coming up.

In four of those five instances it has been marketing-focused businesses that have raised the issue.  Without wanting to impugn my talented colleagues who I have met recently, most have approached us to say... "We are doing internal communications projects... could you tell us what it is?"

I am in no way suggesting that any of these people are not doing a good job.  They are working on the edged of their comfort zones, like most of us, but they suspect that there may be more to it.

And sometimes there is.

So how is this discussion shaping up?

• HR have often been the owners of internal communications, by default -- they own a lot of the information that employees need day-in and day-out.
• Corporate Communications came to the IC table late, but have taken over management of most company's Internal Communication -- they are interested in corporate reputation, CSR, information flow and strategic planning.
• Marketing are now getting dragged in by default -- they have bigger budgets, they understand the use of sophisticated channels, the formulation of public opinion and how to use research (and they throw a good party!)

Why is Marketing suddenly popping up in internal communications now?  I have a couple of theories:
1) they are learning the hard way that their products are still sold and serviced by people... And those people help make the product a success
2) organisations are learning (as analysts start measuring) that customer and employee satisfaction are indicators of future success and
3) someone has realised that for a employees in a networked, technology literate, publicity-saturated world, a badly photocopied company newsletter isn't going to move you.

Does this mean that Marketing are the new kings of Internal Communications?  Or that they soon will be?

No.

Internal Comms should still sit in a well connected, highly-integrated Corporate Communications or HR department.

Marketing is too far from the Board room and is necessarily product-focused. 

But if the people running Internal Comms now don't get Marketing involved and learn to make better use of their many skills, then I am certainly not going to encourage Marketing to stay out of the discussion.

What do you think?

/df