As brands navigate an increasingly complex landscape shaped by rapid technological advancements, one truth remains constant: creativity remains a uniquely human advantage. Yet too often, organizational structures get in the way of fully realizing that potential. In this article, Laetitia Jallais, Vice President of Strategies and Innovation at bicom, examines why the longstanding separation between marketing and communications continues to limit strategic creativity—and why having the two work in unison is more urgent than ever.
As artificial intelligence becomes embedded across organizations, one question continues to surface: what remains irreplaceably human? The answer, unsurprisingly, is creativity and the ability to innovate with meaning.
This is not a new conversation, but it is a timely one. While technology accelerates execution, brands still rely on human insight to interpret culture, shape narratives, and create ideas that truly resonate. And yet, one structural challenge continues to hold many organizations back: the persistent disconnect between marketing and communications.
A Structural Divide That Limits Creativity
In many companies, marketing and communications still operate as parallel functions. Marketing is tasked with performance, budgets, priorities, and business outcomes. Communications focuses on visibility, storytelling, and inspiration. On paper, their objectives are aligned: build brand equity, drive credibility, support growth, and ultimately generate sales.
In practice, however, communications teams are often brought in after strategic decisions have already been made. Budgets are set. Messages are defined. Partnerships are locked. The expectation then becomes clear: “be creative” — but within a framework designed without them.
Creativity, by nature, doesn’t thrive under these conditions. Asking communications to innovate without participating in the strategic conversation is like asking an artist to compose a hit song using instruments chosen by someone else. The result may be competent, but it rarely surprises.
The irony is that from the consumer’s perspective, there is only one brand voice. When strategy and storytelling are misaligned, that voice loses coherence, relevance, and cultural resonance.
Why This Disconnect Persists
One reason this divide remains so deeply rooted is habit. In some organizations, communications is still perceived primarily as an execution channel rather than a strategic partner. Yet the core value of communications lies precisely in its ability to create meaning — to translate business objectives into narratives that connect with people, contexts, and moments in culture.
The most powerful ideas don’t sit neatly in one discipline or the other. They emerge at the intersection of marketing rigor and communications intuition.
Rethinking the Dynamic: Three Practical Shifts
Reuniting marketing and communications does not require a full organizational overhaul. It does, however, require intention.
1. Involve communications early in strategic planning
Communications teams bring a deep understanding of audiences, media ecosystems, cultural signals, and competitive landscapes. When invited into early discussions, they can enrich strategy before it crystallizes, ensuring ideas are both relevant and differentiated.
2. Align on shared objectives and metrics
If communications performance is regularly reported back to marketing, the reverse should also be true. Shared KPIs, data transparency, and recurring touchpoints allow strategies to evolve rather than remain static. Communications cannot adjust course meaningfully without access to sales data, growth indicators, and campaign results.
3. Encourage ongoing co-creation
Creativity should not be confined to the briefing or launch phase. Keeping communications, PR, advertising, and experiential partners involved throughout the lifecycle of an initiative allows brands to spot weak signals early, adapt in real time, and continuously elevate ideas.
When Creativity Becomes Strategic
Creativity is often treated as an executional layer — something added once the strategy is finalized. In reality, creativity is a strategic mindset. It is what allows brands to stand out, connect emotionally, and remain culturally relevant over time.
For creativity to play this role, it must be built in from the beginning. It needs space, dialogue, and trust. When communications is involved early, ideas are not only more original — they are more effective.
A Collective Process, Not a Solo Act
True innovation rarely comes from a single function working in isolation. It emerges from collaboration, debate, and shared ownership. The most resilient organizations are those that view communications not as a support function, but as a strategic lever — particularly in moments of change or crisis.
If PR teams have no visibility into e-commerce performance, retail traffic, product launch results, or customer feedback, how can they design activations that respond to real business needs? How can they surprise their partners if the tactics and budgets are already fixed before the conversation begins?
Marketing leaders intuitively understand the importance of sharing data with advertising partners. Extending that same transparency to communications teams is a logical — and powerful — next step.
As organizations plan ahead and allocate resources, it’s worth asking a simple question: Have we invited our creative partners into the conversation early enough to truly shape it?
After two decades in public relations, working across markets and industries, one thing continues to motivate me: thinking alongside clients. Challenging assumptions. Brainstorming freely. Testing ideas, refining them, and always striving to do things better, bolder, or differently.
That collaborative energy is where the strongest ideas are born, and it’s exactly where creativity becomes strategic.
