In studying for my APR exam for the Public Relations Society of America, I ran across several terms I’d never heard before. Having never formally taken a Public Relations course, I had a good bit of textbook learning needed to complement the learning I had from my time as a practitioner.
Two of the terms I came across were the staff and line functions within the organization. If these are new to you as well, I’m providing the official definitions:
Line functions in industry include the product- and profit-producing functions: engineering, production, and marketing.
Cutlip & Center
Line executives are usually involved in setting policy and overseeing operations. To be successful, they need assistance from others who have a staff function. These individuals have less decision-making authority but serve in an advisory capacity.
Staff functions include those that advise and assist line executives: finance, legal, human resources, and public relations.
Cutlip & Center
Why this Matters
I read these definitions about fourteen times because they gave me language for something I’d been experiencing as a MarComm professional in higher education. The marketing aspect of our work began in earnest over the last two decades as many institutions moved from communication entities to marketing entities. I lived that shift firsthand, and I can say it’s challenging. First, it’s challenging because it often requires a new set of skills. However, it’s also challenging because it involves changing the perception of the work that you do and its importance across campus and in the community.
Connection
In reading the definitions of the staff function and the line functions, I realized this terminology encapsulated what I felt during this shift. I was going from a staff position, which was an advisory role, into a line function. The line function, by nature, is more focused on the overall product and generating revenue. The staff function is focused on providing suggestions and support. While this is very important, the staff function doesn’t have a direct tie to revenue.
When teams add marketing into their portfolio, they are moving to a responsibility for supporting revenue, which is a significant shift. However, that shift is often made difficult because the most easy way that MarComm teams are moved into line functions is to promote something. Promotion is one of the four marketing P’s, and I think it’s one people think about the most.
In my opinion, part of what makes this shift challenging is that marketing teams usually are more hybrid in their line function and staff functions. They’re serving in a line function on promotion, but they are still serving as an advisor on other functions of the marketing role — price, product, place.
I’ve often said that MarComm leaders need to demonstrate their work and how they add value to the other marketing Ps, and reading this provided me with the language to explain why this is important.
Recognizing that MarComm teams often are involved in as both advisors and revenue drivers is essential. By effectively communicating our contributions across all facets of marketing, we can bridge the gap between staff and line functions, ensuring our efforts are fully integrated and valued.
And Carrie On 