Your Comms Team Isn't Your Airbag. It's Your Engine | Muse by Clios

"I've been in that room a hundred times. The lights are dimmed and the "big idea" is revealed to a round of applause. It's bold, beautiful and expensive. And just before lunch, someone says: "Okay, let's bring in comms to get a press release out and prep for any negative feedback." In that moment, the comms team isn't a creative partner. They're the airbag. The risk-mitigation function brought in to protect an idea they had no hand in shaping."

"I ultimately landed in communications because I saw that the most powerful and culturally relevant ideas weren't always the ones with the biggest media buy. They were the ones that had to survive on their own. Today, that kind of survival is harder than ever. The old model is gone. A high-visibility ad placement or a single story in a top-tier publication no longer guarantees influence. We now operate in a fragmented universe where everyone is the editor-in-chief of their own feed."

"This is where the power of an earned-first mindset becomes a creative springboard, not a safety net. It forces you to answer the hardest question first: Why should anyone care? You can't buy a headline or force a cultural conversation. You have to earn it. This demands an "outside-in" perspective. Today's most important conversations catch fire organically on social platforms, where, per Pew, news influencers-now trusted by 65 percent of Americans on current events and civic issues-are setting agendas."

Communications teams are frequently brought in after a creative 'big idea' is finalized, functioning as risk-mitigation rather than creative partners. The most culturally resonant ideas often succeed without massive media buys and must be designed to survive on their own. Declining trust in national media and fragmented audiences mean influence no longer follows single placements. An earned-first mindset requires asking why anyone should care, adopting an outside-in perspective, and designing work that listens, adds value, and earns organic distribution. News influencers and niche platforms now shape agendas, so brands should listen first, contribute meaningfully, and create ideas that invite ongoing engagement.

Read at Muse by Clios | Discover the latest creative marketing and advertising news. Muse by Clio is the premier news site covering creativity in advertising and beyond.