PR Professionals benefit from having MBAs

In this week’s issue of PR Week under The Agency Business section, I stumbled upon an article exploring the benefits of PR pros having MBAs, especially in today’s struggling economy. “PR pros with MBAs are better positioned to make a compelling case for preserving the marketing budget during lean times.”

According to Lori Teranishi, who has earned her MBA and is the CEO of Van Prooyen Greenfield, C-Suite Executives see potential in business degree-holding professionals to be “able to advise on strategy from a business perspective” and to have important “quantitative skills.” For example, Lisa Novak, SVP at Ruder Finn West, recently earned an MBA by attending evening courses and says the most valuable skill she gained was “the ability to demonstrate to a CEO how a campaign will affect the bottom line and measure the ROI for PR Programs.”

Geoff Mordock, VP at Fleishman-Hillard, agrees that “since obtaining his MBA his counsel to clients has become more strategic” and takes “a more holistic approach.” He adds that he finds he’ll “interface with the CFO and general counsel more often than marketing.”

Finally, Kristen Osolind, CEO of Re: Invention Marketing, admits she, “gives preference to candidates with MBAs because of the analytical tools learned and networking connections from MBA programs.”

As a near-college graduate without intention to acquire a MBA, I found this report valuable and noteworthy. Click here to read the entire article.