It is important to know who are the most influential people in your field. This will keep you up to date with the current trends, topics of conversations, and the best practices in your field.
In order to create this list, I have zoomed out from general communications to the marketing communications umbrella. This means people that work within the branches of advertising, analytics, public relations and their subsequent groups will be mentioned. This allows you to have well rounded insights to how all of the moving pieces are moving.
- Gary Vaynerchuck – CEO, VaynerMedia
- Michelle Peluso – SVP of Digital Sales & Chief Marketing Officer, IBM
- Rob Flatherty – Global CEO, Ketchum
- Andy Polansky – CEO, Weber Shandwick
- Richard Edelman – President and CEO, Edelman
- Alex Liberman – CEO, Morning Brew
- Harold Burson – Founding Chairman, Burson-Marsteller
- Chris Anderson – Founder, TED Talks
- Oprah – Media Mogul
- Mark Zuckerberg – Founder and CEO, Facebook
Some of the names and companies listed above may seem familiar, others not so much. This list is composed of large corporate communications executives and others who have backgrounds in other areas of media, communications or marketing. Having a well rounded perspective and a wide array of opinions and ways of looking at the world will help give you insight to understand the landscape of communications. Some of the people that are listed above do not necessarily fit into the category of public relations or marketing, however they offer a unique perspective given their unique situation and influence they have in the communications industry.
One of my favorite professionals to follow is Gary Vaynerchuck. He offers deep insights as to what his form of operations is, having empathy for your fellow team mates, clients, and even your competitors. I always find myself listening to one of his talks about any topic whenever I am feeling unmotivated to help me get back up and hit the ground running again. He also offers insights on how to be a good leader, this has helped me in my school projects and work.
Gary is only one example, I follow this list of communication influencers to help me make decisions and stay up to date with the latest technology, trends, and best practices.
I hope this list is useful to you and this serves as a starting point so you can branch off into finding those influencers who will help guide you through your career. However, start with these and build from there.