Who owns the customer owns the communications

When an argument erupts between Lines of Businesses (LoBs) and staff functions (finance, legal, HR), it’s often the LoBs who have the last laugh. That’s because they own the customer, the basic reason for the existence of the business. What about communications?
Does the LoB, purely because it owns the customer, have the right to run a parallel communication channel of its own?

For a business to run, it needs people, infrastructure, a budget, a strategy. In a market place where competition is acute, you need a brand, a value proposition and a differentiator.
All well until the LoB decides it’s not getting enough support. A nice way of covering up it’s own shortcomings. Why would a customer not buy a solution if he sees a compelling value proposition? Because, according to the LoB, enough people with the specified skills were not hired in time (often impossible times), the air conditioner failed when the customer was in the room, the budget does not allow for a business class trip, and because the value proposition is not being communicated in the way the LoB wants.

It then takes matters into its own hands. It pulls up its sleeves and gets down and dirty. The corporate logo needs to be tweaked. The corporate presentation won’t do without a major revamp. The website stinks; it needs flash. “Don’t waste my time, do as I say!”
Communications specialists who deliver perfect collaterals suddenly turn into desk top publishing rookies. The blame really lies elsewhere…in having a vision, in sharing the vision long before it fructifies into action, in articulating needs and objectives in a commonly-understood language.

Who owns the communications owns the customer.