• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, November 5, 2013

So, is a “newsroom” something every brand needs? Justin Silva, Social Media Manager at The Archer Group, says, “No!” Why? Because most brands don’t have enough content worth sharing on a regular basis, Silva told attendees of OMMA Native on Tuesday. Wrong, said Chris Perry, President of Digital at Weber Shandwick. “Absolutely, yes!” Perry said. Brands need newsrooms because it’s the only way they’re going to be part of “the conversation.” Added Perry: “If you want to be seen, you need newsrooms.” (Weber Shandwick markets tools for brands to run their own newsrooms, Perry noted, but insisted he was only bullish about the trend because of the positive impact he’s seen from such efforts.) Wrong again, according to Anne-Marie Kline, SVP and Managing Director of BrandLIVE at DigitasLBi. Brands DO need newsrooms, she said because it represents “a paradigm shift” with regard to how marketers are communicating with consumers.