By Darcy Sawatzki, M.A.

GDP, a.k.a Gross Domestic Product: the granddaddy of all economic indicators.

Since it was devised in the 1930s by economist Simon Kuznets, the concept of the GDP has weathered its fair share of criticism. In fact, Kuznets himself, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics for his illustrious work, talked openly about the limits of the GDP as an indicator of the economic health of a country.

Word people and data people, when working together, can rule the world.

That was one of the key messages of this year’s annual Public Relations Society of America International Conference, which took place in Washington, D.C. last week.

That theme—the dominance of the written word combined with meaningful data—was struck over and over again.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about Ohio sports teams. How many games do you think the Browns will win this season? Can the Cavs get any respect with LeBron back in Ohio? Will the Blue Jackets return to the playoffs?

But do you ever hear people ask, “What about the players on the practice squads?” Not until now. That’s because there’s one member of the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad who’s not fully focused on football and this weekend’s game. That’s Devon Still.

Name off in your head the most successful and impactful cause marketing initiatives of the last decade. Here’s what I think:

Saving Lids to Save Lives with Yoplait for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Product Red for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The TRUTH campaign from the American Legacy Foundation.

Making a difference. Doing social good. Creating a better world for all to live in. These are the mantras by which social marketers live. Using commercial marketing tactics to persuade people to voluntarily change a specific behavior or invest in themselves and their communities is what makes social marketers tick. It’s why we get up in the morning and go to bed fulfilled each night.