The holidays are a wonderful time of year … time for family and friends, New Year’s resolutions and predictions.

The good folks at the Public Relations Society of America recently unveiled their list of the 12 trends that will change the PR industry in 2012. From the rise of the “influence professional” to how shifting metrics and integration will drive digital PR, the list is quite extensive and intriguing. But the one trend that really grabbed my attention is this one:

“Convergence Continues. The recent news about Johnson & Johnson appointing Michael Sneed as vice president of global corporate affairs, overseeing global marketing and public relations, stands as yet another indication that brand and reputation continue to converge and create the need for joining forces. Always a hot-button issue in PR, the reality is that organizations will continue to merge their brand management functions (marketing) with their reputations management functions (PR).”

In the B2B world, we’ve heard a lot about convergence in recent years. First, it was the convergence of content, i.e., how the messages of PR, advertising, online and other digital media are blending or blurring the lines, so to speak. Then it was the convergence of traditional PR and social media, i.e., how editors, reporters and journalists are losing their influence while “citizen journalists” take to Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets. Now this – the convergence of brand management and reputation management.

In her new book, “The Changing MO of the CMO,” MaryLee Sachs explores how some organizations are making the most of a blended approach to communications and marketing, and how chief marketing officers can respond to and prepare for their new responsibilities. Among other things, Sachs illustrates how PR can help integrate an organization’s approach to paid, owned and earned media channels.

I haven’t read the book (yet), so I’m not endorsing it, but the topic is intriguing. I’m eager to see if Sachs’ prediction comes true. Who knows? A year from now, we may see a new title on corporate business cards: VP of Brand & Reputation Management. Time will tell.