During the go-go years in the late 1990s, a job in public relations was considered a sexy gig, even though the nitty-gritty of PR work has never quite qualified as a glam
profession. Still, as the economy -- and the number of media outlets -- soared, so too did salaries for PR execs at all levels. The salaries were often out of whack with the job
description, particularly on the agency side due to all of the dot-com companies looking to get their names in newspapers and magazines as well as on television, never mind
developing a bona fide business plan. Whatever. Some business quarters brashly predicted that the tech boom would bring unprecedented economic growth. And communication execs
would be in a good position to reap some of the riches.
Then the Kool-Aid ran dry.
In 2000 the markets collapsed, many of the dot-com companies went belly-up and jobs in communications -- like many parts of the economy -- started to vanish. For those PR
execs who survived the bloodlettings, picking up a weekly paycheck was the one benefit they could bank on. Bonuses? Dream on. A few extra days vacation? Fuggedaboutit.
Now, like New Year's Eve revelers who had too much bubbly, PR directors hope the worst part of the hangover is over. As the economy starts to recover PR execs at both the
corporate and agency levels are confident they'll be able to bring in more staffers -- and not just replace jobs lost to attrition -- and get salaries back up to respectable
levels. But it's going to be a long, hard climb.
"During the boom times [PR] salaries were out of line, and now they're retrenching," says Marie Raperto, president of Cantor Executive Search Solutions, which recruits full-
time and part-time PR execs for corporations, PR agencies and IR firms. Raperto, who is the past director at-large of the international board of the International Association of
Business Communicators (IABC), says the level of recruiting at her shop is down about 30% in 2003 compared with 2002 while salaries have fallen anywhere between 15% and 20% during
the same period.
(It's not all doom and gloom. In an exclusive salary survey provided to PR NEWS by Spring Associates, many of the base salaries for corporate communications executives --
while up only slightly -- are still nothing to sneeze at. A corporate PR director working in the consumer space, for example, is earning anywhere from $87,000 to $105,000 a year
while the salary for a PR manager working in public/government affairs ranges from $77,000 to $90,000. On the other hand, an account supervisor working on consumer accounts on the
agency side is making between $55,000 and $66,000 while an agency VP working on hi-tech accounts is earning between $78,000 and $94,000.)
Although PR jobs and salaries have eroded since the markets collapsed in 2000, Raperto sees a light at end of the tunnel. "Things will pick-up on the agency side, while
corporations are being much more cautious," she says. "First, companies will give the business to agencies and then hire someone themselves."
Jerry Schwartz, president of New York-based PR firm G.S Schwartz & Co., says he "firmly believes" that PR jobs will bounce back and salaries will be at least equal to the
pay of the late 1990s, "but it's going to take a while." Schwartz's agency now has about 30+ employees, down from 40+ in 2000. But in anticipation of what he predicts will be an
economic recovery Schwartz has already started to interview job candidates for all levels of the business. These include senior PR execs who can think strategically, mid-level
employees who can craft media plans as well as entry-level jobs because, as Schwartz puts it, "a company runs on its infantry."
Schwartz has taken pains to provide incentives to existing and prospective staffers. He hasn't cut back on medical benefits, reduced vacation time or eliminated the company's
summer picnic. "I've been less generous on salaries, like everybody else," he says, adding, however, that the salaries he offers are still in line with the rest of the market.
Helene Solomon, president-CEO of Boston-based Solomon McCown & Co., which spun off earlier this year from Bishoff Solomon, is also in a hiring mode. Solomon is hoping to
land three new PR execs for all levels within her firm: account supervisor, account executive and account coordinator, plus an administrative position. She recently added a senior
writer/ creative strategist. With the added positions the agency will have a total of 17 employees. "The challenge in rebuilding is to make sure that [job prospects] fit well
within the company culture and are interested in growth opportunities."
For Elizabeth Douglass, VP of communications for Unisys Corp., the "greatest incentive is telling [job candidates] that there is an absolute commitment to PR from the top and
that not only can you get a seat at the table but it's a valued seat," she says. Douglass is in the market for two corporate PR executives: one to replace a senior-level PR
executive who recently resigned and the other for a new position at the mid-level. Douglass has been inundated with resumes for the senior-level position but hasn't gotten many
bites for the junior-to-mid-level spot, mainly because of what several PR sources say is an historic dearth of talent at the entry-level.
Douglass would not comment on what other types of incentives aside from salary the company offers job prospects, but stressed that she conveys to prospects that they will be a
vital part of the team and not someone who just tries to get some ink here and there. "The key focus is on finding people who live, breathe and die media relations," Douglass says
"More and more companies are recognizing the power of PR as it relates to a company's brand, and that PR presents tremendous ROI with less direct investment than advertising and
marketing," which tend to get more funding from the C-suite.
Peter Debreceny, VP of Corporate Relations at Allstate, is in the hunt for four mid-level PR execs, mostly to replace people who have left the insurance company. Overall, the
corporate PR department at Allstate is down by about one person. Still, there are a total of 52 people on the PR staff in Allstate's home office and 112 communications executives
globally. For all prospects, Debreceny demands versatility. "I'm looking for people who have communication skill sets across the board," he says. Candidates "should be good
business people who use communication as their tool...People who understand business objectives, can read a balance sheet and knows how to respond to the various stakeholders. If
you're a good business strategist, you get a seat at the table."
Debreceny says salaries for Allstate's PR execs falls within salary levels throughout the entire enterprise. "We don't overpay but we don't screw somebody to the wall, either."
Allstate will provide the training necessary to bring mid-level PR execs up to speed, but at the same time "there's never been enough really good people at all levels, so they're
hard to find."
Tracey Schario, VP of Strategic Communications Group, a full-service PR firm specializing in the tech space, echoed Debreceny's comments. "The mid-level is the most
challenging, in part because you're looking for someone with a track record, with media relations and domain expertise," she says. "The good ones get snatched up quickly."
Schario's firm has generally bucked the trend in PR. She hasn't laid off anyone in the last two years and recently brought on a senior executive to manage new business
development. Right now, she has 30 employees but hopes to have 40 in-house by the end of 2004. Schario offers aggressive training, flex time and competitive benefits and salaries.
In the current climate, staffers "are expected to do more with less" and job candidates "need to demonstrate value other than who they may know in the media."
Contacts: Peter Debreceny, 847.402.3111, [email protected]; Elizabeth Douglass, 215.986.6583, [email protected]; Marie Raperto, 212.333.3000, [email protected];
Tracey Schario, 301.408.4500, [email protected]; Jerry Schwartz, 212.725.4500, [email protected]; Helene Solomon, 617.695.9555, [email protected].