For years, the conventional wisdom has been that PR agencies are hired to, cue the CEO chorus, "get us some ink." Another party line is that agencies are brought in only when
the four walls are starting to burn (but the company acts as if all is well). Yet a recent survey by the Worldcom Public Relations Group, an international consortium of
approximately 100 PR agencies, says the number one reason agencies are hired is not what you would expect.
The quarterly survey, which was released earlier this month and represents 25 PR firms on four continents, found that 42% of respondents reported "strategic thinking" as the
number one reason they were hired by new clients this year. Just 14% of the respondents said "publicity" and 2% reported issues and crisis management.
Agencies may say they're being hired for strategic thinking. But a PR NEWS-Counselors Academy survey conducted earlier this year found that what many agencies define as
"strategy," clients often categorize as "tactical." (See PR NEWS, May 17, 2004.)
"The gap between strategic and tactical is a little bit of an eye-opener," says Bill Collins, chairman of Worldcom's Americas region and a principal with Buffalo-based PR firm
Travers Collins & Company. "But the survey confirms what those of us in the field have been saying about PR going beyond publicity and special events."
Several factors have contributed to the trend, such as an acknowledgement among clients of the increasing sophistication of PR as well as the still-slackening economy, where
every red cent counts. Used to be, "that companies would say, 'Here's our target and this is what we want,'" Collins says. But "with companies tightening their belts PR agencies
are being asked to develop and implement strategies."
Mike Greece, managing director of Padilla Speer Beardsley's New York office, says he's not surprised by the findings since corporate America has fundamentally changed its tune
about PR. "There's a significant recognition that PR [pros] can increase the value of business," he says. "It's not about product churning but how to focus on the client's
business goals."
For example, rather than getting "hits," agencies have to "strategically leverage those hits to create an allure of expertise and expertness in the client's targeted
industries." He adds: "Strategic thinking is not only about the clients' businesses, but the industries they're in and they're competitors."
Contacts: Bill Collins, 716.842.2222; [email protected]; Mike Greece, 212.752.8338, [email protected]