Comments on: Marketers: Fire Your PR Agency!

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:25:06 +0000

Good point about paying what an agency is worth. Or stated different, is the company willing to pay for PR based on the returned value to the company. For smart companies the answer is yes.

From an agency perspective, it’s tough to get passionate — and this is important — about a client that wants $15K worth of effort and results on a $7K budget. If you want passion, you’ll need to make a real commitement, both in money and time.

By: Lou Covey

Lou Covey — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:00:20 +0000

Um, can you introduce me to some of these companies that pay $15,000 a month retainers? I’m having trouble finding companies that will pay $1500 for a project.

I think the assumption that lots of companies are employing communication professionals to help them craft corporate messages is a little out there. The problem with most public relations, and even publicity programs, is that they are directed not by professionals, but amateurs who think that communication education ended with senior English in high school.

There are, according to Dow Jones, 5000 technology startups in the US at any given time. Less than 20 percent employ PR practitioners regularly. The annual PR expenditure for those companies ranges from $3000 to $30,000 a year. And the output of that investment is what clogs the mailboxes of journalists and bloggers alike.

By: David Burckhard

David Burckhard — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:36:02 +0000

Indeed, companies have dismissed PR agencies and for good reasons. But companies cannot afford to dismiss PR.

All those involved in business communications truly need to be aware of trends and especially, the advantages of the new media and technologies imbedded in what most call Web 2.0. This involves practices such as wikis, mashups, blogs, and the ultimate, podcasting. The PR agencies who understand those benefits and have the skills to apply them for the good of their clients will survive and prosper. Those who ignore the worthy aspects of the new media will struggle.

Certainly, creating a smart communications program has always been the goal of a PR agency. However, limiting that program to a single medium denies the client of the vast and effective media available on-line.

For PR agencies, the strength of the printed word may always be at the core. However graphics, pictures, audio and video media are delivered essentially for only the cost of production and are far more engaging than using a single medium. Simply, the agency that develops and offers a suite of communication media will be more competitive than that which doesn’t.

Currently, there are agencies who have recognized the power of Web 2.0 and if those agencies have done their job well traditionally, they are in the best position to do their job well into the future.

Dave Burckhard
National Podcasting System