Size does matter in PR

In today’s volatile economic climate, smaller PR agencies could be an option to take your business to the next level at a fraction of the cost. Never mind the size; it’s the quality of work that counts.

When making a comparison, here are a few factors to note: Employees of big agencies are a mixed-bag. Your account will not be allocated all the best people unless your budget is really huge. Generally large and mighty agencies tend to send high-salaried executives to pitch the account and then relegate it to their junior executives once the contract is clinched.

Frustration creeps in when you are trying to explain to the junior PR executive your product or service. And just when the executive has started to get the hang of it, the person leaves the agency presumably for a better-paying job or the executive has been seconded to another division.

Small agencies offer senior executive experience. The people you see in the pitch are those who will be managing your account. Smaller agencies are usually established by people with outstanding corporate or large agency experience. They prefer the smaller operational work concept and the ability to deliver on their promises to clients and to give personalised attention and focus. The clients enjoy extraordinary value of advice without the high prices of larger agencies.

The fewer layers of bureaucracy in a boutique agency also allow the executives to move nimbly while working on a project or a campaign. These Spartan-like PR Consultants can generate robust media relations and publicity to maximum mileage and providing efficient deliverables regardless of the size of the client. The reason? A boutique agency is often managed by a single or a group of partners with vested interest who can produce quality work equal to any large firm. There are hardly any juniors among them. By tapping all this talent minus the overheads, here’s the actual value of a small agency:
· No high-turnover rate of junior and middle-range executives unlike larger firms
· Intense focus - proactive in strategies to make clients stay longer with them
· Decrease in monthly retainers for the same amount of work
· Not time sensitive - most boutique agencies do not clock in the hours unless necessary
· Partners and owners are hands-on - they roll up their sleeves on the account

Needless to say, you need not worry about cuts lowering growth where the smaller PR agencies are concerned. But if you are indecisive or are too afraid to make the traditional change from the norm, just remove the muzzle of that small PR agency’s mouth and hear it growl. After all, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog. 

Khaled Talib, Managing Director, Newsline Communications