Month: January 2011

It pays to be open

As a PR agency in Yorkshire, which is the largest county in the country, we are reminded every day of the fact that we work in a very competitive marketplace.

So how do we differ? Everyone says that they offer something unique, something that no else can deliver. Everyone packages their services slightly differently to make it sound like they are doing something new and inventive, when if we are all honest what we are offering is actually very similar.

What we have chosen to do to stand out from the many PR agencies offering similar products and services is to be honest. Yes, really. It is that simple. We are open (hence the name) and honest. We put forward realistic campaigns, which are developed specifically to meet with a brand’s objectives.

We work WITH our clients, rather than FOR them, and we have excellent relationships as a result. As the market gets tougher, which seems inevitable, we expect that brands will be reviewing their PR and marketing needs and we hope that they will start to work with agencies that follow the same principles that we do.

Long gone are the days when agencies could charge again and again and again for the same work, marking up costs by 50 per cent and more. Times have changed – thankfully – and as an agency we are overjoyed that this is the case.
PR and marketing, from press office to crisis management, drafting brochure copy to the launch of a new product or service, everything revolves around results. And as far as we are concerned, so it should do.

The next twelve months will inevitably see further changes to the industry and a shift in the agencies that brands choose to work with but perhaps this isn’t a bad thing. Some agencies are guilty of continuing to take a very 80’s led approach to the ‘service’ they offer their clients and it will be interesting to see how that is received in the months and years to come.