Why I’m Proud to Be the Leader of a PR-Agency

Well. Communications agency, agency for strategic communications, agency beyond disciplines. Colleagues tried a lot of ideas on their way to get our industry onto the “driver’s seat”, the position we all feel we deserve.

And indeed it’s nerve wracking

Jealously a lot of us look at ad agencies’ budgets, especially as they start to come around with communication programs that look quite a bit like PR at first sight (or in their award entries).

This is why I in a way understand how nervous some leaders of (former?) PR agencies are to reposition themselves and their firms. And to get rid of the label PR. To claim they are working integrated, above, below, beyond, left or right of all channels and disciplines.

But to be honest — I strongly believe this is a big mistake, both from a strategic and an operative point of view. And this is why I’m proud to be leader of a PR agency.

Yes, of course we offer Integrated Marketing. And of course we do excellent Content Marketing for some of our clients (yes, this modern, real, big thingy, with three to five pieces of content a day, u know?). And for two of Cohn & Wolfe Germany’s seven new clients this year we have been named their lead agency — followed by quite big budgets and the task to lead the ad agency as well as the media-buying partner. I am convinced this was exactly because we positioned ourselves crystal-clear and to the point as PR agency.

I would be silly to give up this position, especially given my team’s set of competences and its costs. What really differentiates PR agencies from other agencies is — at least in my market — the broad and really academic education of their consultants. To become PR consultant needs not only training on the job but a master degree from university. To leverage this is a big chance for a high-class and creative PR agency.

What we as a PR agency promise our clients is this

First — they get some over-average intelligent professionals to their services that are able to give advice. That have an opinion — and are able to articulate it in clear language and as well smart. PR professionals are able to think on their feet — reassessing and redirecting campaigns so they adapt to an ever-shifting marketplace. They do not need to consult with a planner, strategist, or creative director while they speak to a client.

Second — the understanding of communications as relations. We must not underestimate this or even give it up. Today relations are a crucial core competence of all communications, as we have to deal happily with the loss of control in all channels. And as we PR people always have been used to this we are perfectly equipped for today’s ever so important relationships with consumers. Especially as this relationships are now perpetuated on multiple channels including social, in-person, original content and more. And looking at it from this angle one might it find less surprising that we have been named lead agency several times this year.

Third — we offer consulting and execution firsthand by the same professionals. Isn’t it exactly the core differentiator of PR agencies that all our professionals are consultants? What some industry experts called a weakness some years ago really is a strength: Our staff are all-rounders that are really good PR practitioners on one hand and on the other hand exceptional smart consultants with all the flexibility and empathy they need to thrive. To work with a PR professional is to work with a strategist, creative director and brand marketing maven all in one. We PR agencies develop and execute PR programs in one unified team, not in specialties and silos. What helps us by the way to be attractive as an employer as well.

Once again, I think, today PR agencies are standing on a crossroad

Do we focus on our profiles as PR and use our highly educated and well compensated professional staff to grow along our competences and where we can add best value to our clients’ tasks? Or do we re-focus as general communications firms, because we estimate bigger growth chances there?

At least in Germany I’m not aware of any agency with PR heritage that was able (in competence and profit) to play with the “big boys” in advertising and media-buying. And I doubt that this might be possible at all without replacing all staff and abandoning PR. Our professionals are at the same time over qualified as consultants and differently skilled as creative people to let us successfully pretend to be an ad agency. Similar for those firms that try to move into business consulting — where our professionals are over qualified as creative people and not exactly best skilled as consultants.

I burn for PR.

And I love working with professionals that are creative not by accident (but due to a consistent, insights based creative process) and that are empathic, professional, intelligent, and smart consultants. This is why I’m leader of a PR agency. And why I call my agency PR. Especially as we have been very successful lately and brought back the agency in my country with a strong and differentiating PR positioning.

You know what? I really look forward to 2016.

This is the English version of an op-ed, published the same day in German on wuv.de