Lis Anderson, Corixa Communications

Evolution not Revolution

Once upon a time, running a PR consultancy was relatively clear cut. Retained client base: check. Annual client programme agreed: check. Clear media channels to target: check. Brilliant team of PR professionals inspired to deliver great work: check. Not much straying from the path of year on year growth. Then, last year, the backdrop to our industry changed and there have been some interesting chapters unfolding in the PR universe ever since.

Trading circumstances have meant annual retained fees are no longer a done deal, and whilst projects have always been part of the consultancy mixing pot they are now playing a much larger role in PR work. No surprise then that this creates both challenges and opportunities. Challenges in resourcing to alleviate project pressures: changing the consultancy model with more freelance support a regular requirement. Opportunities aplenty with doors opening into new clients previously unwilling to commit to long term retainers, now looking to invest in short term PR projects.

The other elephant in the PR room that really came to life this past year was digital communications. Specifically, online PR. As PR consultants, we’ve always been used to interacting with a highly networked world. Predominantly, this has been around traditional media outlets such as newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. But, communications channels are changing, the culling of regional news teams is now a sad reality, and whether we like it or not, businesses, brands and organisations are being blogged about, discussed, reviewed and commented upon all online - PR consultancies cannot afford to miss out on this opportunity.

There is no doubt digital communications will be central to our industry’s future and those who don’t embrace it head on will be
left behind.

PR professionals are very well-placed to bridge the gap between businesses and consumers in the digital world. Why: because we know
how to identify and shape a good story: we know what people want to read and learn about and how to create engaging content. Bloggers become our new journalists, word of mouse replaces word of mouth and social communities create ready-made opportunities for one-to-one conversations with targeted groups.

So, as PRs we find ourselves acclimatising to an evolutionary landscape –revising business models, learning new skills and working with our clients to ride the digital communications wave – an exciting new world where all media is digital.