Managing PR: Guidelines for deciding whether it's time to replace your PR agency 

Published 2007

It’s not easy making the decision to part with an existing PR agency - especially if the relationship has lasted for some time.  Here are some guidelines for helping to decide whether the existing PR firm is really in need of review or replacement - or whether you are being unfair.

1. Review and rate the agency overall (adapted according to their role)

• Proactiveness and availability
• Strategic thinking
• Depth of knowledge of your business/sector
• Creativity
• Media  - contacts and ability to get coverage
• Quality of writing
• Meets deadlines, keeps promises
• Cost - level of charges for work undertaken
• Reporting and measurement of results
• Personal relationships and compatibility/chemistry with your staff
• Understanding of new areas (e.g. internet/online)
• Overall quality of the current account team

On completing the rating (on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being excellent) does this justify parting company with the agency? Or, on reflection, have you been a little hasty and does the detailed analysis suggest that their performance is better than you initially thought?

With a total score of 60 possible, anything over 35 should be regarded as a possible base for continuing the relationship. It’s not a great score, but does it warrant moving on without some attempt to address and/or resuscitate the relationship?

Regardless, you should move to a more qualitative basis and balance your answers and conclusions to the questions below before making a final decision as to whether the time to take a fresh approach to public relations has arrived.

2. Review the agency’s overall performance.

• What has been the main objective of the PR - media coverage, strategic advice etc?
• Has this been clearly understood and articulated and has the performance criteria been established and understood by both parties?
• What formal measurement has been undertaken to review the public relations agency’s performance? 
• Have there been particular projects that they have handled extremely well, or very poorly?
• What informal discussion has there been in-house about their performance and how often, and for how long, has this gone on?
• Has the issue of performance been raised with the agency previously and openly discussed with them? Have they had the opportunity to address your concerns? Or has it not been discussed with them?

Are you satisfied that their overall performance is below what you believe you have a right to expect?  Have you openly discussed this with them and given them more than adequate opportunity to address the issues raised?  Or, on reflection, are you being unfair to the agency and not given them the courtesy of sharing your concerns with them?

3. Review what’s happened to your business during the history of the relationship.

• What structural and/or people changes have taken place in your business during the term of the relationship?
• Has there been changes (real or implied) in how you conduct your business during that period that might have contributed to misunderstandings and made it more difficult for them to perform the public relations task?
• Have there been changes of personnel that made the task more difficult for the agency than it should have been?
• How accessible and proactive have your internal marketing people been in directing the agency and supplying them with the information they need to produce consistent results?

Are you satisfied that that nothing has happened that may have unfairly influenced their ability to service your PR business as you expected? Or, on reflection, have there been changes at your end that have ‘moved the goalposts’ or made meeting your needs more difficult?

4. Review what’s happened to their business during the history of the relationship.

• Have they had more changes to their account servicing structure than you would have expected over the term of the relationship?
• Have there been changes to key personnel which you feel have materially impacted on the agency’s ability to deliver what they promised?
• Has there been general instability within the agency that you feel has contributed to the degree of service they have been able to bring?

Are you satisfied that there has been a degree of instability in the agency and their team servicing the business that has contributed to your concerns?  Or has their team remained relatively stable, and is it unfair to use this as a cause for reviewing the PR business?

Footnote:

Grant Common, the Editor of PR Influences, specialises in helping organisations manage PR agency relations and selection processes.

You may have an interest in, or obtain value from, these articles:

1) How stronger management is the key to better PR agency relationships

2) How better briefs and RFP's contribute to improved PR outcomes

3) How Australian PR agency selection processes are changing