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Selecting A New PR Agency - Best and Worst Practices
published 2004

Most weeks, somewhere in Australia, a PR agency or consultancy is being hired - either to replace an incumbent agency or as a new appointment.
However, as indicated by continuing complaints from both clients and agencies, there is not a large amount of experience in hiring PR agencies in the marketplace.
The closest analogy is the hiring of an advertising agency - but there are some significant differences between hiring a PR agency and an advertising agency.
The essential difference is that the remuneration of PR agencies is solely based on a time basis. That means it’s vital for the scope of w ork - or alternatively a budget for PR - to be clearly defined upfront.
Visual creative concepts and media selection - both vital elements in advertising - are missing in PR.
Here are some best and worst practices, based on guidelines prepared by the Council of Public Relations Firms in the US for organisations embarking on a search for a PR agency.
The Search Process
Best Practices:
Worst Practices:
The Capabilities Phase
Best Practices:
Worst Practice:
The Final Phase/Selection
Best Practices:
Worst Practices:
-
Seeking an agency to develop specific and detailed creative or program proposals and/or strategic or tactical proposals. This practice is fraught with difficulty at this point, unless there has been a very thorough briefing. Again, where agencies develop this, it remains their property - unless they are chosen!
- Seeking specific and detailed financial and performance data about the agency. Normally it should be adequate for an agency to provide generic data - eg client wins and loss, average length of client relationship etc.
- Seeking information about the salaries of individual agency staff or data that would enable this to be calculated.
Acknowledgement: Council of Public Relations Firms: ‘Standards for Conducting a Public Relations Firm Search - Principles and Practices’.
Note: The author of this article is a senior Sydney based independent corporate PR consultant with 30 years PR agency experience, who works with PR Managers to help them get the most out of their relationships with their PR agency, as well as helping them review or select PR agencies. He also advises, coaches and mentors PR Managers and undertakes audits of PR Department structures and programs. He blogs regularly on PR and communications topics similar to those in this article.
You may have an interest in, or obtain value from, these blogs:
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 |
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About 'PR Influences' |
'PR Influences' is a free Australian-domiciled information resource which contains a decade of archived articles, insights and tips relating to most aspects of external communication or public relations. These are complemented by fresh articles which are published regularly.
'PR Influences' is researched, written and published by Grant Common, a 30 year PR veteran who consults to PR Managers on PR departmental effectiveness and PR agency relations and selection.
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For those with a specific interest in staying abreast of current news, trends and commentary around the issues and challenges facing PR Manager.s including PR departmental effectiveness, and managing and selecting PR agencies, visit Grant's blog.
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PR Influences Australia:Tips on selecting a new PR agency or Consultant.PR consultant, Sydney - author
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