EP Magazine

How has PR changed in the current market?

Recently the boss of Edelman PR said: “We used to be the tail on the dog – at the very end PR would come in to have the press announce the ad campaign. Now, we are in at the strategy point.” What have been the changes? EP met with three leading PR agencies to ask them

Few challenges facing publishing companies in the current market have been as starkly illustrated as the impact on traditional forms of advertising by more recent new media concepts. The confusion surrounding this new media has partly driven a push towards PR agencies for additional support. Many experts talk about a
dichotomy between traditional PR and ‘new’ PR for organisations, with online strategy a major trend.

During a round table discussion with agencies representing all sectors of the hospitality and leisure industry, a number of questions were posed. Whilst there were differences between those clients who are consumer facing and those who are business-to -business, the overwhelming message is that the digital revolution is not only fundamental, it has bought about a climate where immediacy of information and accessibility by the end user is now one of the most powerful and potentially beneficial opportunities for business.

The PR agencies:

• Anita Woods, Managing Director, William Murray Communications
• Sarah Curra, Managing Director, Mango PR
• Nicky Hancock, co-founder of Sauce Communications with business partner Jo Barnes

How have expectations changed?

Anita: There is a lot more demand from clients to have a broader range of Key Performance Indicators set, so that they can report effectively and show
return on investment and report it back to their business.

Sarah: PR has become even more results driven, whether through media or looking outside of the media – clients are looking at other routes to market and innovation.

Nicky: Expectations are much higher and we have become more reliant on our marketing department to support PR activities. I think you can see the direct results more clearly and quickly with marketing, so this has helped us add value and back up PR activity.

A: I think that the recession has reinforced the inherent value that PR has always added to the business. Normally it is very strategically placed. We have seen the direct result of that in past two years and have been given much wider briefs – I think we have overtaken ad agencies in terms of credibility.

N: It really has been just so refreshing that clients have come to us saying that now has been the time to push boat out and commit to their PR.

S: I completely agree – it is an exciting time. Many clients are now more open about the state of their business and asking: what is the PR solution? It’s not necessarily a media approach, but an integrated one.

Has the role of PR evolved?

A: The role of PR has evolved into more of a planning as well as delivery role. Our clients expect us to be able to tell them what to communicate and how to do it and how to measure its impact. They expect us to do this in a fast changing media landscape.

N: The recession has made us stronger as an agency and pushed us to go the extra mile, not sticking purely to a traditional remit. You cannot be as categorised within your PR activity and have to look at every opportunity. It has been great as you have to be more creative.

S: The most important thing is that you have to think differently. You have to pre-empt client needs.

How is technology changing the PR landscape?

N: I think the biggest change has been the rise of online – that has been a quick learning process, probably since the beginning of last year. From a restaurant perspective the increasing influence of bloggers has really hit home during the past year, and they are not people to be ignored. We are nurturing some in the same way as food reviewers.

S: Yes, you have to treat them like journalists, although they work to a subtly different code. We are educating clients about why they might work with bloggers, and how far to take an opportunity. The fact that you can get instant results can change the message we feed them.

A: It’s very different for our company as we focus on business-to-business PR rather than consumer. For us technology is making what we do even more integrated and measurable. There are now so many more ways of getting messages out to customers and capturing the response.

 S: Taking a slightly different tack, what I find interesting is that the first gateway to the web is Google for consumers – even if they know the web address! And this could bring up your website and a host of other ones, so you have to have a really consistent, well defined, online campaign.

A: You make an interesting point. The expectation level for B2B is that websites are increasingly expected to match the online experience that you enjoy as a consumer.

N: Twitter can break a story before you have even opened your mouth. And not always in a negative sense; clients are opening their eyes to this and looking to learn. However, consistency is the key.

S: I think people are realising that they are need to increase their online presence, moving from "the  brochure" to a more engaging experience. For instance a hotel could open a blog but it has to be prepared to have a transparent, personal conversation as a result.

A: Compared to last year, where there was more advocacy on our part to make the case for online engagement, clients are now coming to us and asking how we can help them to do even more online. That’s come about because they’ve seen what it can do and the results it can generate.

S:We believe the next big thing for luxury hotels will be video content. From a travel perspective Google Images is increasingly powerful and people will book a holiday on the strength of what they see there.

N: This brings out the impact of immediacy of information. We had a group of bloggers dine in an out-of-London restaurant and by the time I got back to my office their video footage and reviews were up and online.

A: Ultimately where I get back to is the absolute importance of individual choice – everything relates back to word of mouth. This is reflected in the growth of online – in creating networks, leveraging networks and the power of personal recommendation.

Has the influence of PR increased or decreased as a result of the recession?

 S: PR has become much more integrated into the business; we present to employees and explain the importance of their role in what we do and we engage with the senior team rather than one person.

N: I totally agree. We have become like part of the family, whether the restaurant is family owned or part of a hotel group. From receptionists to back of house, we are accessible and if they have an idea they are encouraged to share it.

A: PR’s influence remains as strong as ever. I believe it has just been spotlighted as a result of the recession as part of debates about the need to maintain marketing spend in a recession and how best to do that.

(Photo credit: Susannah Fields, Flashfields Photography)