Executive Media
Public Affairs Public Relations
We are PR
03/12/08 01:45 PM Filed in: General
Recently, one of the best-known firms for public
relations in Indiana announced that it now would
promote itself as a full-service communications
agency. The company has brought in a creative
director from out of town and merged what had been
two cooperative shops: creative and public relations.
These are all good folks and I'm sure they'll bring
the same skill to their marketing and advertising as
they have to their public relations.
Meanwhile, here at Executive Media we're going to stay focused on public relations. We believe that working with an independent PR agency is best for most clients. Here's why:
At many full-service agencies, advertising eventually crowds out public relations. To be effective, advertising needs a group of staffers working on an account: an account rep, a creative director, a media buyer, a copy writer and a producer, who will work with an illustrator, a video editor or an animator. To keep a crew like that paid, you have to focus on bringing in large campaigns. PR work on a campaign doesn't pay anybody but the account rep. So over time, the agency tends to find advertising solutions to the client's problems rather than PR solutions. That helps the agency solve its own problem of paying for the advertising crew. That's why you'll find, at many "full-service" firms, the PR staff more stretched and less experienced than the advertising staff.
As a result, the public relations work can become relegated to a secondary role.
Here at Executive Media, we believe in PR solutions to challenges in relationships with publics. We believe in advertising solutions to challenges in paying to put a specific message in front of a specific person at a specific time. Most often, public relations does not serve a need for advertising and advertising does not serve a need for public relations. Marketing, of course, spans both disciplines.
We also believe that by focusing on public relations, we can stay small and responsive. We can do something today. We can work only when you need us. When we need creative services, we're not limited to what we have in house. We move around a network of artists, video and photo experts, web designers, event planners and others who can fit our clients' requirements.
So when you need help with public relationships, think about working with experts in public relations. It's what we do.
Meanwhile, here at Executive Media we're going to stay focused on public relations. We believe that working with an independent PR agency is best for most clients. Here's why:
At many full-service agencies, advertising eventually crowds out public relations. To be effective, advertising needs a group of staffers working on an account: an account rep, a creative director, a media buyer, a copy writer and a producer, who will work with an illustrator, a video editor or an animator. To keep a crew like that paid, you have to focus on bringing in large campaigns. PR work on a campaign doesn't pay anybody but the account rep. So over time, the agency tends to find advertising solutions to the client's problems rather than PR solutions. That helps the agency solve its own problem of paying for the advertising crew. That's why you'll find, at many "full-service" firms, the PR staff more stretched and less experienced than the advertising staff.
As a result, the public relations work can become relegated to a secondary role.
Here at Executive Media, we believe in PR solutions to challenges in relationships with publics. We believe in advertising solutions to challenges in paying to put a specific message in front of a specific person at a specific time. Most often, public relations does not serve a need for advertising and advertising does not serve a need for public relations. Marketing, of course, spans both disciplines.
We also believe that by focusing on public relations, we can stay small and responsive. We can do something today. We can work only when you need us. When we need creative services, we're not limited to what we have in house. We move around a network of artists, video and photo experts, web designers, event planners and others who can fit our clients' requirements.
So when you need help with public relationships, think about working with experts in public relations. It's what we do.