PR agencies’ key role traditionally was to manage risk & reputation and get ink and airtime from the media. Today, alongside PR, we are no stranger to working closely with other agencies specializing in marketing, social media, or media planning to meet business goals and challenges for clients.
However, with the rise of the digital economy which has since been on steroids in a COVID-19 world, our clients’ needs have also evolved. In this new world of real-time engagement, which has given rise to a proliferation of channels and content that reaches audiences directly, the need for intermediary media to disseminate news and information has diminished significantly.
The PR agency model must be reinvented, and scope expanded from content creation & pitching stories to the media to offering digital & content marketing. Content is still king, but it is not enough nowadays to just create great content; we must be able to effectively market it in this media fragmented world. Great content means nothing if no one is seeing it. This is the crux of the new content game.
The integrated arena has long since begun to take shape and agencies across the board are clamouring to lead the charge – both in terms of talent and technology. We will soon see nomenclatures like PR, digital, media, social and creative agencies and its associated demarcation of services as a thing of the past. The rise of Integrated marketing agencies from the ashes of the pandemic will be the norm to adapt to the changing needs of clients and the industry landscape.
Adapting to this change is critical to stay relevant, resilient, and competitive in today’s dynamic environment.
Here are my top 5 tips in transforming PR agencies to offer integrated communication services:
1) A Paradigm Shift in mindset from a traditional Agency setup to an Integrated Communication Powerhouse
This pivot to offer integrated communication services is no mean feat. Change is always hard, and especially more so in an industry where old habits die hard. Senior management must be committed to invest in this endeavour and there is a need to overhaul and redefine our value propositions to stay relevant. Moving into this era of accelerating change, we need to think of ourselves as more than just Public Relations consultants. We must step up and be able to advise brands on all aspects of their marketing strategies – beyond just PR and help guide them through the increasingly complex modern ecosystem to add value as a strategic partner. We now need to be able to deliver end-to-end solutions and campaigns straddling traditional PR, print, media planning, display, social and creative while presenting a seamless and consistent brand experience. Traditional mindsets must change, and this evolution must encompass the whole organisation with a focus on building up an integrated practice.
