Creative Agency Secrets

Had a fantastic evening (I always do) at the BIMA dinner “The future for PR in a digital World” with Jamie Galloway, Director of Digital Media, from COI speaking.

I took a couple of clients Hugh Birley from Lexis and Lorraine Jenkins from Wildfire PR (sadly got blown out last minute by Mat Morrison). We made up a strong PR contingent separate from the mainly digi-types otherwise represented!

Jamie spoke based on some work he’s done for the Cass Business School a dissertation about how clients have created silos of information based on the medium of delivery - TV, Press, Digital and this leads to isolation of messages and confulsion for consumers. Overall he thinks OTL agencies now have a decreasing influence on the marketplace

In his Governmental world, ministers are leading conversations on how we should engage with social media. [this is far more advanced than I had expected]. Traditional agencies are not aware of online conversations that are happening and this represents risk to them and theiur clients who rely solely on their guidance for marketing execution. In his view, the Government needs tio be where the conversations are happening.

In Jamie’s view, PR specialists are fantastic at research and crafting a message. They understand issues, message immediacy and have a great ability to react fast. And good PR is both open and consultative. Therefore PR people are a ‘helpful’ runway for advertising, particularly digital advertising. In fact, it’s a perfect skills fit.

Agencies should be working to integrate more closely with PR. [Mark Adams, working with me at Pembridge, tried hard to persuade Advertising agencies to buy PR teams and clearly he was ahead of his time because he failed to find buyers from OTL businesses.]

Interesting job movers - Jimmy an ex-10 Downing Street webmaster has joined Freud Communications. Antony Mayfield is at Spannerworks. Daniele Fiandaca from Profero didn’t wholly agree saying that PR techniques don’t work online. And Jamie agreed but countered with the observation that advocacy for brands works best when it comes from a PR agency much more effective than from a digital or online media agency.

Further clarifying the fit between PR and digital, Jamie cited the tight targetingt of audience research and understanding, the ability to build networks offline where PR is good and online where digital leads. PR is less good aty measurement compared to online where he thinks the ‘gold standard’ has been set. [this squares with Andrew Walmsley in Marketing this week who says “The easy results achieved by search in improving the accountability and effectiveness of advertising have created one of the marketing phenomenons of the century.”]

Jamie also likes the fee structure of PR agencies where they are pre-agreed or set as hourly rates enabling realy understanding where value is applied. And there’s an active involvement at senior level. Hugh Birley agreed with this saying that when PR works well it is because it’s honest counsel.

Felix Velarde asked how online copes with negative PR and Jamie said that he thought this was untapped opportunity because PR agencies aren’t looking at this area. It is important to know when to respond and when not to. Print media has to check its sources but online (blogging) media does not have the same responsibility. Mike Teasdale reminded us that Amazon is now a social media space because new listings now attract reviews from people with real names not avatars and they are rated as reviewers. You can clearly see the % of good and bad reviews.

Clare O’Brien agreed saying that there is a time and a place to respond and she advises her clients to ‘pick their battles’. Being in an immature industry populated by ‘excited’ people, wading in has its risks. This can lead to cul de sacs and pointless arguments [what Mike called “Dad Dancing”!!! touche]

To summarise “Digital offers high involvement strategies to PR in real time” and its important to know where the conversations are going on.