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PR survivng the recession

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recessionLet’s face it, with the Prime Minister warning of the impact of tackling the country’s £156 billion deficit  and the sound of axes being sharpened ahead of the Budget on June 22, it would be fair to say, in an understated sort of way, that things, on the whole, are not looking good.

In our PR world, we all know that the private and public sectors are always squeezing every last drop of value out of their budgets and that is clearly not about to change.  The PR alarm bell is ringing, but here’s the question, whose is ringing the loudest?

Is it the in-house team which constantly has to justify its headcount and spends a lot of time making sure the precious press cuttings go round so that other business units can see what they’re doing?

Or is it the PR consultancy, which is managing its client’s brand as required and achieving agreed targets, but which can be dropped like a hot potato as a relatively easy short term cost-saving measure?

In-house teams have an intimate knowledge of their company and they understand the ethos of the business. They will hopefully have a representative in the boardroom. Middle management knows them, knows they can deal with the media and can turn to them for support in small projects which might not otherwise win any plaudits.

But in-house teams may have become part of the corporate furniture, the comfy chair that everyone puts their feet on rather than the functional mirror which serves to remind the business how others see them and what they have to do when the reflection isn’t so good. 

On the other hand, consultancies are focussed. They do the job required and clients know how much it will cost them. They can build relationships with executives which are no less meaningful and successful than those in-house.

Consultancies bring a fresh perspective and wider experience to the role which an in-house team can’t always do, especially in the fast-developing world of social media PR.

What’s more, consultancies don’t have that sense of security that comes with being in-house; they have to work hard to produce results and justify their role and cost to the client.

Of course, cutting PR budgets at a time of economic hardship, is actually the last thing that businesses should be doing. PR can raise their profile among equally cost-conscious customers and create an environment where deals are done.

In any recession, as well as the casualties, there are also companies which are able to take advantage of the opportunities. For example, there’s less competition for media space thereby creating an opportunity to increase profile.

So the message is; if you’re a business, whether you use an in-house team or an external consultancy, make sure you keep that investment in PR and make sure it is working hard for its money.


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