If PR Isn’t Driving Agency Growth, It Isn’t Doing Its Job
Brand-new campaign or big, looming crisis, communications teams are pivotal in shaping how stories are told, remembered and leveraged. 4A's ANGLES 2024, which is set to take place in New York City on 3rd December, will bring together comms experts and innovative visionaries reshaping the communications landscape. The powerhouse line-up of speakers will share insights on everything from new business and storytelling to must-attend industry events. The sessions will empower agency comms professionals with deeper insights into pitching and positioning stories, leveraging technologies, cultivating partnerships and more. The sessions are designed to help comms professionals from agencies of all shapes and sizes.
Speakers include Jon Iwata, executive chairman, data & trust alliance, and former IBM chief brand officer, Geno Schellenberger, CEO, Breaking and Entering Media, Adrienne Lucas, head of DEI & strategic partnerships, The One Club for Creativity, Leah Steinhardt, VP of marketing, POSSIBLE, Matt Ryan, CEO, Roth Ryan Hayes (RRH), Simone Oppenheimer-Mandel, co-founder, NBZ, and others. Check out the full line-up here.
Co-chairs of the 4A's Comms Committee, Rebecca Sullivan, director of public relations, North America, VML, and Suzanne McGee, director, marketing & communications, EP+Co, will be the emcees for the event. Journalists from a number of publications will also speak.
In anticipation of the event, the 4A’s, in partnership with LBB, asked some of the speakers about the evolving role of PR and comms in new business and growth, the dynamics between great work and strategic PR, and the hurdles they overcome in their line of work.
We are speaking today with Toni Lee, founder and CEO of Toni Lee Communications, a 26-year-old PR and communications consulting company specialising in delivering growth to advertising, marketing and media companies.
LBB> For your organisation, what is the key function of PR and comms?
Toni> PR must drive business growth. It is the most powerful tool agencies have to support their new business pipelines and fuel organic growth. If it does not contribute to an agency’s bottom line, it isn’t doing the job.
LBB> Earlier this year, LBB's CEO Matt Cooper penned a thought piece in which he said, "There is absolutely a direct link between successful, great work and good PR and marketing!" What are your thoughts on that?
Toni> Great work is essential to getting good PR. There is so much competition for coverage with not a lot of outlets devoted to covering creative work that unless you have something that stands out with a big idea, amazing craft and moves the brand forward in a differentiating way, you will not get the attention of the creative press. You also need to consider timing. With big tentpole advertising events, even great work sometimes will not get covered.
LBB> What common misconceptions do you feel advertisers in general and your clients in particular have about PR and comms?
Toni> Clients still prevent agencies from leveraging the work they do to generate PR. In a time when social media rules and has the ability to expand the reach of paid advertising, limiting an agency’s ability to deliver added value via PR-ing the work is counterproductive. And it hurts the relationship by disincentivising creatives to do their best work.
LBB> In your opinion, how has the role and stature of a PR/comms professional evolved during your career span? Have things changed greatly?
Toni> Activating an integrated marketing/PR strategy has become a must for all agencies, regardless of size. At one point it was only larger agencies that invested in marketing/PR. Now, the benefits and value of trade media awards programmes, speaking at industry events and generating press coverage for your work, people and offering is seen as a must because it fuels growth and attracts talent.
