Blogs and Libel - or Damn, NKK!

A company that I have been doing a hardcore pitch to just recently let go of their large international public relations firm, one of the top 5 agencies. It fits the model of the large agency = bait and switch + junior workers + no accountability + no coverage.

I first sent the worldwide public relations manager a pitch about how her two main competitors had two to three times the coverage. The pitch was in the vein that the large agency is a dinosaur - too big to be nimble - and that it was time to switch to a boutique.

While Company X continues to work with a national agency, which, in my opinion, has not been able to garner national or trade coverage that a company of Company X's caliber warrants, the industry is moving toward boutique agencies that provide greater service at a better price. Company X needs to work with a firm that understands that Company X is not just one story, but is about the services it provides for a large number of industries. While the occasional corporate profile is nice, Competitor A and Competitor B are getting more coverage, while Company X's agency has been content in providing the occasional article and pitch. According to a Factiva search (excluding press releases), for the past year Company X has been in 158 articles, compared to the 690 articles for Competitor A and the 312 articles for Competitor B.

Then I followed up with a nice letter about how her former agency blew a big story that had just been posted on C/Net about a competitor - with no mention of her company.

How can a worldwide PR firm not have a relationship with reporters at C/Net, so even if they are no longer the AOR, the reporter would still call Company X? Or, if they did have the relationship and were called for the story, why did they NOT pass it on to you?

Let’s discuss a POP! Public Relations / Company X relationship to get you the press you deserve.

Is there any wonder why companies are moving to smaller boutiques, that provide more for the money? Aren't people tired of paying for junior staff bumblings with no tactics or strategies, while being billed the $300+ by the many SVP and EVP staff members that pop in once in a while?