A strategic dilemma for PR: agency excellence requires digital prowess

The May 14th issue of PR Week exposes a glaring weakness with PR agencies.“Maybe the alarmists were right. One of the most interesting bits of information gleaned from the 2007 PR Week Agency Excellence Survey was how poorly PR firms fared when their clients were asked what type of agency they would hire to implement a digital strategy. Perhaps predictably, respondents were most interested in tapping a digital/online agency (34%),. But in the race for second between ad (17%), direct marketing (16%), and PR agencies (13%), PR fared the worst.”

It is surprising that, given the hype that PR firms produce about the importance of social networks and new media, that more agencies do not acquire or build stronger skill sets in this area. In many cases, its simply not their business model. But if clients are shifting budgets, maybe creating a digital PR agency is a strategic move.

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