IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY: should you go "independent?"

Just a few years ago it seemed every independently owned public relations agency out there was being bought up by the “mega conglomerate.”  Being acquired can certainly be a great exit strategy for the independent. Plus, it presumably gives clients more services to choose from given the depth and breadth of the acquired company’s inter-agency/brand “partners.” But in today’s “down economy” is it really a good thing to go with an agency that is saddled with P&L requirements that can often serve as a ball and chain for creativity?

I’m not sure, but while I do know that running your own show can be both liberating and scary, I do believe that it continues to offer clients an edge. Obviously, if you’re small and you run by the seat of your pants you can’t compete against the big guys who have ROI written across their forehead (and they should, this is the age of ROI). But if you are small and have a process that jives with the marketing mix models required by the larger corporate clients, then you’re in good shape because what you do have going for you is FLEXIBILITY. If something isn’t working you can change it, and fast! Plus, you may very well be just a tad bit more creative, because you have to be in order to thrive.

We smaller agencies cut our teeth on smaller clients that generally have smaller budgets and need our “innovative” thinking to help them compete with their larger competition (ROI for these clients isn’t just “numbers” it’s revenue). Apply this savvy to a larger client with an actual budget and there isn’t a lot you can’t do.

In a time when online WOM is gearing up to assume its share of the public relations landscape a smaller, more agile agency may be the best partner for a “high touch” campaign that requires having real conversations with real people. Our new U.S. president made a point of saying that it was the entrepreneur that will get us out of this mess (my words). I think he might be right. What we need now is some gutsy innovation, and in our world the independent agency may be just the group to deliver.