The document summarizes the results of a survey of in-house PR professionals and agency PR professionals on the state of the PR industry. It finds that while clients recognize the value agencies bring to brand awareness and reputation, clients also have doubts about agencies' abilities to increase sales or work with other marketing disciplines. Both clients and agencies agree that agencies need to provide stronger proof of return on investment and value for money. There is a shift towards more project work and procurement teams being involved in purchasing decisions. Agencies are responding by creating more specialist roles to offer niche advice rather than general capabilities.

3. • Offerings/disciplines
• Agency structure
• Training, recruitment and HR/societal trends
• Data, research and evaluation
• Making money/commercials

5. • YouGov partnered with PRCA to survey 51 in-house PR professionals
and 63 agency PR professionals between 14th August and 2nd
September 2013
• Across public/private sector including charities, professional
services, construction/manufacturing, financial services, and other
sectors
• In-house respondents include directors of marketing/comms, head of
marketing/comms, head of press/PR
• Agency respondents include CEOs, MDs, Partners and Directors

7. 54% of companies surveyed currently
employ a PR agency
86% of clients also use a non-PR agency
with “specialist expertise that their PR
agency lacks”

8. 0
20
40
60
80
100

9. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70

10. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%
Build brand equity/credibility
Drive national brand awareness
Drive local brand awareness
Build or protect reputation
Amplify other marketing elements
Launch new products, brands etc.
Increase visibility through media
Drive direct consumer engagement
Build/support a digital community
Increase product/service sales
In-House
Agency

11. 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
Shift from retained to project work
Other marketing disciplines encroaching on PR
budgets
Shortage of skilled PR consultants
Increasing importance of procurement
Agency

12. “We find that unless clients have previous experience
and understanding of the value of PR it is very difficult
for them to appreciate the full potential of what can be
achieved. Despite improvements in evaluation tools
and methods it remains a challenge.”
“Price is being driven down/negotiated from pitch to
the start of the business, but expectations of results
remain the same.”
“Alastair Campbell has a lot to answer for in that there
is a belief that the PR people create the belief rather
than it being based on what is true.”

13. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Strategic
consultancy
Social media/
community
management
Ideas
generation
Content
creation/
production
Digital
(websites
etc)
None
Clients reporting requirements that they
want agencies to deliver (but they cannot)
Agencies reporting requirements of clients
that they cannot deliver
Agencies reporting on areas they are
capable of performing but clients are not
requesting them

14. 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
No changes
Yes, other
Yes, we've merged some positions
Yes, senior job titles and responsibilities
Yes, all job titles and responsibilities
Yes, we've grown the team
Yes, we've created specialist roles
In-House
Agency

15. 47%
14%
11%
11%
3%
11%
3%
I have complete control over the purchasing
I work with other internal non-marketing teams (aside from
procurement)
I work with other internal marketing teams
I work with our procurement team
It's run entirely by our procurement team
Other
Don't know

17. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Proof of ROI Offer more
integrated comms
Make better use of
data/research
Offer more
business/
management
consultancy
Have a better
understanding of
SEO
Develop stronger
social media
offering
Offer better value
for money
Agency
In-house

18. Agency: “Clients are looking for specialist advice rather
than general capability. Offering specialist advice gives the
opportunity for premium pricing.”
In-house: “At the moment PR agencies set themselves
apart by saying they can do more and do it better.
However, most of them do pretty much the same things as
their competitors, it's just a different noun above the door.”
In-house: “The offer needs to be across communications
and engagement and all its disciplines - not just narrow PR.”

19. 85% of clients believe that traditional
PR services will continue to be
needed in the future…
…but 55% would consider buying
traditional PR services from another
type of agency.

20. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Work with a smaller number of agencies
Work with a larger number of agencies
Taking on more work in-house
Outsource more work to agencies
In-House
Agency

21. Content Generation Agency
Brand Development Agency
Social Engagement Agency

23. Clients aware of value PR agencies
bring to brand awareness, equity and
credibility, alongside media skills
Clients are generally happy with the
skills available in PR agencies – more
content than agencies themselves!
Agencies appear to be responding to
requirements of clients by creating
specialist roles and growing the team

24. Clients are not convinced of PR
agencies abilities to increase sales, nor
their digital abilities or ability to work
alongside other marketing elements
Problems remain such as shift to
project work and other marketing
disciplines encroaching on PR budgets
Issues of price and the involvement
of procurement continue to be a
sticking point

25. Agencies and clients alike agree that
Proof of ROI and VFM continue to be
the major issue for the agency world
Greater evidence required of PR
agencies’ ability to offer integrated
approach to communications
Increased focus on specialist advice
over general capabilities