Comments on: Crunch time for Manchester PR agencies?

By: Ear I Am

Ear I Am — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:53:51 +0000

Even if they’re only looking on from afar, a lot of people have a lot of time for Simon and his Push On lot. But, Simon, the ‘deserving of going under’ bit is a slightly harsh. Equally though, PR kids not getting involved properly with digital has been lazy and some will regret it eventually.

By: Simon Wharton

Simon Wharton — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:35:54 +0000

The problem with a lot of PR agencies is that they got complacent. The vast majority of agencies in the North West do not have a Scooby about digital. They simply are not engaged with the medium. And for that simple fact they deserve to go under so that quality competitive agencies who think ahead can actually provide a service their clients think they are getting

By: Tom Cheesewright

Tom Cheesewright — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:56:12 +0000

During the tech downturn in ’01/02, loads of senior people were laid off from the tech agencies. A lot of talent left the industry altogether, and I think the general quality of PR in that sector fell as a result. When spending resumed, a lot of people who had become freelancers, or taken a break to have kids, started growing their businesses to become new agencies. All of a sudden pitches were full of new names. The strong agencies that had survived the downturn on their 20% margins were suddenly being undercut by small, hungry teams with low overheads. The lesson? Surviving the downturn is one thing; surviving the recovery is often more of a challenge.