The days of PROs just being seen as ‘pretty poppies’, party organisers or glorified PA’s are long gone - Public Relations have grown into a very powerful industry in South Africa with almost every company having an agency or in-house department looking after their voice and brand.

For a company to choose between an agency or an in-house department is sometimes difficult. Having been in both, I believe an agency can offer more advantages such as access to vast skills and people with broad experience, contacts and expertise. An agency is also more in touch with trends and developments in PR practices and techniques.

Another big plus is that agencies can manage peak workloads, bringing in more people when required. Collaboration of client activities can also happen more frequently and offer huge value-add to the client.

For a large company, it makes sense to hire an agency to add to their in-house expertise. Although an in-house person will direct the activity, the agency can bring value with strategy and an objective mind. With this option, you get all the resources without having to hire a team of full-time people.

Smaller firms could possibly manage with an in-house person only, but you’d need someone with good experience who can understand and support your strategic view. A danger here, though, is that in-house staff could often be called upon to undertake duties in areas other than that of PR and this dilutes the position which can affect the outcome.

Small companies and start-ups can benefit from an independent PR consultant who will dedicate a number of hours per week or month. Because they are small, they are affordable to small companies and they will give you the attention you deserve because you are not a small fish in a big pond.

Once you’ve chosen an agency, there is off course the issue of paying a retainer vs. paying on an outcomes basis, but do you only pay the doctor if he makes you better? That’s a whole other discussion for another time…