Danny Whatmough

About Danny Whatmough

Is this the PR agency of the future?

For the last two years, the PRCA, the UK’s professional body for the PR industry, has run a project looking at what the PR agency of the future might look like. 

We’ve debated topics around revenue models, structures, specialisms and employee motivation and, while looking to the future is always a fascinating pursuit, this year we decided to look a bit closer to home and investigate and celebrate examples of innovation that are already happening within the industry.

Today, we’ve released a series of case studies looking at five UK PR agencies that have already taken steps to innovate. We hope they will prove to be a source of inspiration to agencies looking to futureproof themselves.

Here are five key themes that run throughout the case studies and, of course, the case studies themselves.

Why it’s time for PR professionals to embrace paid media

PR professionals seem to embrace an air of superiority when it comes to the owned/earned/paid debate.

PRs have traditionally crafted stories that win or lose by their storytelling craft. If the story isn’t powerful enough then the journalist will slam the phone down in a rage and never speak to you again.

Whereas on the paid side of the fence, the feeling is that content with a big media budget behind it can reach (or be pushed in front of) a wider audience, whether or not it is any good. And that that’s just wrong.

Truths and flaws abound on both sides of this summary.

The five don’ts of social media ROI

There’s been a lot of ink spilled on the subject of social media ROI. Is it possible? How to go about it? What to measure?

At a #socialcloud event last night I outlined what I believe are the five pitfalls that everyone should try and avoid when approaching social media ROI.