First technology, then strategy – what do clients expect from PR agencies?
SW Research report commissioned by Clue PR
21% of communications directors find PR agencies lacking in creativity, and 27% believe PR agencies do not use artificial intelligence and Big Data in their work. Nearly all clients expect agencies to use the latest technologies. And how does this look in practice? The Clue PR report, carried out by SW Research in March this year among top PR and marketing directors, indicates the direction in which communication will develop.
What are clients satisfied with when working with PR agencies, and what do they find lacking? Do PR agencies use Big Data and technology in their daily work? Do they think strategically or operationally? These and many other questions will be answered for the first time in the latest report titled "Survey of Communications Directors' Satisfaction with the Work Quality and Innovativeness of PR Agencies", carried out by SW Research on behalf of Clue PR in March this year among over 150 marketing and PR directors working at companies employing more than 100 people and headquartered in the largest cities (over half a million residents).
Technology and PR – a (im)perfect duo?
Technology and PR – a (im)perfect duo?
A high percentage of respondents declare satisfaction with the cooperation, but at the same time communications directors point to specific aspects that need improvement. First technology, then strategy. Nearly all respondents – as many as 98% of surveyed communications directors declared that they look for an agency that is up to date and offers the latest technological solutions. 94% of respondents believe that the failure to use Big Data and AI solutions reduces the effectiveness of strategy and reaching clients. At the same time, 27% of respondents are of the opinion that the PR agency they work with does not use artificial intelligence in research and recommendations.
In which aspects do agencies leverage technological progress, and in which do they lack these competencies? 66% of communications directors declare that PR agencies use new technologies in managing social media communication. Less than half, i.e. 45% of respondents see the application of new technologies by PR agencies in analytical tools. It follows that, according to the clients working with them, more than half of PR agencies do not fully use their technological potential to create reports and market analyses, and consequently, to recommend actions. At the same time, according to 79% of all respondents, agencies follow technological innovations and industry events. It is important, however, to translate this knowledge into everyday actions.
– This is a large area to be developed by PR agencies – say Alicja Wysocka-Świtała and Karol Świtała, Managing Partners of Clue PR and originators of the survey. – Communication today should strive for automation and be based on the most precise data research possible. We ourselves are working at the agency on a tool thanks to which the client will have a daily briefing on their desk with the most interesting stories to tell, which they can seamlessly enter with their own commentary or information about a service.
Goal: strategy
Goal: strategy
Clients generally have the conviction that agencies understand the goals of their organization (87% of respondents say so), but they lack creativity in the proposed ideas (21%), as well as initiative (20%). A positive aspect of the cooperation is the verification of the effectiveness of actions by PR agencies – as many as 59% of clients are asked to evaluate the achievement of goals once every six months, although 25% of clients who decide on cooperation with agencies are not asked for their opinion at all.
In summary, the Clue PR report shows that communications directors are increasingly looking for technologically advanced agencies that expand their industry knowledge and use the latest, yet organization-tailored data to create storytelling.
Summary
The Clue PR report carried out by SW Research among over 150 marketing and PR directors shows that 98% of clients expect the latest technological solutions from agencies, and 27% believe that their agencies do not use AI and Big Data. Clients appreciate the understanding of organizational goals (87%), but point to shortcomings in creativity (21%) and initiative (20%).
Importantly, only 45% of respondents see the application of new technologies in analytical tools, which means that more than half of agencies do not fully use the potential of data. This is an area for development which – as the Clue PR partners declare – the agency is already addressing, working on a tool for daily briefings for clients.
