The public relations agency with the punk proposition
There are around 4,000 public relations agencies in the UK. Very few of these have a memorable brand proposition.
Think about it. How many agencies can you name that are distinctive? It’s odd for an industry that prides itself on managing reputation. It really needs to get its own house in order.
There’s much nonsense written about brands, much of it by public relations agencies.
It is almost always from the perspective of the agency or organisation. This fundamental error harks back to the industrialised era of command and control. It’s an Anglo Saxon, masculine perspective. It’s no longer appropriate in contemporary society – if indeed it ever was.
Agencies, much like any organisation, don’t own their brands. People do. Brands are a relationship between an agency and the clients, media, businesses, and consumers with whom it seeks to influence.
A brand proposition defines how an agency seeks to be perceived and is built on its values. It defines what an agency stands for and what it rejects.
It’s a tacit language spoken by the agency’s talent and understood by clients, the media, and anyone who meets the agency. It’s the sum of the conversations that take place when the agency isn’t in the room.
An assertive brand proposition leads to a confidence and self-selection criteria for talent and clients. You make a deliberate choice to join an agency that has an assertive point of view.
If you don’t like it that’s not a problem. There are thousands of other vanilla agencies to choose from.
I first met the STORY team three years ago. It’s an exceptional agency for many reasons. It’s straight-talking, hard working and no-nonsense. It rejects the bland language and formal norms of corporate communication.
It’s rooted in storytelling. This is the oldest form of shared communication that over rides the whims of content, channel and media. It ensure diverse communities have a voice and are represented.
It was founded by Amanda Lowe, a female entrepreneur who wanted to build a workplace based on her own image and values. STORY is a growing army.
These characteristics all combine to make up the STORY brand proposition. It’s punk in that it rejects the mainstream public relations agency practice of unmemorable agencies.
The best public relations agencies, such as STORY, have an assertive point of view and leave a lasting impression. I know which type of agency I’d rather work for or hire.
Stephen Waddington is a non-exec director of STORY and the author of Brand Anarchy and Brand Vandals.