Following the rush of excitement when a new contract is signed at a PR agency, some wiseguy will invariably deadpan, “Well, I guess it’s all downhill from here.”

The wiseguy knows that the new PR program will likely start off with a bang, and could even continue on a strong keel for a year or more – but eventually, they expect to get a call from the client in which they complain, “You guys are not being strategic enough.”

Now, it is sometimes true that the agency is not thinking strategically.  Yet it’s also true that that complaint rarely comes up in the first 6 months of the program.  Why is that?

The obvious answer is that the PR firm has likely been hired with a Big Launch in mind.  This means lots of upfront planning, writing, execution and follow-up.  But when the launch is in the rearview mirror and everyone has caught their breath, a critical delta begins to form between “client expectations” and “agency execution.”

Danger, Will Robinson!

Too few clients and/or agency executives recognize this gap until it is too late.  And, really, it is a shame because the “cure” is clear.

The reason that clients are happy with their agency during a launch is not just because they’re busy getting results – it’s also because they’ve spent a lot of time together “fueling the engines.”  They meet; they plan; they debate: the agency is given tremendous insights into the product details; the strategic thinking behind the launch; the future of the company; etc.

Once the launch period is over, though, too often I see client programs go into “maintenance mode.”  Sure, there are weekly status calls and all that; the work hasn’t stopped, but, there is just not as much fuel in the tanks.

It is the agency’s responsibility to recognize when their idea flow is starting to wane, and to step-up with proactive solutions to fire up the engines. 

But, likewise, the client needs to understand that the agency largely works in a vacuum.  The corporate marketer lives & breathes in their particular industry; they meet every single day with fellow executives on a shared mission: their fuel is replenished each day.  Meanwhile, though they are engaged with industry media, the agency largely lives off of the input they get from their client contact. 

If the input from the client lacks ongoing vigor, the strategic ideas from the agency will sputter.

So – if you are a PR agency executive, and you sense that your team is losing enthusiasm for a client, get on the horn with your contact and set up a brainstorm-for-brainstorming’s-sake, quick!  And following that session, arrange for a monthly Strategy Call, in which “talking about tactics” is forbidden: just talk about the state of the industry, the business, the product roadmap, and see where that takes you.

And if you’re on the client side, and you’ve already empathized with the subject line of this blog post?  I encourage you to give your PR team one more chance.  Rather than put them on the defensive, invite them over with a smile, and see if you can help them refill the fuel tanks of creativity by re-engaging them in the company’s story and mission.

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