2008 The Year of PR – don’t make me laugh

Times are tough in the communications business and it’s going to be a grim 2008 if we believe the statistics.  The IPA noted that in the last three months of 2007 there was a large cut back on marketing spend by the major brands.  In fact, it was the biggest fall in spending for the last two years.  Supposedly, this is great news for the PR business – well that’s what my friends in advertising tell me. The patronizing chat suggests that it’s time for the more effective – economical members of the order to shine their lights. This condescending babble is making my ears bleed. It can’t be ignored – it’s mid January and the big media fromages are returning from their boutique holidays to address this grisly news. The brilliance of ad land unlike the hapless past managers of the England football team is that they always have a Plan B.  Trust me, the myriad of PRs, big and small, don’t possess the guile to truly profit from this malaise in advertising. Ad men are far too assiduous to let a client out of their sights. Trust me they will and have always done what ever it takes to hang on. I have watched in awe as they miraculously conjure up another six arms to clench a wayward brand. As time passes this vocation in search of a reputation fails to convince brand marketers that PR can deliver, and ear on year it fails to take them on. – will 08 offer a real opportunity to end this insecurity – hate to say this but I don’t think so.