Working at Mullen provides PR practitioners with a unique perspective on the ad game. There are few PR shops where it’s possible to participate in ad agency new business from the brainstorm to the pitch meeting and see the creative evolution of ideas. For that matter, I don’t know of another PR shop where you can have lunch in the gourmet cafeteria and sit with the creative director or the CEO of a top advertising agency. This is not the usual situation of most public relations professionals, to say the least.
What’s the benefit of being a PR staffer embedded in an ad agency like a war correspondent embedded with the troops in Fallujah? For one thing, the creativity of the place is contagious and informs the way we PR folks think about how to create innovative marketing programs for our clients. Like our advertising brethren, the PR team at Mullen wants to push the envelope of creativity. We’re not in opposition to advertising; we’re all part of a marketing continuum that is constantly in flux and adapting with the times.
After all, PR gets consumers to believe in brands and take action, just as advertising does. The main difference is that we rely on the media and others to tell the stories of our clients, and advertising ultimately has more control over the messaging (I would love to guarantee placements in all of the outlets my clients want to be, but that’s not how it works in PR).
This unique insider perspective enables some interesting interactions. When people ask me where I work, I tell them Mullen. They naturally assume that I work in advertising, but I usually clarify that I work in the PR department. The nuance of how the agency consists of a range of disciplines is lost on most people, and I’m fine with that because the difference in what we do is not that extreme.
Internally, I’ve had some moments where an account service person will ask me what I do. I tell them that in some respects I do what they do; I lead accounts and make sure my clients are happy. When I talk with someone in Direct I also tell them that I create direct mailers on a regular basis. When I talk with Analytics, I explain that I am responsible for measuring the success of our PR campaigns. And the Creatives at Mullen scratch their heads when I tell them that PR writes all the copy for our press releases and other marketing materials. You could say that PR does what all of the other agency departments do, but we do it for less money.
Watching Mad Men on AMC I’m always amazed at how segregated ‘60s agency Sterling Cooper is (and I don’t just mean racially). There’s a hierarchy with the Creatives at the top of the pyramid and the account service people down below. When Pete Campbell in account service dares to come to the table with some creative ideas, he’s smacked down by creative director Don Draper for violating protocol. But should an agency rely on its Creative department alone to be the idea engine for clients? Clearly the answer is no. And at Mullen there are creative people in all departments doing creative work.
To understand how just how much today’s ad agencies differ from those of the ‘60s, I suggest reading “Then We Came to the End” by Josh Ferris. It’s one of the most insightful books on modern agency life. In the book, a character explains that at an agency there are “Creative Creatives creating creative creative.” Beyond being a fun tongue twister it’s actually not true. At Mullen we’re all creating creative creative, and I think that being an integrated marketing agency makes us different, and better.
I finally decided to write a comment on your blog. I just wanted to say good job. I really enjoy reading your posts.
ReplyDeleteYou've hit on many of the reasons I enjoy working at an integrated marketing agency. The energy is contagious and the incredible work I see going on in other disciplines gives me ideas for PR tactics or full-on campaigns that I may not have thought of otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI've worked at PR-only shops and integrated agencies, so I have the credibility to say that I believe working in an integrated shop makes people from all disciplines smarter and better at what they do. You can't help but be influenced by the great things going on around you that you aren't exposed to at most PR agencies. Ultimately, clients are the ones who benefit most from this collaboration across areas of expertise.
In the spirit of transparency, maybe I should have disclosed that I also work at Mullen. I assumed people would recognize my mug from the sidebar to the right, but I shouldn't assume that.
ReplyDeleteLove this post because you've captured exactly why I enjoy being here at Mullen too.
ReplyDeleteBuilding on your point about telling people you work at Mullen and then explaining you work in PR, I offer up that I've gone so far as to remove the term "Public Relations" from my Mullen business card.
People can agree or disagree with that decision but I'd rather not be pigeonholed by someone on the outside who may not understand what "Public Relations" at an integrated marketing communications firm can offer a brand. In my opinion, it's simply so much more than what a traditional PR firm can offer or what they may have experienced with a firm like that.
I'd rather let the broad integrated environment shape and define my role rather than a title that includes the words "Public Relations".
The agency hierarchy with its 'VP anchors the account' and work funnel approach also leads to repression of creativity at the junior levels. After they've been stomped on for the over-enthusiastic expression of their ideas for four or five years you then have to send them out for creativity (re)training when they've finally made it to the account director/VP level, something I always found rather sad and about which I used to complain bitterly. (Gee, I am belatedly beginning to understand why the general manager of my former agency once said his knees started to shake when I stood up to ask a question at a staff meeting. I'm unrepentant though - he should have done more than quail.)
ReplyDeleteThere's a difference between knowing how to behave in a client meeting (and knowing to let the senior folks take the lead in face-to-face encounters) and imposing that hierarchical structure on all aspects of the working environment, and sadly I don't think many agencies get the mix right.