When I was working as the Marketing Head of large format organizations, I always found it amusing that PR agencies would present to us “we have 7 or 14 or 32 (whatever maybe the actual number), offices in India” and then go on to show an India map with the infamous dots on them, for each office. As the marketing head I always wanted to know two things:
1. Who will be the people working on my account? The agency may have 52 offices in India for all I care, but give me 2 sub standard PR executives working on my account and I would have a fire on my hands.
2. How did PR agencies manage so many offices anyways (given that PR agencies are always on the bottom end of the marketing spectrum -:))? Were their rates being increased more by the amounts they would be spending on office rent and housing all the people, rather than good talent?
Of course in today’s world – why do you need offices anyways? PR professionals need to be able to understand the client’s business, communication goals, devise a strategy to get that to market, and position the client with target audiences and various stakeholder groups. All of this could be done from anywhere really, and is not office dependent.
More often than not this could be achieved via good thinking, ability to create and pitch relevant stories to the right media/stakeholder groups, an efficient use of email and the internet and a good quality phone (land and cellphone). Perhaps a nice coffee meeting at a good coffee shop with some of the stakeholders might help as well.
In this day and age of connectivity, it is as easy to organise an event in Kolkata from Mumbai, as it is to reach the right set of journalists in Bangalore from Delhi. The futility of several offices was discovered by large consulting firms like “Aceenture” almost a decade ago. They now have the hoteling concept in their offices – where a consultant books his table/computer as and when he comes to office – while most of his work takes place from other geographic points, including his own home.
It seems, to mindlessly open offices in every city of the country, is like a large overhead to carry. Unfortunately this overhead is often passed on to the client. In the past I have got effective work done from boutique PR shops with an office in just one city, but media reach throughout the country. Today this is possible with the facilities of modern communcations available to all. Big PR agencies with several unprofitable offices beware – soon the perceived “network” strength on that powerpoint slide, might just become a huge liability.
Dennis Taraporewala 
Hi Dennis,
Its time we met. Do you live in Mumbai?
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Thanks Neeil. I agree with you have shared. There is a whole new area coming up in brand management “brand voice”. Something which we can discuss, if we do meet sometime.
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Hi Dennis,
As always, I have always enjoyed reading your blogs. I agree with the point of avoiding office rents if possible in this tough economy, hence PR agencies need not frame up their fluffed-up stories of various offices to create impression with their clients.
In a country like India, I see the importance of having few branch offices in places like Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi, Chennai, and Bangalore only, and the rest of smaller towns can live with their freelance resources.
The best practice in the business of PR is a “good story”, and this is only possible from a talented writer who understands the local business and its market well.
Next time you meet a PR agent bragging about his/her offices throughout India, start by feeling “sorry” for him/her š
Keep on writing! Good work.
Neeil Bhatia
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As the famous ad campaign for the Iridium satllite phone that predated the mobile revolution said “Geography is now History”. Seems very apt for new age journos and PR firms š
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Yes, thats true Ananda -:)
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Yeah, but such PR firms can be presumed to be out-dated or the ones treating their clients to be outdated enough.
As a journo, I am able to work upon stories with Mumbai datelines while sitting in a corner of Kolkata. All thanks to communication technologies and the forward-looking approach of select few PR guys!!
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Excatly my point. Today its possible to wrtie a story sitting in a corner of Kolkata, while working with Mumbai datelines as you mention. Technology has empowered people to do their work excatly where they want, bringing in creative ways of operations and management. Trust companies and corporate cultures will also change their methodologies over time.
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Very True!
Most businesses tend to make a virtue of what they perceive as their strengths. It requires some amount of insightful self assessment to be able to distinguish between what are the aspects of ones business that drive and erode value.
Since most people anyway run with the general thinking on issues, the communication revolution driven wave will gradually redefine the concept of an office.
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“General thinking” is driving us to mediocrity. Hopfully as you say, the communication revolution will change that quickly.
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