First things first. Most of the leading PR agencies in India have their head-office in Delhi, with branch offices across, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune etc. Also, most of the leading PR agencies in Delhi are large firms when compared to PR agencies in India and Bangalore.
In this article we will look at the pros and cons of working at a global/big agency vs. a boutique firm. Let us look at what it means:
Advantages of a global agency
- You have availability of minds smarter than your own, around the world
- You have access to the newest of software, costly accounts, and latest technologies
- Bringing a team that is perfect for the client is as easy as calling an office across the globe
- You learn your job well. You master the role you are given and emerge as an expert
- The processes and procedures in place makes work easy
Advantages of a boutique agency
- The employees and the client have direct access to the CEO
- The team knows how to do things quickly and smartly even if it is something completely new to them
- You get to work with the owner of the firm and a carefully chosen team, so relationships are tight
- The team that pitches a new business is the same team which works on the business
- As a team member, you can handle multiple roles and responsibilities as there is the need. You learn almost anything- right from pitching a business, media relations, content, strategy et all
- The team remain flexible, nimble and always on its feet
- A small budget for a Global firm is huge for a boutique firm as there are less number of overheads
Disadvantages of working with a global agency
- Learning a new skill takes long, really long
- Flexible and nimble is not practical – because of its very size
- The team that pitches a new business are presenting specialists, they are the experts and they are not the same people who will work on the business once it becomes a client
- Clients who have a small budget are given to the young professionals to manage, which is great for the employee but not so great for the client.
- You almost never have any access to the CEO
Cons of a Boutique Agency
- Presentations, projects, and work are often not as classy, when compared to that prepared by a global agency
- The same team works on multiple accounts. If the client need a specialized team, often hiring a team is the only alternative
- There are not processes in place. They are made need-basis
- Lack of available resources
PR Agencies needs people who can multi-task. How quickly can you multi-task, how many jobs you can do, determines how far would you go. At a larger agency, you may only get to work on a couple of accounts. However, the advantage is that you get to master your skills and grow to be an expert with time. In a small agency, you are left to yourself to master an art. The leadership has given it all to bring in a client and now you have to manage and retain it. And, manage and retain 10 others do – doing all kinds of job.
