Let’s face it, we work in a competitive industry. While the starting line is usually fairly clear …

The fight for the finish line is elbow-to-elbow. We’re seeing more RFPs than ever (a trend validated anecdotally by the Council of PR Firms board), the competition is intense, and pre-existing relationships with the RFP-issuing company/organization are growing in importance.

Public relations has become a “slash” industry … Slash from Guns N’ Roses is helping me make my point. Most agencies are offering integrated disciplines across paid, owned and earned channels to meet the needs of their clients. What’s the right mix? Keep an eye on this space.

Ding, dong, procurement calling! Enough said.

You may be tired of hearing this, but pay homage to the story. Humans think in story, and storytelling is one of the few constants in the changing world of communications. No technology advancement, channel lost or gained, financial market shift or client transition will minimize the relevance of story.

Creativity rules, any way you slice it. According to Moede’s Law, we should expect to see our creative output double every two years due to the amazing tools (like the PAPER app I’m using here) available at our fingertips. As I mentioned in blog #2, this bold law may be difficult to measure. I’ll check in with my trusty Insights & Analytics team and get back to you on that.

As I mentioned in my last post, our visual storytelling skills are benefitting from tools that make everyday people (ahem, me) capable of bringing stories to life through images. Maybe next year I’ll submit my PR Week guest blog using the amazing Storyplanet platform showcased at SXSWi.

What would an illustrated tour through agency life be without a schematic? This one operates from top to bottom … if you can decipher its magic, feel free to use it. My compliments!

No agency is complete without an authentic citizenship platform and plenty of opportunities for employees to give back in ways they find meaningful. These WE staffers may look like they’re tipping over; they are actually leaning in. Thanks for reading!