Is the traditional PR agency dead?

Feature writers love declaring that concepts are dead. It makes for an easy opening paragraph and a snappy headline (see above). However, there is no doubt that the emergence of social media platforms such as Twitter and the changing nature of journalism has had a major impact on how the PR industry operates.

But is it really time to start the funeral orations, burn the ceremonial boats and push the industry out to sea? Dominc Hyatt, chief executive officer of Just In Time PR, certainly feels that the old-school model's day has been and gone.

"This ease with which companies can communicate directly with journalists, whether trade, local, national or international, is just one reason why the traditional PR agency is headed for the knacker's yard," said Mr Hyatt.

However, this is not the only factor in the decline of the traditional PR model - according to the Just In Time chief, changing attitudes and shrinking budgets mean that businesses are now interested in quantifiable results rather than broader, long-term concepts.

However, Mr Hyatt pointed out that the increasing accessibility of journalism is a double-edged sword. The media is essentially a content aggregator; as Google becomes more powerful and streamlined, journalists can be avoided entirely by PR agencies capable of producing their own high-quality work.

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