The Agency Advisory

In a week where we've marvelled at the feats of our Olympians, we have witnessed sickening race riots. The events have cast a pall over the nation and shone an unwanted spotlight on far-right politics and societal divisions. The role of mis and dis information in fuelling the riots has been well reported as has the often hypocritical role of the mainstream media.

With this in mind, the headline resource in this week's Advisory newsletter is pointing to practical guidance on supporting colleagues and on tackling mis and dis information. Alongside this, we highlight the launch of the Asian Communications Network as well as exploring the opportunities for a new agency model, managing emotions, selling from a position of strength and why a strong methodology is so important. Add to that a list of the top 18 PR newsletters plus more on timesheets and you have Issue #25 of the Agency Advisory.

Thank you as always to those that have taken the time to share their views and expertise.

UK Rioting & Violence - Practical Advice

I am compelled to lead this week's round up with a list of resources on how best to support our Black, Brown and Muslim colleagues affected by the events of the past week. It's been a shameful and deeply disturbing few days that will sadly live long in the memory of those directly and indirectly affected by the bigotory witnessed on the streets of Britain. I have turned to Chartered Institute of Public Relations 2025 President Advita Patel for guidance as well as to the CIPR which has rightly condemned the violence while publishing a list of resources available to practitioners. The guides not only provides practical advice on supporting colleagues, but also on helping PR professionals tackle mis and disinformation.

The CIPR statement

Advita Patel's advice to PR Professionals communicating on the race riots

Analysis of the Disinformation Campaigns

Lynn, the behavioural science comms agency home to The Misinformation Cell, have run a rapid analysis of the disinformation campaigns fuelling the UK riots. 'How Hate Spreads' traces the origin of the false narratives, the key conspiracy theories that have been used to manipulate the information environment, and what these mean for our political discourse. This briefing note provides key learnings for the communications industry and is a must read for those trying to better understand how false information led to the violent protests on our streets. To request a copy, email the team at [email protected]

Support for the Asian Comms Network

Hats off to Advita Patel , Farzana Baduel and Shayoni Lynn FCIPR FPRCA for coming together and launching the Asian Communications Network - an initiative dedicated to elevating Asian professionals in PR And communication industries. As Advita says in her launch post: "The ACN’s key purpose is to support Asian PR and Communication professionals in their careers by providing a safe space to collaborate, connect and converse." The network is open to British Asians and allies outside the British Asian ethnic community who believe in its shared mission to uphold British values of diversity, tolerance and respect.?

Read the background via Advita here:

Request more information via the ACN website here:

More Creativity is Not the Answer to Poor Industry Performance

This is the headline of a thought provoking short LI article by Robert Agnew , Chief Strategy Officer at consulting firm Cicero?, a part of MGT . Robert argues that it's time to rethink the agency model by moving away from the 'arms and legs' tactical approach offered by many to a world where agencies truly offer strategic value. He goes on to provide three examples of how agencies can seize the moment and take advantage of an environment where client appetite for strategic communications has never been stronger (source: Page Society 2023 research). In his view, by rethinking the model, agencies can elevate the profession, unlock bigger budgets, and deliver transformative client impact.

Here's Robert's advice on how to seize the moment

Managing Your Emotions

I've had times when the red mist has descended, and I've made a bit of a fool of myself. Thinking twice (or three times) before pressing send, or taking a deep breath when faced with difficult situations is something I've forgotton in the heat of the moment and regretted later. So, Sarah Brougham 's post which provides some great advice on how not to be too hard on people and how to learn the importance of not reacting immediately landed with me. Her philosophy? Figure out the WHY before you react. So true and so worth remembering.

Stop and think before you act - advice here!

Why You Shouldn't Be Subservient to Prospects

A great post from Matt Weiss flagging the important question as to why agencies feel compelled to approach prospects from a position of weakness, apologising for the intrusion or underselling their value. Quite simply, Matt highlights the importance of operating from a position of strength - confidence signals that your agency has something valuable to offer. For me, it's about starting off on the right footing with a prospect. And as Matt goes on to say - building authority and respect from the outset. I love his closing statement: "Success is not just about what you know, but how you present it."

Read Matt's advice on why strength matters here:

Why a Repeatable Signature Methodology is Critical

As highlighted on many occasions, the importance of being truly differentiated continues to be a challenge for many agencies. Boutique Consultancy Advisor Luk Smeyers holds firm views on this and states in his latest post that without a strong, repeatable methodology, agencies tend to underperform. Having witnessed the benefits and boost to business performance delivered by the Hotwire Way - a rigorously developed and documented playbook on that agency's modus operandi, I fully support Luk's hypothesis. The Hotwire Way delivered a standardised approach across all offices which led to consistent outcomes and a level of certainty of service that clients demanded. As as Luk advocates, it created a point of difference for the agency in a crowded market.

Check out Luk's reasoning for having a repeatable signature methodology here:

The Top 18 PR Newsletters According to Prowly

And no, The Agency Advisory is not among them - at least not yet!! But here's a list of 18 newsletters as recommended by Prowly - the workflow automation solution for PR types. Thanks to Stephen Waddington for flagging this (and congrats to him for being among those recommended along with good friends PRovoke Media )

18 newsletter picks for PR Professionals

Go On - Read About Why Timesheets Matter Again!

I'll not get bored of sharing posts from experienced agency heads extolling the importance of timesheets. And there's no one better than Gareth Healey who, in his recent post explains how the benefits of implementing time tracking, far outweigh the effort.

Why timesheets are not an unnecessary burden

Make Your Opinion on AI Count

I'm pleased to highlight a post from Stuart Bruce who is partnering with PRovoke Media again to run the annual global survey into how public relations, communications and corporate affairs professionals use communications technology.

The research is supported by International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), AMEC Measurement and Evaluation, Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and World Communications Forum Association (WCFA) in Davos. Partners are MediaHQ, Notified, Onclusive and PRophet. The research aims to provide comprehensive insights and trends about the use of AI and technology for public relations, communications and corporate affairs.

Your particpation in the survey would be greatly appreciated.

Take the survey by clicking here: