The future's virtual

In May, to prepare for a PR Week breakfast briefing on "the future of the agency' that George and I were speaking at, we commissioned a poll to find out what PR pros think.

We've noticed a major rise in the number of brands prepared to ditch the traditional bells and whistles 'traditional' PR agencies in favour of a leaner model all about bringing together the skills and expertise they need - at the right time and in the right place. PR Week wrote about our winning the Sophos account in March 2018, and about our securing another 2 year contract with Toyota/Lexus in June 2018. These are just two of many large contracts we hold.

We used The Pulse Business to conduct two one-question polls over the course of May. We asked two questions of a group of senior PR and communications professionals, working in-house, in agencies and freelance. The majority were based in the UK, with a small number of respondents based in other countries.

You can see the results below in the two infographics. We're delighted that the research substantiates our anecdotal view. PR Week wrote a piece based on the survey in June 2018, "How Big Can Virtual Agencies Get?", (answer: 'no limit'!), following up on an original piece published in November 2017 - "Do PR Agencies Really Need an Office?" (answer: 'no').

If you're interested in becoming part of our virtual agency as a consultant, or using our services as a client, please contact directors@theprnetwork.co.uk.