PR firms versus digital agencies: Who does influencer marketing better?

As PR agencies continue to provide media exposure and drive brand awareness for their clients, marketing with social media influencers is rapidly becoming a part of their mandate. BuzzInContent.com speaks to some PR firms and digital agencies to analyse why the former is increasingly getting into influencer marketing.

For PR agencies, partnering with social media influencers integrates well with their core goals of positively impacting public opinion and building a brand image. According to the World PR Report 2020-21, the global expectations of PR agencies’ investments in influencer marketing is pegged at 29% in 2021.

Archana Jain

“The advantage of a PR firm is that they are adept at seeking out influencers who could be engaged organically with brands, are of relevance to (in every sense of the word) influence – to maximise awareness, consideration and of course purchase,” said Archana Jain, Managing Director & CEO, PR Pundit.

“Influencer marketing is not a new term to the PR industry. Initially, we added bloggers to our media universe, then we embraced Facebook groups, followed by Instagrammers and now there are many levels of ‘influencers’ from mega, macro, micro, and nano. Integrated PR firms like ours have been part of this evolution since 2010. We are increasingly finding that our communications programmes are banking merely 20-25% on traditional media,” she added.

Vishal Gaba, Senior Director, Digital, Genesis BCW, said, "PR agencies know their brands inside out and are best suited to spearhead the brand’s storytelling. They understand how to leverage the right influencers in a way that they are able to connect their brand’s story to the larger audience in a trustworthy and authentic manner. Also, the lines are blurring and instead of either/or, there are integrated communications firms like ours and they have the talent to deliver every aspect of communications, influencer marketing included."

Sonam Shah

While this role was largely fulfilled by digital and influencer marketing agencies earlier, the lines seem to be blurring between PR and digital firms. “When it comes to influencer marketing, the lines are blurring. In the last few months, we have had many brands approaching us for their influencer marketing. PR is an earned media in multiple ways and that includes influencer marketing as well,” said Sonam Shah, Founder and CEO, Treize Communications.

According to Shah, PR agencies can build brand positioning in the target audience's mind. They understand their clients better and better suited to know which influencer fits their campaign. Among other reasons for brands opting for PR agencies, she says, are budget constraints, as they cannot afford to rope in too many agencies, and a lack of understanding of PR mandate.

“In today's times when budget is a challenge, it is not easy for brands to have multiple agencies. So they expect one agency to handle multiple roles. There is also a lack of understanding of what PR agencies do when it comes to earned media. We have clients asking us to help with SEOs and backlinks. Similarly, we have clients coming to us expecting influencer marketing and that is still somewhere blurred between digital and PR,” she said.

Nazneen Joshi

Nazneen Joshi, Vice-President, Brand Strategy of digital agency RepIndia, feels brands still heavily rely on digital agencies for crafting the communication and shortlisting which influencer is apt for a given campaign. “Dependency on PR agencies is of a more operational nature, in my experience,” said Joshi.

However, digital and influencer marketing agencies have an edge when it comes to measuring the ROI of these influencer campaigns as they have specialised tools. But Jain said they find these tools to be inadequate and for them, the most accurate analytics are offered by the platform itself. “A popular influencer marketing tool website says – ‘If you opt not to use a platform for your influencer marketing then you will have to build relationships with influencers yourself.’ This is second skin to the PR industry,” Jain said.

Shah believes it is at this point that the lines blur between the two agencies. “PR is known to build an image, while digital knows about the ROI. That is where the whole industry will come together and work in support of each other,” she said.

Chaaya Baradhwaaj

However, digital agencies believe they have a head start here. “Influencer marketing is a skillset that has to be built, honed and sharpened by all agencies today. It is going to be a growing avenue, and all of us are going to be a part of this ecosystem. Possibly digital agencies that have engaged in such programmes have an edge, so maybe we have a head start. With PR agencies also doing influencer programmes, this segment will only get bigger,” said Chaaya Baradhwaaj, Founder and MD, BC Web Wise.

Joshi aired a similar sentiment, saying, “I still feel digital agencies have at least historically always exhibited a greater understanding behind strategy when it comes to influencer engagement. Not to discount the value in having the right network at the right price, but for a brand to really achieve something valuable from the engagement, the focus on the message, quality of content, and the strategic thinking behind shortlisting said influencer(s) trumps all else.”

Jain said that with the arrival of global brands in India from 2007-08, PR firms were expected to offer integrated communication solutions. “PR firms today are expected to assist brands in influencing the preference of customers in a more holistic manner. Thus managing influencer communications; recommending creative formats of influencer engagement; fostering marketing and communication collaborations; offering influencer marketing solutions; managing owned social media platforms to tell the brand and product/services story. Digital marketing has become integral to the integrated communication agency model,” Jain said.

Quoting from Nielsen’s Global Trust Report, which said one in two consumers believe anything an influencer says online, and from Edelman Trust Barometer’s report that suggests that two out of every three consumers trust influencer messages about a brand more than a company’s advertising, Jain believes it’s an opportunity for PR agencies to make influencer marketing central to their core offering. 

“Research also points to healthy ROIs for most brands using influencer marketing. Consumers are known to actually purchase products because of influencer recommendations. Influencers are still considered a relatively new aspect of brand strategy, so there is an opportunity for the PR industry to work with brands beyond likes, comments, and clicks,” she said.

Shah feels that in the future, PR agencies will need to have a separate influencer marketing team. “We are working towards building a network of influencers and in the next two months, I’ll also expand to have a separate team for influencer marketing. Not in the immediate eight to 10 months, but soon PR agencies will feel compelled to include influencer marketing in their mandate as well,” she said.

Joshi believes brands need to break out of a one-size-fits-all approach. “Too often, PR agencies circulate the same roster of influencers for all categories. The idea of influencers beyond mass awareness is to influence behavioural patterns of a target consumer in that sector. The idea of using influencers is to essentially have a credible voice outside of the brand advocating that product. I think we’ve lost the whole point, the second the focus is entirely dependent on the reach of that influencer,” said Joshi.