Are there any truly global PR campaigns anymore? The PR Network’s managing director, Eileen Boydell, on the PRmoment Podcast

PRmoment Podcast

The PR Network is a £5m fee-income global tech PR agency based in the UK. It has ten employees, no head office and 1300 associates all around the world who it can call upon. On average, it has 70-90 associates working for it at any one time.
Before we start, we’ve just launched our latest webinars. One is our annual The Creative Year in Review 2023, and the other is PR Analytics 2023. Do check out the PRmoment homepage for all the details.
Finally, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.
Here is a summary of what Eileen and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed.
2 mins How many global PR campaigns are there these days?
2.30 mins Should most global PR firms be more accurately regarded as multi-territory?
“There are 195 total markets in the world; in terms of markets you could go to (with a PR campaign), maybe 130-140.”
“For us, when you're looking at the global/multi-territory piece, it comes down to the client set-up.”
“If a client is working in 40 markets, 40 markets for them is global.”
“The PR Network has a presence in 60 markets.”
7 mins What is the model for an international PR campaign now? Is the wheel and spoke model still dominant?
“Where we’ve seen the best campaigns come together is where you work with a consultative approach with the local agency teams.”
9 mins Is there a paradox between retaining control of an international campaign and giving people room to adapt a campaign for local markets? Isn't that a tension that will exist forever?
10 mins How many markets do the big global PR firms tend to have owned offices in?

“The world's biggest PR firm has 29 wholly owned offices, and to cover the other markets, it works with 26 affiliates.”
14 mins Is there an alternative to the wheel and spoke model?
16 mins Eileen talks about the PR Network model and how they manage any client conflicts with their associates.
17 mins There are four ways of tacking an international PR campaign: 1) Doing the whole thing in-house, 2) Going through a global PR firm, 3) Using an international network of independent agencies, or 4) Hiring a virtual independent consultant firm like PR Network?
Eillen discusses which of these approaches is the most popular.
20 mins 70% of The PR Network’s work is international, making it a very different type of independent PR firm.
“The international piece for us is an opportunity to scale and grow.”
21 mins Are there regional trends in the types of content that work across different international PR and media markets?