Pippa Lekner and Sally Frewin are co-owners of PR agency The PR Shop, which you’ll find housed in a narrow little building at the Ponsonby end of Great North Road.
From its inception, The PR Shop was determined to prove that PR could be different. It didn’t have to be exorbitant, full of empty promises or live up to what the company calls “its shonky reputation of smoke and mirrors”. Eleven years on, the energetic agency has an ever-expanding, dedicated team of talented people who believe in the power of great consumer PR and Pip and Sal are proud of that.
They are constantly amazed - as am I - at the proliferation of new PR companies and solo practitioners popping up seemingly every week, a trend that some have called a “dumbing down” of the industry and its ethics. How do The PR Shop founders feel about the new wave, often surging ahead with often questionable credentials? “I can only think positively about those that are leaving big PR companies and striking out on their own,” says Pippa, “because that is what we did! We have been around 11 years now so we don’t feel at all threatened, and it really does seem that there is enough business out there for everyone.” She adds that the industry is all about people: finding people like you to work with and aligning the right clients with the right agencies. “We aren’t afraid to refer a lot of business as well,” says the PR veteran, “we are good friends with people like Rebecca Purdy at The Generalist and Claudia Macdonald at Mango and we all refer business to each other if we are too busy, have conflicts or think someone else might be a better fit.”
When asked if they have felt the negative reaction to PR by many of the media who have been burnt by the 'cowboys' in the industry they both say no, adding their reputation precedes them and most of the journalists that they deal with know their modus operandi well. “We try not to do any unsolicited stuff,” says Pippa, “and like to stop and ask the media we deal with what it is that they want, rather than just making assumptions. They will often fill us in on some of the other material they are being sent that annoys them too, which gives us a bit of insight into what we shouldn’t be doing.” She adds that you are only as good as your last story or your last client, “which keeps you on your toes and doing a good job.”
Sally continues the theme by mentioning clients that have come to The PR Shop a little bit burnt, a little bit disillusioned by other companies that have over-promised results and under delivered when it comes to coverage. “We quite like taking those clients on as a bit of a challenge,” she says with a smile, “and many of them are still with us five or six years later. It’s a good feeling to know that we played a part in changing their minds.”
The pair both agree that the idea of the 'big, flashy event' that has long been associated with traditional PR is also disappearing, with smaller, more carefully curated showings and tastings taking its place. “People are too busy to spend their evenings leaving the house just to look at a new product,” says Pippa, “and it saves money for our clients too.”
The PR Shop’s speciality is the fast moving consumer goods area, and both women agree that there has to be a passion in the office for a product or a project before they will even look at taking it on. They present all new business ideas to their entire team and if feedback is that it’s just not exciting them, the two founders just won’t take it on. “We have to have a passion for it,” explains Pippa, “and we have to look at the bigger picture in terms of a brand’s morals and goals. We won’t represent anything that is intensively farmed for example, and the care and treatment of animals is very important to us too.”
“We just want to work with nice products and nice people,” says Sally, with both agreeing that after years doing time in big agencies, life is “no longer just about the bottom line.” They and their team want to work with the products that they themselves enjoy eating, drinking and using in their daily lives, rather than just taking on new clients for the dollars. (HELENE RAVLICH)