July 2006 Industry Watch

Industry Watch: Boutique Public Relations
July 2006

Q&A with Joy Scott, President and CEO, Scott Public Relations

Q: According to your website, Scott Public Relations "provides results-driven business-to-business communications programs to companies in health care, insurance and technology." Of all the industries out there, how did you come to focus on those three?
After spending more than two decades in the health care industry, including managed care in the early '90's, I realized that I wanted to expand the business into complementary areas that would benefit from our expertise. So, we started servicing clients in the health and P"C insurance industries. Then, we moved into the technology sector, but kept the focus upon health care-related technologies. The synergies between the three industries enable our clients to reap greater benefits from our expertise.

Q. Doctors say they can't make enough money or provide adequate care because of the insurance companies. Insurance companies and politicians blame the health care crisis on trial lawyers. What is the biggest challenge today in health care public relations?
Providing affordable health care with increasingly constrained resources is a problem that permeates every area of health care. It's been a problem for more than two decades, but getting worse as the ranks of the uninsured swells and expensive new technology and new drugs become available. How we deal with this is to first look for ways in which our clients and their products and services help to solve this problem, and then positioning them as solutions that benefit patients and their families. For example, there is a steady and growing trend to give consumers more responsibility for health care decisions and health care payments. No one likes to have to pay more for services that we have come to regard as "free" and a right; however, without these changes, many employers would not be able to provide health care coverage at all OR may find themselves going out of business due to the increased cost of health care benefits. Again, we have to communicate consistently the bigger picture of what's going on in the economy and society as a whole, and the benefits that consumers do receive.

Q. What is your Council of Experts?
Our Council of Experts enables SPR to bring a complete range of communication services to our clients. The Council is a unique, group of senior industry, media and association leaders and former clients. They are gurus in:

Advertising

Brand management

Crisis communication

Graphic design

International marketing

Market planning

Market research

Social marketing

Website design

Q. How does that differ with a 'virtual' PR agency as we showcased last month?
SPR is not a virtual PR agency. We have a bricks and mortar office that our employees work out of to service our clients. We have salaried staff members that work on all the agency's business.

Our Council of Experts are, as the name implies, experts in a particular area or have a particular expertise, with knowledge that we can draw upon as needed. We engage them for client projects in their area of expertise and use their expertise for special situations. They help us get each new client off to a good start. They provide insights, note emerging trends and help keep us focused and thinking strategically. Our Council of Experts are not SPR employees.

Q. You've worked in corporate settings. What made you start your own agency?
I have an entrepreneurial and creative spirit and I realized that in order to satisfy those urges I needed to work for myself. I decided to start an agency because I knew it would allow me to work with a variety of clients and face new challenges daily. Nothing is ever the same, so there is absolutely no possibility of boredom or complacency.

Q: I have heard Scott Public Relations referred to as a 'boutique' agency. What exactly does that mean?
Although we define ourselves as a boutique agency, we still offer full service to our clients. As a boutique agency we specialize in just a few industry segments, as opposed to every industry segment. Our particular niche focus is health care, insurance and technology. For our clients in those segments, we bring a depth of knowledge, business insight, media relations and strategic expertise that agencies with a broader industry focus aren't able to provide.

Q: When you're vying for business against one of the mega-agencies with offices all over the known universe, how do you convince them SPR is the way to go?
SPR provides a combination of big-agency expertise with a greater, boutique level of service. We offer a depth of knowledge and level of service and leadership, combined with nimble execution, fresh ideas and cost savings that satisfies our clients-many of which have worked with us for years and have led to our growth from client referrals. Our senior people all have more than 10 years of business experience. We are veterans of some of the largest and most prestigious health care and public relations companies in the nation. We really know and understand health care, insurance and technology. Our clients appreciate SPR's stability and depth. Our client roster includes a mix of blue chip Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial start-ups.

Q: For the budding PR professional-who has either just graduated from college or is making a transition from another field-what can they expect working for a 'boutique' agency as opposed to a large agency?
In general, the new grad or person making a career transition can anticipate that they will have the opportunity to wear many hats quickly in smaller and boutique agencies. As a rule, larger agencies regulate beginning junior staffers to back-end administrative account work. Whereas smaller, leaner boutique agencies generally offer a broader mix of tasks and responsibilities such as helping with research, compiling media lists, distributing news releases, etc. This offers an opportunity to obtain intensive hands-on experience in a variety of areas that directly impact the client work.

Q: SPR boasts "a team of senior communications professionals." As a senior communications professional myself, I'm glad to see someone valuing experience. I've received a lot of mail from experienced professionals lamenting their inability to find a position. What advice would you offer them?
I suggest that they look to agencies, rather than to the client side for employment. When it comes to skill sets, agencies are generally more flexible about their personnel. In terms of stability, it can be riskier. But that is offset by the variety of clients and their varying needs which offers more potential opportunities for senior communications professionals. Even if a staff position isn't available, they can often provide consultative services for agencies.

Q: And in fairness to the 'newbies' in our audience, do you ever hire rookies? What advice would you offer them, especially with regard to looking at a large agency or a boutique shop?
I believe that smaller is better than larger for rookies just starting out in the industry. In terms of responsibilities, small agencies offer them the opportunity to take on more than a larger agency would. They have exposure to a wide variety of tasks, including dealing with clients and the media. They also have exposure to senior people that larger agencies just don't offer to newbies. Plus, they can move upward more quickly.

Joy Scott
Joy Scott, MBA, is the President and CEO of Scott Public Relations. She brings 25 years of experience in public relations on behalf of established and emerging companies. Since launching Scott Public Relations in 1987, she has led the company to a leadership position in the public relations profession serving the business-to-business communication needs of companies in health care, insurance and technology, from Fortune 500 firms to start-ups.