Dirt is freely available today from multiple sources. You can pay a little extra for name brand dirt; for dirt with fertilizer additives — with an emphasis on fertilizer — but dirt is dirt. Anyone with about $3,000 in cash can open a PR firm, buy MediaSource, make lists, sign up for MarketWire, order a phone, and be in business. They'll make the same lists, write the same superficial releases, assemble the same editorial calendars, wire the same releases over the same distribution channels and make the same press calls as the brand name agency. I know because I owned and operated a leading brand name tech PR agency for 18 years. We fancified our offering; we created so-called 'methodologies.' Didn't matter. I knew what we did was the same as anything two people down the road in a one file cabinet office could do. But we were brand name. That's code for twice the price; two times the team size. Turns out, the one and two man bands were every bit as capable as us. A good story is a good story afterall. Luckily,most prospects didn't realize this. Some still don't.

Some PR prospects have to have name brand. It's a security thing… it's the 'no one ever got fired for buying IBM' thing. No one ever made a name for himself or herself that way either, of course. Some didn't even get to keep their job. Why? Because a new company only gets one chance to make a great first impression. Because time is the all-precious component. Lose time: lose market share. Waste time: waste a once in a lifetime opportunity. Say hello to the revolving door of PR firms at most legitimate corporations. Luckily for everyone in corporate today, PR doesn't really matter much. Yes, it needs to be done I suppose, on some level, but the real action is in reaching prospects directly, talking frankly, eradicating the polished, slippery words with no traction… having a genuine point of view, a real thought leadership passion. At long last, a good new idea can compete with an established, entrenched company for which the old system is rigged in their favor. Why? Because they can buy visibility and market presence.

But they can't buy a better idea.

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