At any given point in time, PR focused WhatsApp channels are the digital water-cooler chat forums where the community can informally share views and information. This week, the topic of client expectations during an RFP came up for discussion.

The trigger? Earlier this week, a LinkedIn post by a senior executive at a start-up complained about the quality of a PR pitch he received, saying that it was a copy-and-paste job using AI. This post naturally generated strong conversation for and against the sentiments expressed in the post on WhatsApp.

Vikram Kharmi, CEO of Bloomingdale PR, asked a simple question via his own post on LinkedIn: "Sometimes I wonder—what if PR folks actually started ranting?"

PR Firms and the RFP Process 

The pitching process for PR mandates has always been a bit of a sore point. Here are the top 3 issues that PR firms have with the RFP process.

No payment for pitches 

Kharvi says, "Ideas need time and effort. Most often, it is expected for free. Clients call multiple agencies for a pitch, normally with no budgets specified and many a time, nothing happens post-pitch. Reputed ad agencies charge to pitch because that kind of research goes into making a deck."

This is a long-standing complaint by PR firms, one that is not likely to be resolved anytime soon. PRCAI has been working on a client-consultancy partnership charter that includes standardisation of the RFP process. The draft charter proposes compensation for companies that reach the final stage of the pitch, but are not shortlisted ( capped at 3 non-shortlisted firms).

Protecting the pitching firm's creative ideation

In the absence of a pitch fee, it's not uncommon to find ideas pitched by a PR firm being used by the brand and another competing agency. Often, the competing agency is willing to implement this at a lower price point.

Lack of proper brief, no end timeline 

PR professionals often tell PRmoment India that brands sometimes throw everything but the proverbial kitchen sink into the pitching brief. Additionally, budgets are not mentioned clearly or are too low for the deliverables required.

PR agency heads told PRmoment India that in 2024, closures of RFPs were very slow or did not take place at all. PRCAI is now recommending specifying a clear time frame from pitching to contract. 

In-House view 

From the brand point of view, the pitching process is also not free of issues. The biggest one has been that while senior professionals are present at the pitches, once the account is won, the actual implementation is done by professionals with less experience, leaving the client with uneven PR results.

Clients also express that the ideas are not forward-looking, and decks are now increasingly generated from AI.

Vidura Arya, assistant account manager with Concept PR, states, "PR agencies need to evolve beyond the traditional, vanilla approach and offer truly innovative ideas that generate buzz, spark conversations, and establish long-term reputation capital. However, this progress is being hindered by the careless use of AI, which people often use on autopilot while their human thinking goes into flight mode.

I have observed that some campaigns are developed using AI tools or by copy-pasting content from previous similar decks, lacking consideration of the client's reputation risks, past coverage, industry trends, and competitive landscape. Additionally, the focus is primarily on basic elements such as press releases, authored articles, and industry stories, which are often presented by almost every other PR agency.

Overall, the pitch should articulate why investing in PR is essential for investor relations, employer branding, internal and external stakeholder engagement, and brand equity building, rather than being viewed merely as a look-alike marketing or advertising effort."

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