PR companies caught in tight fight for big budget accounts

Behind the gentle and cultured swagger of the public relations industry, lies a ferocious battle for business.

There has been a shuffle of accounts as big firms look for high media exposure, the local industry’s measure of success.

Lucrative accounts that have shifted include Kenya Airways from Gina Din to Ogilvy, and KCB and Samsung from Scangroup to Gina Din.

Ogilvy snatched Telkom Kenya from Africa Practice, while Zain, bought recently by Bharti, is to change from ZK to Ogilvy.

When media exposure is converted into advertisement value equivalent, it translates into huge savings in ad spend for companies.

According to Synovate, which tracks media in Kenya, 14 firms got Sh606.6 million worth of free coverage in local media in the first quarter of this year.

KCB, Safaricom and Coca-Cola hogged most of this, followed by Equity Bank, Kenya Airways, Telkom, Zain, Unilever and BAT.

The growth of local and international brands locally has created a market for communication services.

With monthly fees topping Sh2 million on some accounts, the war is fierce, with undercutting and lobbying determining winners.

The most lucrative firms to handle are Safaricom, Kenya Airways, Telkom, EABL, Zain and Nokia.

The local PR industry has been growing steadily over the past decade. Data from Public Relations Society of shows there are 47 registered firms in Kenya.

“Competition has helped to transform PR from events related strategies to a strong component in shaping corporate communications for many organisations,” says Mr Denis Chebitwey, a former media manager at Gina Din, who is now the chief executive officer Kenya Year Book, a parastatal.

Telecommunication firms are the most sough after because of their huge budgets.

“These firms need to get their presence felt and they have bigger budgets to support communication and marketing,” said a PR practitioner who requested not to be named to protect his clients.