Local PR agencies in international teams: hurdles and best practices

Over the past 13 years, we have been able to support a wide variety of international companies with communications in German-speaking countries. Experience has shown that regardless of whether you work directly with the companies or via a lead agency, certain conditions must be in place in order to drive successful PR in Germany. 

Supporting market entries, launching new products, positioning brands or introducing completely new business models - international companies or their lead agencies approach us with a wide range of tasks. And there it is, the first “Stop!” moment. Stop. Because this is exactly where most inquiries are already too far ahead and come along with precise ideas for implementation already. It is important, however, to get us on board as early as possible so that we can get involved and provide support right from the start. We can advise on what is going on in Germany and what is needed here for successful communication. 

It happens quite often that international companies have already developed a completely finished concept for global communication in their marketing departments, which are often based in the USA. They then basically just look for an agency to implement it locally. In doing so, they deprive themselves of a real opportunity - and deprive us of the chance to contribute our expertise in the best possible way.  

With our insights into the German market, the competition, the media landscape and the behavior of consumers and corporate decision-makers, we are much closer to the action in every respect and, if asked early on, can provide valuable recommendations on communication strategy. So ask first, then plan. If the concept is already in place, there should at least be the opportunity for constructive feedback so that expectations and results match in the end.

Let's take a look at how it usually actually works: As a regional partner, we usually receive a finished scope of work with the request for implementation. This includes, for example, finished press releases that we are supposed to translate and send out, guest articles that “worked really well in market XY”, ideas for PR stunts or campaigns that a team from outside the market has developed with a different cultural perspective. Time for the next “Stop!” moment.  

Local relevance in the form of regional facts and figures, reference to socio-economic or political circumstances, consideration of the information needs of local editorial teams and target groups as well as the desired depth of information, consideration of cultural characteristics and habits - all of these are important ingredients for successful communication in individual markets. Regional partners therefore need the freedom to check, localize and adapt content and measures - or even to reject them if they are not promising. This is an important and valuable part of the consultancy service. Even within Europe, PR landscapes are enormously diverse and require market-specific sensitivity. 

It's a nasty feeling: starving at arm's length as a local agency partner. For example, because no direct contact with expert speakers is possible, because important information is not passed on, because time-critical approvals are not received or because there is no budget for collecting local data. If a lead agency places itself territorially between the agency partner and the client and thus makes direct exchange difficult or blocks it, if client-side PR managers prove to be a bottle neck in terms of access to internal experts or if there is no budget for the development of local, representative studies because ten German companies have already been surveyed in the international survey (“Wow!”), then this is a third “Stop!” moment.

Local PR teams cannot operate without trust. We work to get the best for our clients in the German market. We work fairly and in partnership, we don't want to compete with anyone for the account lead, we don't work past anyone and we don't want to secretely sneak in for additional budgets. We want to do a good job. And to do this, we need access to all valuable information, interesting people, exciting ideas and opinions. We must be allowed to find the stories that are worth telling.

Trust is good, control is better? It's clear that anyone who coordinates international PR as a lead agency or in a company has a lot on their plate. To keep an overview, there are weekly reports, monthly reports, quarterly reports, Excel sheets, all agency calls, regional calls, monthly calls and many more. All understandable, but “Stop!” moment number 4. 

We have already had international budgets where the administrative work has eaten up up to a third of the monthly budget. That is clearly too much. We can use this as a rule of thumb: The higher the level of micromanagement and the more reporting involved, the less local teams can look left and right, secure an extra op here and there, pursue their own ideas and seize development opportunities for communication in the respective market. Yet, this is where local agencies are most valuable.

• Local teams and partners should be involved in the planning as early as possible.
• International companies (and their lead agencies) should always have confidence in the expertise of the teams in the respective markets and respect well-founded recommendations.
• Seamless, honest expectation management regarding realistic goals, necessary measures and required resources between the local agency, any intermediary lead agency and the client is essential.
• Local agencies need the necessary access to all resources and client-side experts.
• Account management processes should be as lean and efficient as possible in order to be able to focus on the tasks that really add value.

Are you planning PR in Germany for an international company?