Playing Nice in the Sandbox: Is Collaboration Among Advertising and Public Relations Agencies the Same as Integration?

ABSTRACTAdvertising and public relations agencies have never been more in direct competition, as public relations agencies begin offering media strategies and advertising agencies begin assuming roles in online community management and social listening. Through in-depth interviews with 29 advertising and public relations agency executives, this study provides new insights on the trends impacting both professions while drawing from the theoretical concepts of encroachment, domain similarity, nonsubstitutability, and integrated marketing communication. Executives defined paid, earned, owned, and social media strategies and discussed how these areas are blurring, how responsibilities are being mandated by clients, and how the associated financial challenges affect an agency's ability to retain employees. Finally, the executives discussed how clients and agencies are pursuing collaborative work that draws from the strengths of both professions.