Good News Ahead for PR Firms

A couple of weeks ago, the Council of Public Relations Firms announced its members’ fourth consecutive year of double-digit revenue growth.

“It demonstrates that public relations as a discipline is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ but rather a ‘must-have’ for clients of all kinds,” according to Kathy Cripps, president of the Council. “This is particularly evident in consumer products/services, healthcare and technology [PR].”

Looking ahead to 2008, 84% of public relations firms are projecting top line growth, at an average overall rate of 10%. These numbers track closely with projections of 10.3% compound growth through 2011, made last fall by Veronis Suhler Stevenson. What’s more, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of public relations specialists is expected to grow by 18% from 2006 to 2016 … faster than average for all occupations.

However you cut the numbers, our future is a promising one.