News

PR man promises: Media coverage or don’t pay me

Jothy Hughes mumbrellaPR Jothy Hughes, who fell foul of Nine’s A Current Affair after hiring actors to fake a segment, has returned to the public relations industry with a new offering guaranteeing to work for free for clients unless they get media coverage.  

Clients that have used Hughes’ agency Now Communications on that basis include Christopher Hanna Hair, Phytologic, Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) and Pharmacy Online, said Hughes.

He said: “Monthly retainers will be nonexistent. It will be a very simple formula – Now Communications will get a client coverage on TV or radio, in newspapers or magazines and if they don’t…companies don’t need to pay.

“This new PR model will allow smaller companies to enter the PR market to build their business. They won’t need to pay big monthly retainers, they’ll simply just need to pay once results are achieved.”

Hughes argued that clients who use retained agencies to build long term relationships would be able to use Now on a project basis.

He said: “The agency which the multinational company have employed can continue to build long term strategic plans while Now Communications work with them to gain instant coverage in their chosen medium.

Costs will be on a pre-agreed sliding scale based around coverage.

He said: “There’ll be no fluffy reports, no mention of “this coverage is in the pipeline” and no timesheets. All companies will have different targets-ranging from community stories for small local businesses, editorial or product placement in high circulating magazines or newspapers or on television. Goals and monetary rewards will be worked out on a bespoke basis for each and every client.

In March Hughes was caught out hiring actors to appear on A Current Affair to promote client Gold Parties Australia.

Hughes is not the only PR consultant looking for a new business model. As Mumbrella reported last week and discussed in the Mumbrellacast, JMM Communications has created PR Guru offering online press release writing and contact list hire, while Wilkinson Group is offering Kick Start – short term consultancies for smaller clients.
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