The new offshoring drive, named Global Resource Optimization (GRO), will be headed by managing director Madhuri Sen, and will provide three categories of services - account administration, content and secondary research - via a 24-hour ‘virtual teamwork’ model. The development is believed to be the first such initiative in the PR agency world - although similar models have been employed with increasing frequency in other industry sectors, most notably, business process outsourcing, IT and customer call centres.
Text 100 Asia-Pacific regional director Ava Lawler said the decision to launch GRO responds to the increasing commoditisation of the PR industry, in tandem with the emergence of globalised campaigns.
These trends, said Lawler, are not necessarily linked “with a corresponding increase in PR spend”. “Our industry must innovate to survive and GRO is an example of this as it challenges traditional notions about what a PR budget can buy,” said Lawler. “Any smart company is leveraging the talent that exists in global markets.”
