While the Olympics’ motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius the motto for PR agencies might be some selection of words from fastest-growing, largest independent, largest, largest in the State, leading (insert appropriate discipline description).

But like the Olympics of course it all really gets down to money.  Glen Frost’s PR Report has followed up its list of biggest PR consultancies with a series of lists on independent and practice specialisation (www.theprreport.com/) ranked by revenue. The largest independent PR agency is Rowland; the largest independent consumer/FMCG agency is Liquid Ideas; largest independent health/wellbeing Cube PR; Financial/IR BlueChip Communication; Government Relations Crosby Textor; and, fastest growing independent agency F4 Consulting.

The top five independent agencies (in order) are Rowland, Hausmann, n2n, Senate SHJ and Sefiani. Top five health/well-being are Cube, VIVA! Communications, Ethical Strategies, Crossman Communications and Palin Communications. Top five Consumer/FMCG are Liquid Ideas, Thrive PR+Communications, Undertow, Trish Nicol PR and Stellar Concepts.

In financial/IR it is Blue Chip, Magnus Investor Relations, FCR Communications, Honner Media and BBS Communications. One can’t help wondering though why you would call an agency Ethical Strategies because you can hardly imagine calling it the opposite

In government relations it’s Crosby Textor, Cox Inall Communications, Royce Communications, Crook Group and Capital Hill Advisory. The blog would have thought Royce was probably among the top five independents outright but the company rarely seems to give out the sort of data list compilers seek. Moreover, a PR Report footnote says the Royce work includes work for Cardinal Pell and the Catholic Church defined as government relations. The blog would have tended to categorise that work as issues and crisis management but the PR Report obviously thinks otherwise. Cox Inall were also traditionally heavily into rural and regional communications but much of that possibly shades into government relations given that government policy is so important for anyone from people wanting to graze cattle in the Alpine National Park to water policy. As for Crosby Textor they are apparently a sensitive lot (like their campaigns) so it’s no comment from the blog, but if you want to check out some of the recent campaigns yourself have a quick read of any edition of Private Eye. A quick look at the consultants’ register in Canberra also reveals that, as expected, under the Abbott Government the number of  Crosby Textor clients is growing very fast.

High growth independents were F4 Consulting, GSG Counsel, Espresso Communications, Fifty Acres and Dawn ‘Till Dusk. From its website Fifty Acres looks interesting although the principal can’t resist stating that the agency had been set up because she noted a lack of quality in the communications landscape. Dawn ‘Till Dusk goes further saying it was set up “to break the mould of public relations” and the goal of having a PR agency which was “results driven, professional and passionate.”

Ah, ’twas always thus. The blog has to admit that the blog’s agency variously promoted itself as fastest growing, leading independent and largest in between indulging in the odd comments about passion and breaking the traditional model. PR agencies continue to do the same and no doubt will do so for many years to come.