That's the question in a Dec. 12 article by Beth Herskovits in PRWeek. Media Orchard was among those quoted in the piece.

An excerpt:

When Cohn & Wolfe created the Great Pointed Archer Society to rebrand the sewer rat -- and itself in the process -- the blog world was abuzz with speculation about who was behind the campaign.

The effort included a website, full-page print advertisements, and even a staged demonstration in an attempt to change the public's image of the much-maligned rodent.

Of course, agency branding efforts are nothing new, but some branding experts suggest that this one broke the conventions that PR agencies usually turn to.

Stunts -- in this case, a pro-rat rally -- are typically associated with advertising agencies, notes Scott Baradell, a brand strategist and president of the PR firm Idea Grove.

"If you look at how PR firms typically name themselves and present themselves ... they're trying hard to promote themselves as 'corporate' and [less so] as creative," says Baradell, adding that agencies often try to position themselves as strategic counselors, much like lawyers.

But after years of trying to win a proverbial seat at the table -- and move past the image of publicists and party planners -- some agencies are starting to rethink how they present themselves to corporate executives ...

Jeremy Baka, chief creative catalyst at C&W, is pleased that the campaign has challenged stereotypes about PR agencies. He's also glad that people initially confused C&W's campaign with the work of an ad agency.

"That's exactly what we want them to say," Baka explains. "To us, it's like saying that we're just as creative as the ad agencies."...

Baka admits that it is too soon to determine whether the campaign has brought in any new business; the agency hasn't had any inquiries from potential clients yet.

Baradell, therefore, questions the campaign's ROI. "This idea was ill-conceived in my opinion," he says. "I don't think stunts like that impress the people they're trying to impress."

He adds that the campaign didn't actually meet its objective of transforming the rat. "All they did was have a rally and spend a lot of creative energy," he says. "[The campaign] didn't show that they could actually achieve the results."

To clarify: PR agencies can, and should, be more than strategic counselors. That's why my firm is called the Idea Grove -- not "Baradell & Associates" -- and why we present the image that we do.

Having said that, Cohn & Wolfe burned a lot of resources on a poorly thought-out campaign.

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