Orange County’s public relations firms experienced a slight dip in headcount as agencies adopted technologies to streamline operations.
This year’s Business Journal list includes 24 companies with offices here, ranked by local full-time employee count.
The firms reported a total of 372 employees, down 2.6% from last year. Companywide, they declined 2.1% to 603 employees.
Seven of the firms reported a drop in employee count compared to last year while six companied said they hired additional people to their local offices in the last 12 months. 11 reported no changes.
Costa Mesa-based The Brand Amp remained the largest firm, despite a 16% drop in headcount to 47 employees.
“Technology and AI are providing efficiencies that have allowed us to serve our clients with fewer staff,” Charley Fitzwilliam, co-founder of The Brand Amp, told the Business Journal.
“As an agency serving primarily national accounts, we have also leaned in on increasing our presence in Chicago as well as leveraging talent working remotely across the country.”
Communications LAB shed two employees at its Orange office in response to indicators of a coming slowdown, according to Chief Executive Arianna Barrios.
Similar to The Brand Amp, Barrios said that AI technologies have allowed the firm “to work with a leaner team but similar output levels.”
Strong Demand for Crisis Communications
Costa Mesa-based Idea Hall ranked No. 7 on the list with 17 people employed locally.
The firms saw strong demand in crisis communications and major organizational transformations, according to CEO Rebecca Hall.
Hall last year won a Business Journal Women in Business Award for launching her own agency and diversifying its client base, which used to consist of nearly all commercial real estate and banking.
This year, Idea Hall gained new client Los Angeles Angels, as well as returning client Santa Monica-based StoreQuest Self Storage. Its local client portfolio also includes Be Well OC, AO Architects, OCVibe, Goodwill of OC and Irvine Company.
Evolving Media Landscape
Most of the firms agree that one of the largest challenges in the PR industry is proving clients’ return on investment.
“This means more channels, more data, more noise and pressure to show that every dollar is driving revenue, not just impressions,” Sunday Brunch founder and CEO Rachel Svoboda told the Business Journal.
The No. 12 ranked Huntington Beach-based firm moved up from No. 12 by nearly doubling its employee ranks to 12 local staffers.
Another challenge is keeping pace with the rapidly evolving media landscape, according to Brenda Springer, founder and CEO of Costa Mesa-based Reveille Inc.
“The environment has changed faster than most organizations have adapted,” Springer told the Business Journal. “You have misinformation, fragmented media and declining trust in institutions all happening at once.”
Amid those shifts, Springer said earned media, or organic coverage generated through news and publicity rather than paid advertising, has become increasingly valuable in building credibility and trust.
Reveille, No. 6 on the list with 20 employees, specializes primarily in the healthcare and nonprofit sectors. The Costa Mesa-based firm serves notable clients including City of Hope, Pacific Symphony, the Samueli Foundation and Vanguard University.
Research Director Desmond Celo contributed to this report.
