One of the most important lessons I was taught when I began working in the corporate communications industry was to only work with clients with whom there is mutual respect and understanding. Put another way, only work with people you like and respect, and who like and respect you.

I realised the importance of this fairly early on in my role as an agency owner. About a decade and a half ago, when Latitude was still in its infancy, we were hired by a prominent and well-known client (who shall remain unnamed) to promote some proprietary research they had conducted. My initial gut told me that the client and I had a different way of understanding what constitutes successful PR. I, however, ignored my instincts, as the fee was substantial. Suffice it to say, when the coverage came out, we had done a fantastic job, securing two full-colour pages in a leading English daily. The results were so good that my team members had industry colleagues calling them asking whether the placements were paid (all the coverage was, of course, organic and a result of sold pitches!).

Later that afternoon, we went to present the results to the client, thinking we were about to be praised for our incredible work. Instead, the person running the company at the time proceeded to fling the newspaper in my face (literally!) and then spent the next 20 minutes berating and literally abusing us. According to him, we had failed miserably in our task as the company’s logo had not been published. I tried to explain – to no avail – that since the coverage was earned and organic, the newspaper would not have carried the company logo. I tried showing samples of paid work where logos were carried and tried explaining the concept behind earned versus paid media. However, I may as well have been speaking to a brick wall.

Realising that the client would never understand and would only continue his abuse, I handed him back the cheque for the payment, told him he could consider the project gratis, and made it clear we would never work with the brand again. Over the years, they have approached us several times (subsequently under a new management). However, after that one bad experience, I vowed never again to put myself or my team in a position where we would be disrespected in such a manner.

The reason why I recount this story – although perhaps this is an extreme case – is to demonstrate, firstly, that many brands still do not know the difference between advertising and PR – or indeed even earned versus paid media. This problem has been exacerbated in recent years with many media buying and advertising agencies bundling ‘PR services’ with their offerings. It is also an unfortunate fact that clients often misbehave with agencies. Frequently, when a brand hires an agency – especially a comms agency – it believes it has now paid for indentured servitude.

Other cases of bad client behaviour I have experienced include delayed payments, shifting blame on the agency for any errors, and almost always expecting over-delivery. Ultimately, such client-agency relationships quickly flare out and die – leaving both the agency and the client in a worse position than before. In comparison, those client-agency relationships where the in-house and agency teams are seamlessly integrated have flourished and seen continued positive results.

In an age where transparency and accountability are pivotal to a brand’s reputation, the cost of client misconduct – whether ethical, legal or moral – poses significant challenges, not just for clients but for the PR agencies representing them. As the guardians of their clients’ reputations, these agencies face crucial decisions about when to speak up or remain silent in the face of client misconduct. As mentioned earlier, client misconduct can take many forms – ranging from unethical behaviour, fraud, harassment or breaches in compliance and regulations, to holding payments. Such actions undermine the trust that clients build with both their agency and their audiences. The question arises: Should the agency speak up? While in the past I have always favoured discretion over speaking up, I think we now live in a world that demands transparency. This is especially important since the odds are that if a client has acted improperly with one agency, that behaviour is likely to find itself repeated. This is even more essential in an environment such as Pakistan, where the PR and comms industry is still in a relatively nascent stage. However, at the same time, I believe this role should – and can – be taken on by industry bodies such as Public Relations, Events, Digital, Activation Association (PREDA), rather than individual agencies. As a recent member of PREDA, it was heartening to read about the various measures that the organisation is undertaking to protect agencies from client misconduct.

I have no doubt that the negative client experiences that Latitude witnessed have been felt by other agencies. However, more often than not, agencies are reluctant to ‘name and blame’, instead preferring to sweep the misconduct under the proverbial rug. Now I don’t entirely fault the agencies (I have done the same). It is a very real fear that speaking out will lead to not only losing that client but also that client blacklisting the agency. In a small market like Pakistan, every penny counts, and the loss of a client or future business is not something any agency is willing to risk.

I know this is a really sensitive subject – especially in an industry where most of us are trained to believe that the client is always right. However, speaking out against client misconduct ultimately benefits both the agency and clients, as it creates realistic expectations and clear-cut boundaries of professional behaviour.

It is here where PREDA can make a difference; while any one individual agency may be reluctant to ‘complain’ about a negative client experience, we can report it to PREDA. As per PREDA guidelines, any official complaint filed is escalated directly to the Member Protection Committee. If the committee finds the client at fault, action is taken without delay – this may range from mediation and arbitration to a formal notice being served to the client. If over a period of time the brand/organisation in question is demonstrated to have a track record of misconduct, then PREDA can take industry-wide measures, perhaps beginning with a written rebuke to more drastic action, such as blacklisting that organisation if the misconduct continues. Ultimately, it is important to remember that only by setting clear boundaries and expectations and fostering transparency around client conduct can our still-developing industry thrive and grow in the right direction.

Omar Jamil is CEO, Latitude CRS. omar@latitudecrs.com