Hunting and Farming

By Matter

One of my first PR jobs was a firm that held a large company outing every year.  Along with the cookout and music came a fairly competitive set of athletic events.  Employees engaged in tennis, horseshoes, lacrosse, darts – just about anything that you could keep score at.  The centerpiece, however, was the softball game.  Custom T-shirts were made for every edition of this sports classic.  In my first year, the CEO named the teams the Hunters and the Farmers.  The Hunters consisted of the client facing professionals while the Farmers were the support staff, from the receptionist through HR and marketing and the administrative assistants. 

The Farmers won the game that year, much to the chagrin of the hyper-competitive Hunters, but the thing that stuck with me was the distinction between the groups.  Public relations agencies need both Hunters and Farmers.  In fact, I would say that the best PR pros are a little of both.  You have to enjoy (at least a little) the thrill of the chase, the new business meeting, the pitching process.   But you also need to tend to those tasks that keep a communications program running well, planning, tracking, reporting and client status calls are crucial to overall success.

Which are you, Hunter, Farmer or a little of both?