The Einsteinz senior-led model: ahead of its time, and more relevant than ever

When our MD, Pru Quinlan, founded Einsteinz more than two decades ago, she was reacting to something she considered an industry blind spot. Agencies were very good at account pitching, but when it came to account management there was a significant mismatch.

That’s because most agency pitch processes seemed to follow a bait and switch playbook. Senior people in the room pitching, impressive credentials, and the case for why that agency deserved the business carefully made. Then the contract was signed, the senior people moved on to the next pitch, and the day-to-day work landed with whoever was available at the agency. Often, that meant inexperienced juniors being thrown in at the deep end.

Agencies loved this approach because it scaled and it was profitable. Most clients were dismayed but accepted it as simply the way things were done.

Einsteinz was built differently. The people who pitch the work are the people who do the work. No juniors learning on client time and disappearing executives after the contract had been signed. Senior consultants on every brief, without exception. In the context of how most agencies were structured in the early 2000s, it was a genuine departure from the norm.

Fast forward 25 years and as we enter the era of AI, the Einsteinz approach is becoming an even greater advantage.

That’s because the old bait and switch approach now has an added layer of jeopardy for clients - AI. It is not an issue with the use of AI itself. That is table stakes for successful agencies. Rather, it is a question of whether AI is being used with judgement, or simply because it is available.

Do the consultants using it know what excellent practice looks like? Do they have the industry experience to read the market, understand what a journalist really needs, push back on a brief when the strategy is wrong and, importantly, spot hallucinations? Is AI improving the way the account is serviced, or is it further reducing oversight from senior PR practitioners?

It is a question worth considering when choosing a PR agency in the AI era. At Einsteinz, the answer has not changed in 25 years. The people who pitch the work are the people who do the work, and they have the experience to know exactly how to use the tools available to them – including AI.