Companies: The Agency Business - Consumer practices must find value in messaging.

The struggling US economy means consumer PR pros need to adjust their efforts to be sensitive to many individuals' current hesitation to spend.

'Though you can't predict exactly where the economy will go, I think we are going to be in store for quite some time with 'how to do more with less,'' says Lisa Rosenberg, partner and MD of Porter Novelli's New York office.

Value is the key message these days for consumer practices looking to promote products across various price ranges. Maureen Lippe, president of Lippe Taylor, says her consumer practice looks for a value connection with every client and product it represents.

'As PR practitioners, we've got to look for that now more than ever,' she explains. 'And we don't usually start out that way.'

And the value message doesn't just mean emphasizing low prices. Lippe points out that the message can be as simple as calling attention to the savings of time, money, and energy through online shopping.

'We are catering to those smart shoppers and reminding them to be smart shoppers,' she notes, adding that online retailers are now increasingly appealing to consumers.

'Who wants the inconvenience, who has the time, and who has money to be driving around these days?' Lippe says.