By Darren Gilbert

For Logan, along with co-founder, Leandi Jamneck, Butter Knife PR aims to be that type of agency. Of course, it will take time. With the agency that’s barely two months old, it would be folly to predict it as an unmitigated success just yet. However, that doesn’t mean that the two Capetonians haven’t already laid down a solid foundation on which to build the Butter Knife brand; a base which has an intriguing premise: they plan to represent those brands that they are genuinely passionate about.

Now, that seems a controversial standpoint considering the fact that in any industry money talks. Can you really afford to be picky when it comes down to choosing which clients you want to represent? Isn’t such an idea viewed as a luxury that should be best left to established agencies rather than those starting out? Perhaps it is. However, let’s temper that thought with a little optimism. While money talks, results that stem from one’s passion for a brand will always come out trumps.

If my words don’t convince you, perhaps the attention that Butter Knife has garnered thus far will. In the two months that they have been in operation, the agency has signed up five clients without actively looking. The list has since grown to nine and it’s still rising. In a country where PR is struggling to overcome a negative perception and many so-called agencies are delivering poor, ‘passionless’ work, Butter Knife PR certainly has a firm grasp on what it wants to achieve.

“The idea [to form Butter Knife PR] materialised incredibly quickly,” states Logan. “Being in a profession where we represent … brands … we got to the point where we wanted to have the option of working on brands that we genuinely liked.” For Jamneck, it was about making a “big career move” and it doesn’t get any bigger than starting one’s own agency in an industry which one could argue is already saturated. And yet, Jamneck didn’t view the move as a risk: “We never really had reservations – the pros overruled the cons and the time just felt right.”

A bold statement yet it makes sense if you look at how Butter Knife PR intends to sell itself. “[T]here are a lot of people in the industry who are not passionate about their jobs. [W]e want to steer away from the traditional PR approach … and build a reputable PR agency that executes exceptional PR campaigns.” Keeping her words in mind, an idea of what Butter Knife PR is aiming to achieve should be a little clearer. The duo – along with recent recruit – Thembela Ngayi, are set on injecting a little more passion into the industry, and in so doing, providing a touch of gloss to the image of Public Relations.

Time, of course, is the only true test of any brand’s longevity. And as Logan has already stated, not all businesses will succeed. However, I have a good feeling about Butter Knife PR; a mood that stems from their premise. It’s true that not all businesses succeed, but Butter Knife PR doesn’t intend to be just any business.