Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between organizations and their PR firms during crisis situations. It contributes to the field by identifying the role of communication consultants in contemporary organizational crises, tasks they are entrusted by their clients, as well as providing their perspective on current crisis communication practice and its future development. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on 13 semi-structured in-depth interviews with two groups of senior staff in 11 Croatian PR agencies: CEOs, directors, managing partners and senior consultants, all in charge of their clients’ crisis communication projects. Findings The research results suggest that PR firms define crisis differently than their clients, who tend to consider every risk a crisis, which causes a significantly broadened scope of work for their PR firms. The findings also suggest crises to be periods when new PR firm–client relations are often established and caution PR firms to balance between openly expressing their opinion when unfavorable for their clients and providing the best advice possible to achieve a sustainable business model with the clients that they consult. Originality/value This research provides rare insight into crisis communication consulting practice, especially consultant–client relations during crises. Methodologically, it includes a representative group of senior communication practitioners acting as consultants and can provide the management of PR firms and scholars valuable insight into the current and future trends of the crisis communication field in Croatia.

The term "Native Advertising" in the marketing sense has been characterised as an "advertising evolution", and it is usually considered to belong to the group of new marketing tools. However, due to the subtle way in which it presents "editorial" content in the media, PR practitioners are increasingly describing native advertising as one of the most desirable PR tools. Guided by this situation, in this paper, the authors compare theoretical knowledge on advertising with Native Advertising as a new and innovative form of advertising, and connect it with application in the field of public relations. The obtained results of the comparison are contrasted with the opinions of six experts who have been working in the media, marketing agencies and PR agencies. By means of in-depth interviews, they present diverse takes on Native Advertising as a new advertising form, that is, a new PR tool. By comparing their opinions, the authors prove that Native Advertising is primarily a marketing tool that, due to its secondary (promotional) function, serves as support to PR activities, and not vice versa.