A harsh headline I know, but ask yourself this: when you were hungry and bought that Twix (without telling anyone, obv) did you stop to think about the history of the company, the story behind the iconic factory it was made in, or the individual humans who so kindly mixed the biscuit and poured the caramel?
No, of course you didn’t, because you don’t care, and that’s fine. You paid the asking price and therefore bought the privilege of not caring. And Twix should be grateful; you wanted their product so you bought their product.
Imagine if every time you wanted a Twix the company insisted you take a guided tour of the factory, read a ten-page history on the company and met all the key staff (who insisted on telling you all about their individual hobbies and interests). You wouldn’t bother because - to revisit our theme - YOU DON’T CARE.
So let’s turn that on ourselves: we’re agencies (biscuit makers), we have services (biscuits) and we’re hoping new clients want to buy our services (possibly biscuits - I’ve slightly lost track of my metaphor but I’m sure it’ll come back round in a minute). So WHY are we not simply showing them biscuits on page one of our creds and web sites, instead demanding that they first chew their way through our family-sized ABOUT US pages?
If someone wants PR, show them the PR you do. If someone wants branding, show them the branding you do. If someone wants biscuits, show them biscuits (Jesus, I’m hungry now).
No one came to your site to learn all about Dean and his penchant for recreating Hollyoaks episodes in Lego. They came to see the things you do, not who you are. Show them your work, and once they’re dazzled by that they MIGHT be kind enough to show interest in the history of your building or when you were founded.
Just because you think you’re important, you’re not. Always remember that.