If you are a company looking to downsize your marketing and PR budgets, why not consider hiring a consultant to replace your current agency?  Here are a few reasons why it might make sense for you:

1.  Lots of highly qualified, seasoned professionals are on the market right now due to layoffs. 

2.  Some recently laid off consultants could be the people doing the day to day work on your accounts, so they are already ahead of the game in terms of knowing and understanding your business.