It's a common term. "Boutique" in the clothing world means a small store with special merchandise and a select clientele. What does it mean in the marketing, PR, and design world? A quick Web search turns up many people who call themselves a "boutique agency". Ten years ago, this was common in the design world. Nowadays, it seems that "boutique" is equivalent to "small". And no one wants to be small. This term is still common in PR agencies, however. It seems that being small and specialized is (still) considered a good thing. It seems to me that "boutique" means that a company places the work itself over its clients. This means that a boutique agency will choose to satisfy themselves before their clients. And what's more, clients should be grateful for the privilege. I'm all for high standards and craftsmanship. I just don't think that being good at the work means disappointing clients. Truly good agencies don't have to choose.