Blog
06 October 2022 Pantul Kothari
Two words that describe a typical client-agency relationship
This blog is written with goodwill to all clients & agencies and malice towards none. Here are ten relationship perspectives that will make the agency-client relationship REWARDING for both sides.
This incident happened during a copy & concept presentation for an ad campaign that we presented.
The Cambridge-educated CEO of the PSU we were working for said, let me help you with the copy, and he proceeded to REWRITE what our copy team had presented.
Then, beaming with accomplishment, he asked that sixty-four million dollar loaded question.
What do you think of it?
The silence that reigned in the Conference could make one deaf!
Sometimes, it is not about what is written, but WHO has written it!
It is then that I once again realised that the Client-Agency relationships are a key to the success of a brand, and it is too important to leave it to individuals and their peccadillos-be they from either side.
Aligning to best practices and perspectives can be rewarding for the business & your brand
Refreshed Perspectives |
Rewarding Prospects |
|---|---|
Use your agency as a force multiplier for your in-house team |
Your internal team is the front line of your marketing and sales efforts. Use your agency to empower and help them deliver results-through creativity, alternative approaches and out-of-the-box thinking. |
Patience while listening to the campaign presentations |
Most agencies spend agonising hours critiquing their work internally before they make it to the client conference room. So, the logic and the thinking are generally in place. But, listening to it keenly and understanding the agency POV before "critiquing" the work will ensure that you are expressing a considered opinion and judgement. It also brings to light new possibilities that you might want to consider. |
Avoiding the "I don't like it! "reaction |
It is difficult, but please understand that the work produced to ensure that the client team "likes" it may not resonate with your target audience, which is what both the client and the agency want and what your brand requires. So personal tastes aside, let's deal with TG tastes and preferences. |
Resist the temptation of giving "The One Line Brief." |
Your brand is serious business. Dignify it with a comprehensive brief. That will help the agency deliver its best for your brand. In communication, if the nuances are not in place, nothing is. |
Use the agency for cost-effective solutions |
Rupee for rupee, an agency team, will be cost-effective, thanks to their focus, experience and team-doing it in-house may deliver more "control" but may be less effective on parameters of impact and cost. |
Allow your agency to identify and exploit new opportunities |
The agency knows the TG and the media landscape much better than your teams, simply because of their specialisation-so let them suggest new approaches, identify new marketing opportunities, and gain from their expertise and experience. |
Identify and incentivise agencies on the KPI that matter to you |
Shifting your compensation from the expenditure-oriented system (commissions on media spends) to a results system (incentive on achieving results) or a combination of the two will be rewarding for the brand as well as the agency. |
Support the agency to deliver their best work |
It takes both a good agency and a great client to produce good work-so being open to new ideas and approaches can help agencies deliver clutter-cutting, high-impact advertising and promotions. |
Keep reminding yourself that both the client and the agency want the same results |
The agency and the client team desire to create breakthrough campaigns that win prospects' hearts, minds and wallets and deliver a revenue spike that will ensure long-term brand equity. |
Excellent communication happens in an ambience of trust |
Trust should be the fundamental bedrock of the client-agency relationships-after all, both are on the same side. |
At Tiger Advertising, we strive to maintain relationships with our clients at a level that will enhance results and deliver greater benefit to the brand, the agency and the marketing team.
In the ultimate analysis, when our campaigns succeed, we do too!