We’re halfway through 2019. Far enough into the year to reflect on what clients have been looking for in agency partners. Early enough to incorporate these insights into your agency’s new business approach and enter the latter half of the year strong.
Saying people are important in an agency pitch is…well, what’s the opposite of an “aha” moment? A “so what?” moment? Telling agencies that their team is critical to a client’s business is something they already know.
Before selecting an agency partner, every client should answer a few questions regarding the type of thinking they need…Do we need business strategy? Communications strategy? Creative strategy only? Because “strategy,” when left undefined, can be misinterpreted, misconstrued, and even result in the wrong partnership.
If someone had told me I’d be writing about agencies struggling with digital channels in 2018, I’m not sure I would’ve believed them. Digital isn’t new anymore. Most agencies have figured it out. But when asked why clients are looking for new agencies, one of the reasons is digital content.
In one of our recent creative reviews, a finalist agency took great care in walking the client through their customer’s brand journey. They meticulously outlined how the brand would meet the customer “where they are.” They mapped out every channel. They showed scores of executions.
Between P&G issuing ultimatums around digital media, transparency and accountability and the one-year anniversary of the ANA Media Transparency Report, every client is now asking...
How’s your relationship? This is the question I would ask any agency worried, or wondering if they should start worrying, about the rise of consultancies as advertising partners.
The client-agency relationship is a funny thing. On the one hand, you have a uniquely close partnership predicated on trust, common ground and shared goals. On the other, you have a tenuous, fickle arrangement fraught with questions. And for a while, “questions” were viewed as the enemy of the client-agency relationship. If a client was asking questions, it meant something was wrong.
Does anyone really want to be the incumbent in a review? Meghan shares six ways agencies can keep their client relationships in good stead, and maybe even keep themselves out of a review.
Believe it or not, we’re asked quite often about whether or not holding companies are important to clients in a review process. The truth is many clients ask about, but don't really consider, the holding company when selecting a new agency partner.