Marketers still upset with agencies

01/18/09 11:05 AM

I thought that the recent article that marketers still thought their agencies didn't get it was very interesting. For way too long most agencies have had one goal and that is to get the client to spend money. Now with marketers getting critiqued on every program and being held accountable they are turning to agencies and making them accountable for hard metrics as well. No we're not talking about how many people remember commercials or aware of the brand we're talking about basic core metrics like impact on sales. Here are some suggestions to ensure that working with your agency goes well and that you are happy with the results.

1. Ensure that there are a meeting of the minds on the objectives of the campaign and how it will be measured- If your goal is simply to drive sales than you need to let your agency people know that but more importantly you need to communicate how the program will be measured by your managers and company executives.

2. Share everything- Ensure that the key people from your agency know exactly what's going on within your brand and company. This means sharing every bit of research as well as eMails between you and colleagues at work so they know the atmosphere in which you work.

3. Manage expectations upward- Make sure that you keep the influencers within your company in the loop as to what you're doing. This means development of the strategy as well as creative. The last thing you want is to go through a whole bunch of meetings with your agency to develop concepts and strategy only to have someone at your company roll his eyes when you present it.

4. Ensure that you have 24/7 access to a key person at the agency- I use IM to stay in contact with key people to share thoughts or updates.

5. If the creative person is "a legend in his own mind" than ditch the bitch- You know these people they often multitask at meetings, go around the country giving talks at seminars or think that "you don't get it".

6. The closer it gets to launch expect the worse but hope for the best- You can test programs, advertising and messages all you want but the reality is that consumers today are harder to reach and motivate than ever before. What works today might not work next week.

7. Have debriefing meetings- What went well? What didn't go so well? Make sure you keep your managers in the loop as to what you're doing and why.

8. Blow your horn- If you start having success let the world know but also let everyone know WHY you are having success. This means that you might want to BLOG about your success as well as have your agency submit it for an award.

9. Finally integrate to death: Ensure that your online, ad, PR and sports marketing agencies are connected at the hip and sleep together every night. They all should have the same information that you have and nobody should be left out of the loop.

Tags: Agencies