Equal partnership brings great ads
July 10, 2002 | 12:00am
What makes a great advertising client? This question is one that has been asked, discussed and debated before. A great deal has already been written on the subject by agencies and clients alike. It’s interesting to note a remarkable consistency on the views today and decades ago, when I was just starting as a young account executive at J. Walter Thompson. No attempt will be made to reinvent the wheel here. In fact, the points that will be discussed have been made elsewhere – in ad magazine articles, ad congresses, and agency performance reviews. But as might be expected, updated dimensions have been added. Here is a reprise, peppered with new perspectives, of Adweek’s 10 commandments of the great client:
1. Develop a spirit of partnership, honesty, and a constant commitment to making things better. People working in ad agencies know that there are two types of client/agency relationships. The superior-subordinate relationship is characterized by an atmosphere of mistrust, a lack of respect for the expertise of the agency, and undercurrents of fear and intimidation. The relationship based on equal partnership, on the other hand, allows agencies to disagree with their clients, to argue, to take the great risks that almost inevitably are required to achieve great results.
Great advertising is the product of an honest-to-goodness partnership, a joint effort based on mutual respect of intelligence, talent and skill.
2. Totally immerse the agency in the company’s product, people and corporate culture. Give the agency plenty of information. People working on the account must know the product inside and out. A great client is not stingy with data and agency exposure.
It costs a lot of money to send copywriters, accounts and media people to join van rides, store checks, sales force meetings and plant familiarization tours. But making the agency people go through these educational activities is the most effective way to get them know the business, appreciate the operation, and learn facts that can result to the discovery of advertising claims that can push the sale, as well as win creative awards.
3. Set clear objectives and measurements. The failure to agree on a clearly defined objective for advertising dooms the strategic, creative and media planning processes from the start.
It is an irony that advertising strategies are approved with an alarming lack of discussion, but advertising executions are scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb at numerous levels within a client organization. A great client provides precise directions and definitive marching orders.
4. Keep approvals simple, and disapprovals kind. Nothing will zap the energy level of an agency more than presenting the same work over and over again at succeeding layers of the client’s organization, debating the nuances of the copy or a media plan at every step of the way.
Streamline the decision making process, as agencies aim to do things right the first time. Frankly, the best system for advertising approval is to have as few layers as possible. And yes, this does mean one layer is best. But if a disapproval is called for, be honest with the comments, be specific and articulate about the problem, and be kind by evaluating the work and not the person. A great client finds ways to keep the agency person whole by listening well to the presentation and commenting intelligently afterwards.
5. Challenge the agency effectively. Make it responsible for the advertising, and give it the authority it needs to be responsible. Don’t say that advertising is the agency’s responsibility, yet deny the approval that empowers it to realize its vision. This takes all forms. The agency recommends a specific concept, a certain director, a particular media mix. A client may disagree. But a great client does not mandate specific changes. It cannot tell an agency that it must achieve its stated goal in a TV commercial production while imposing that it use a film production supplier or a director it does not want to use.
6. Create an environment of experimentation and be prepared to pay for failure. Probably nothing predicts mediocrity in advertising quite so precisely as an environment of risk-aversion. This form of fear is a very human response to the ever- increasing costs of TV production, coupled with the diminishing value of each peso invested in media.
There are clients who do not want to experiment and just merely conforms to tried-and-tested rules and formulas. A great client, however, desires to cut through the clutter by creating an environment of risk-taking, backed by the willingness to pay for experiments that go awry.
7. Treat the agency people well. Agency folks enjoy the same movies and sports clients do, and they have the same problems with their kids that clients have. A great client knows that it is human nature for people to work harder for their friends than for business acquaintances. The happy consequence is that the great client gets more effort out of the agency.
8. Be wary of change for change’s sake. Find a long-term positioning and stick with it. A great client is less concerned with what other advertisers are doing, or with trends in the ad industry. Instead, its attention is more focused in the dynamic changes happening with the attitudes, interests, and beliefs of consumers.
9. Compensate the agency fairly. This may sound self-serving, but if a client’s demands relative to his budget makes its accounts unprofitable, that account may be less important to the agency. This is particularly relevant today considering the drastic changes happening in the practice that greatly alter the advertising landscape – entry of media independents, creative and production "one-man bands," and boutique-size below-the-line operations.
Add to this, the dwindling agency service fees that are constantly put under review and negotiation with some clients. A great client makes sure its agency fairly earns on the account.
10. Evaluate the agency regularly and constructively. Provide guidance for both agency and client in satisfactorily meeting the current and needs of both parties. A great client regularly evaluates its agency. It looks at its partnership with the agency objectively, consistently and constructively.
The Advertising Summit, dubbed "First Quarter Storm," marks the 25th Anniversary of the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies (4As). It will be held on August 29-31 at the Westin Philippine Plaza. The summit seeks to honor great achievements in advertising excellence, the people who made them, and companies that have played a vital role in making the advertising industry the progressive creative force that it is today. The summit will also host the 2001 Agency of the Year Awards. During the opening ceremony, 4As will pay tribute to the Top 25 Advertisers in the Philippines.
For comments or questions, e-mail bongo@vasia.com or bongo@campaignsandgrey.net
1. Develop a spirit of partnership, honesty, and a constant commitment to making things better. People working in ad agencies know that there are two types of client/agency relationships. The superior-subordinate relationship is characterized by an atmosphere of mistrust, a lack of respect for the expertise of the agency, and undercurrents of fear and intimidation. The relationship based on equal partnership, on the other hand, allows agencies to disagree with their clients, to argue, to take the great risks that almost inevitably are required to achieve great results.
Great advertising is the product of an honest-to-goodness partnership, a joint effort based on mutual respect of intelligence, talent and skill.
2. Totally immerse the agency in the company’s product, people and corporate culture. Give the agency plenty of information. People working on the account must know the product inside and out. A great client is not stingy with data and agency exposure.
It costs a lot of money to send copywriters, accounts and media people to join van rides, store checks, sales force meetings and plant familiarization tours. But making the agency people go through these educational activities is the most effective way to get them know the business, appreciate the operation, and learn facts that can result to the discovery of advertising claims that can push the sale, as well as win creative awards.
3. Set clear objectives and measurements. The failure to agree on a clearly defined objective for advertising dooms the strategic, creative and media planning processes from the start.
It is an irony that advertising strategies are approved with an alarming lack of discussion, but advertising executions are scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb at numerous levels within a client organization. A great client provides precise directions and definitive marching orders.
4. Keep approvals simple, and disapprovals kind. Nothing will zap the energy level of an agency more than presenting the same work over and over again at succeeding layers of the client’s organization, debating the nuances of the copy or a media plan at every step of the way.
Streamline the decision making process, as agencies aim to do things right the first time. Frankly, the best system for advertising approval is to have as few layers as possible. And yes, this does mean one layer is best. But if a disapproval is called for, be honest with the comments, be specific and articulate about the problem, and be kind by evaluating the work and not the person. A great client finds ways to keep the agency person whole by listening well to the presentation and commenting intelligently afterwards.
5. Challenge the agency effectively. Make it responsible for the advertising, and give it the authority it needs to be responsible. Don’t say that advertising is the agency’s responsibility, yet deny the approval that empowers it to realize its vision. This takes all forms. The agency recommends a specific concept, a certain director, a particular media mix. A client may disagree. But a great client does not mandate specific changes. It cannot tell an agency that it must achieve its stated goal in a TV commercial production while imposing that it use a film production supplier or a director it does not want to use.
6. Create an environment of experimentation and be prepared to pay for failure. Probably nothing predicts mediocrity in advertising quite so precisely as an environment of risk-aversion. This form of fear is a very human response to the ever- increasing costs of TV production, coupled with the diminishing value of each peso invested in media.
There are clients who do not want to experiment and just merely conforms to tried-and-tested rules and formulas. A great client, however, desires to cut through the clutter by creating an environment of risk-taking, backed by the willingness to pay for experiments that go awry.
7. Treat the agency people well. Agency folks enjoy the same movies and sports clients do, and they have the same problems with their kids that clients have. A great client knows that it is human nature for people to work harder for their friends than for business acquaintances. The happy consequence is that the great client gets more effort out of the agency.
8. Be wary of change for change’s sake. Find a long-term positioning and stick with it. A great client is less concerned with what other advertisers are doing, or with trends in the ad industry. Instead, its attention is more focused in the dynamic changes happening with the attitudes, interests, and beliefs of consumers.
9. Compensate the agency fairly. This may sound self-serving, but if a client’s demands relative to his budget makes its accounts unprofitable, that account may be less important to the agency. This is particularly relevant today considering the drastic changes happening in the practice that greatly alter the advertising landscape – entry of media independents, creative and production "one-man bands," and boutique-size below-the-line operations.
Add to this, the dwindling agency service fees that are constantly put under review and negotiation with some clients. A great client makes sure its agency fairly earns on the account.
10. Evaluate the agency regularly and constructively. Provide guidance for both agency and client in satisfactorily meeting the current and needs of both parties. A great client regularly evaluates its agency. It looks at its partnership with the agency objectively, consistently and constructively.
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