My biz partner Steve Turner came back from New York this week after attending the big BrandWeek/Adweek conference (View). Here's what some panel members, all clients, had to say about agencies with "recessive" marketing genes:
1. Agencies who fall into the habit of simply responding to whatever a client says are not really adding much value. Clients want their agency to offer a point of view and drive them (the clients). They need fresh thinking that is not limited to the corporate (internal) status quo. And sometimes that means coming up with ideas on spec and presenting them to the client to shake things up. (BBDO won four Gold Pencils as a result of this thinking.)
2. Clients get frustrated when the agency thinks that they know them, even though the client is evolving. An agency needs to follow what is happening with each client all the time, and keep up the calls two to three times a week. Clients want that love to continue over the course of the relationship. And if they get that love (and evolving service to reflect an evolving understanding), the relationship is more likely to remain intact.
3. "Integration" of marketing services is something that really makes a difference, but agencies have a habit of talking about it too much and and not really offering it. It is a way of thinking that should translate into actual execution. If agencies are really committed to integration, the ideas should really be thought-through across different media, not only the creative concept, but the mechanisms behind it to generate and measure results.
4. Many clients want a global reach, which bigger agencies habitually tout, but even the biggest agencies are unable to integrate it through a single point of contact. Clients get very frustrated when they want to have one core team to work with and they are having to work with all kinds of people who have to be brought up to speed by the client.
5. Way too many agencies are in the habit of not being held accountable for generating results. It is really encouraging to clients when the agency actually bases a large part of its compensation upon results. At the same time, this means that the client has to be willing to listen to the agency. When accountability is built in, the agency is instantly more credible when presenting its point of view.
Good habits to break.
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