Clients fire agencies every day.
Some should be fired. Many shouldn’t.
Good clients know how to weather temporary or occasional difficulties in their agency relationship on their way to achieving consistent long-term success. What issues should NOT trigger an agency review?
Client briefs are substandard: Agencies need to be well briefed – orally and in writing. There is no substitute in a client-agency relationship for great briefing, and if your agency is not well briefed their failure is yours.
The business is missing targets: This situation may be the result of subpar agency work. And if not addressed, it may be time for a review. However, the missed target may be the outcome of a wide range of other issues like product failures, a pricing disadvantage or being dramatically outspent. In those cases, it is critical to also understand the role of the agency’s work before making improper assumptions.
And, even in cases where it is clear that the agency’s work is not succeeding, always remember that you (the client) approved and aired the work. It may make much more sense to learn collectively from the miss than to prematurely scapegoat the agency.
And remember, the key to better agency work is often in the hands of the client. Be a great client and your agencies’ (and your) odds of success dramatically increase. To play a positive role in the success of your agencies, make sure to:
- Develop effective proxies
- Install an effective briefing process
- Have a thorough marketing workflow mapped out and trained
- Train your team in creative and media plan evaluation
- Train your team how to deliver effective feedback
- Conduct annual client-agency 360 efforts
- Ensure the scope and budget are fair
- Routinely host “top to top” calls
