How marketing and agency leaders use traditions to enhance culture and business
A number of major holidays were celebrated recently across the world. Holidays are full of traditions. Traditions have the power to create positive memories that can last a lifetime. Traditions can create a sense of comfort and familiarity, connecting us to our past and to the people around us. Whether it’s a family holiday tradition […]
Can Stagwell save Crispin Porter Bogusky?
Stagwell, the challenger brand holdco, has been on a roll. Describing themselves as “The Challenger Marketing Network”, the holdco now has over 13,000 staff in 70 agencies across 34 countries. The roster includes highly awarded and well-regarded shops like 72andSunny, Anomaly, Assembly and Doner. And now Stagwell may be taking on its greatest challenge: breathing […]
Marketers can help agencies dive deeper into the business
Every marketer wants their agency to live and breathe their business. Why not? The more your agency understands your business, brand, product or service offering, the more likely they will create impactful strategies and tactics. The results should be better. And good work should be easier to get to. How can marketers help their agencies […]
Clear philosophies help marketers & agency execs succeed
A clear set of beliefs is paramount to leaders, their people, and organization. Earlier in my career when I was in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble, the company’s philosophies were crystal clear. People development was the starting point to long term success. The consumer was our North Star. Products that met consumer needs were […]
Step 1 in Your Agency Search: Developing a Needs Assessment
No one decides to replace a marketing agency on a whim – the service and financial stakes are too high to take anything but a thoughtful, considered, and evidence-based approach. Once the decision to move on has been made, though, your approach to finding the right new agency should be no less thoughtful, considered, and […]
How Agencies can work more effectively with Agency Search Consultants: The 4 R’s
Search Consultants play an important role in the agency world. They may only represent about 25% of agency searches, but typically manage the biggest searches. They are an important gate keeper. Given their role, we’re often asked how agencies can work more effectively with search consultants. What’s the key? The key to working with search […]
Chemistry’s Tim Smith on clients, leadership and blowing sh-t up on the way to AdAge’s A-List
By Steve Boehler with special guest Tim Smith It’s very hard to grow an agency from scratch. Getting the agency’s headcount past 50 takes talent and commitment and very few agencies ever get that large. Breaking 100 seems like an impossible feat and going past 150 – the AdAge definition of “small agency” – takes […]
The Keys to Strong Client-Agency Relationships
Over the years, we’ve conducted hundreds of client-agency 360 reviews, a process wherein we talk to and survey clients and their agencies to find out what’s working, what’s not, and “where to go from here.” Recently, we dug through results of ten years of such reviews to find out what, if any, themes could be […]
The Marketer’s guide to planning an effective agency transition
Your agency review has concluded. You’ve found the perfect agency, negotiated a fine SOW and MSA and you’re itching to get started. And (of course) you are in a rush! You need the new agency to hit the ground running and your business depends on the success multiplier that a great agency relationship can provide. […]
Biz Dev Best Practices From the Client’s Side of the Room
From Build a Better Agency. With Robin Boehler. Business development is a topic that is always front-and-center for agency owners. So I’m welcoming back one of our most popular guests, Robin Boehler from Mercer Island Group, to talk to us about the observations she and her team have made as they work with both agencies […]