Commit to the Pitch Process
Written by Barry O’Neil and Lindsay O’Neil If you’re going to commit your agency’s time and resources to a pitch process, we say go “all in” and don’t wait for the final presentation to show your cards. There’s simply no reason to participate if you can’t commit 100% to showing your agency off in the […]
Agency leaders should sign The Project 47 Pledge (& this should matter to CMOs)
Our good friend Alan Brown of the fine small agency DNA recently shared this story with us over coffee: a recent industry survey was suggesting that an exceedingly small percentage of agency employees were self-identifying as LGBTQ+. We were terribly surprised by the data. It just didn’t seem to fit in the bubble we were […]
The Best Case Study I’ve Ever Seen
I’m going to caveat this whole post by saying “the best case study I’ve ever seen” only came about because of a confluence of lucky chances, including: a prospective client who specifically requested the presentation of case studies as part of the pitch process, an agency who happened to have some impressive cases that felt […]
Getting it Write: The Art of Written Agency Proposals that Win
Your agency has advanced in discussions with a prospective client far enough that it is time to deliver a written proposal. This may or may not be the final step; there may be presentations after the written proposal or there may simply be a Q&A discussion and perhaps some negotiation. Regardless, when it comes time […]
New (and Old) Tips on Pitching
It’s an odd marketplace for agency services right now. The marketing services industry that was hit so very hard by the pandemic came roaring back to life with record hiring and wild staffing shortages. Clients are still often working remotely and disruptions to routines (children and teachers getting COVID, work from home, etc.) continue. And […]
CMOs & Agency Execs: Share of Search is a powerful proxy and predictor of Market Share
C-suites everywhere are looking to marketing to be aligned with overall C-suite goals. They are, in essence, looking for marketing to both sign up to help deliver on major company goals and to be able to explain marketing’s contribution to overall company success. A sound starting point is for the CMO, marketing staff and agencies […]
CMOs and agency execs can learn about customer centricity from the best (and worst) of Hollywood
Hollywood entertainment is a fascinating world. Huge mega hits often arrive side by side with financially disastrous movies. It’s a high stakes environment. What’s the key to success? I believe it is customer centricity, like in most (all?) markets and categories. Unfortunately, not all Hollywood directors understand this, to the detriment of their investors. Marketers […]
CMOs: How to Get the Best from Your Agency (with FIG’s Judith Carr-Rodriguez)
FIG’s Judith Carr-Rodriguez By Steve Boehler with special guest Judith Carr-Rodriguez It seems like every day there is an even greater emphasis on a company’s return on marketing and advertising investment than the day before. CMOs are under intense pressure to deliver better results and they expect even greater productivity from their agencies for less […]
How to Run a Modern Agency Review in a Few Quick Sprints
Every year there are hundreds of agency selection processes in our industry. Earlier this year we shared the principles that guide our agency review process. We developed these principles with an eye towards effectiveness on behalf of our clients and respect for agencies. However, while we run a sizeable number of reviews and are a […]
Balancing Brand & Performance Marketing Investment with Marketing Star Doug Brames
There is a large and growing body of evidence that the best long-term results are achieved via a balance of both longer-term brand impacts and shorter-term performance efforts. Much has been written on the topic, and many experts have shared their research and philosophies. From Byron Sharp’s books to Peter Field’s and Les Binet’s research […]