Working With Agencies

1. Auflage 2005
ISBN: 978-0-470-02461-4
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons

Buch, Englisch, 224 Seiten, Format (B × H): 177 mm x 253 mm, Gewicht: 558 g

The client/agency relationship is an area fraught with potential problems. Competition in the field has now augmented the necessity to understand the working relationship far more thoroughly to help the client to get better value from the agency. The demand has moved from the need for client satisfaction to the need for excellence when it comes to agency performance. Only by having a good relationship can a client get the best advertising (and the same applies to both sides of the equation). A good relationship rests on a raft of elements, all of which are covered in this book.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Sims, Michael

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Bereichsspezifisches Management Außenhandel
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Bereichsspezifisches Management Marketing
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Bereichsspezifisches Management Vertrieb

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction xi
Acknowledgements xiii

1 Agencies: Can't Live with Them, Can't Live Without Them 3
Understanding What you Want from an Agency 5
Understanding the Nature of your Organization 8
The Collaborative Spirit: The Essential Ingredient 13
Starting off on the Right Foot 16
Ensuring that the New Team Works Well Together 19

2 How An Agency Works Behind the Scenes 27
Understanding how an Agency is Structured 28
Client Services 29
Senior Management 33
Account Planning 34
The Creative Team 35
Media/Data 37
Creative Services 38
Artwork Studio/Digital Production 38
Finance 39
Understanding the Creative Development Process 40
Strategic Planning 41
Campaign and Creative Briefings 42
Concept Development 42
Concept Execution 42
Production/Distribution 44

3 Selecting An Agency 47
Preparation Before an Agency Review 49
Working with Third-Party Specialists 54
Guidelines on Agency Search and Selection 56
Meeting the Agency Face-to-Face 68
Post-Pitch Feedback 70

4 Briefing An Agency 75
The Value of the Briefing Process 76
The Role of the Different Briefing Stages 77
The Key Elements to the Brief 79
Four Principles for a Good Brief 80
Understanding the Brand 81
Achieving Clarity 82
Maintaining Focus 83
Creating Surprise 83
The Hotspots of the Brief 84
The Objective of the Communications 85
The Customers 85
The Proposition and Support 87
Developing a Challenging Communications Proposition 87
Creating an Inspiring Briefing 91

5 Championing the Creative Product 95
How to Evaluate Creative 96
Preparing the Groundwork 96
Determining your Evaluation Criteria 97
Establishing the Right Mindset 102
Providing Usable Feedback 106
Creating a Creatively Receptive Environment 108
Presenting Creative Effectively 109

6 Smoothing the Way for Effective Campaigns 117
Establishing Project Management Systems 118
Clarity of Goals and Roles 118
Project Management Team 119
Project Management Procedures 120
Project Administration 121
Project Status Communications 122
Internal Communications 122
Approval Procedures 124
Checking the Legal Aspects 125
Moving from Concepts to Campaign Execution Effectively 127
Managing Problems with a Creative Concept 128

7 Taking Care of the Finances of the Relationship 135
Different Agency Remuneration Structures 136
Commission 136
Phased Fee 137
Project Fee 139
Payment by Results 139
Working with Procurement 140
Contract or No Contract? 143
Setting a Budget 144
How an Agency Works in Terms of Finances 145
Campaign Budgeting 147
Issuing an Accurate Campaign Estimate 149
Invoicing 151
Final Reconciliations 153

8 Developing a Long-term Relationship 159
Managing Creativity 160
Knowing the Friction Points 164
Costs 164
Time 164
Creative Amends 165
Production 166
Attitude 166
Balancing Success and Failure 167
Getting your Portfolio of Agencies to Work Together 167
Evaluating Agency Performance 170
Defining the Agency Role and its Service Levels 171
Creating Evaluation Procedures 172

Epilogue 181
References 183
Useful Information Sources 185
About the Author 187
Index 189

Über Autor(innen)

Mike Sims, is Client Services Partner at Partners Andrews Aldridge, London UK. He is responsible for agency resourcing and overall agency delivery to clients. He has worked in both big and small agencies and has been involved in all areas of account handling, heading large and small client services departments. Since his arrival at the firm they have become the first agency to secure Campaign Direct Agency of the Year, the DMA Grand Prix and Precision Marketing Agency of the Year at the same time.His sector experience covers automotive, telecoms, IT, and financial services. He has worked on traditional and digital campaigns, consumer and b2b brands and has led pan-European accounts. Prior to working in agencies he was a teacher and worked in training and development in the marketing industry.