by Judy Neer
13. January 2010 06:34
As agency review consultants we spend a great deal of time coaching agencies throughout the new business process. Unfortunately, not all clients want the same kind of guidance. The success of an agency review is equally dependent upon the client as it is on the agency. Here are some tips that we give our clients to get the most out of an agency review:
1. Do an internal assessment of your marketing organization to determine the right agency model (bundled, best-in-class, etc.).
2. Determine the right internal team to participate in the review. This may vary for each step in the process, therefore, you want to think about the role the individual plays and whether they will be able to commit the necessary time.
3. Provide clarity around the required agency capabilities. Be more specific than just the capability headings (strategy, creative, media planning and buying, etc.) by providing detail on the type of relevant experience within that discipline.
4. Think carefully about the required agency relevant experience as the more narrow the experience, the more narrow the list of agencies. Think outside of your specific category and include experience tackling similar business challenges.
5. Be honest about what the mission and culture of your company will allow the agency to do. To hire the most cutting-edge creative boutique knowing your company will always stick with conservative is a problem. A great exercise is to articulate what breakthrough creative means to you (give examples of those within your competitive set and in general). Use that as a guide to evaluating the work you see from agencies.
6. Develop a smart, realistic final assignment and be prepared to give the finalist agencies all the necessary background and input material. The final assignment should allow you to engage with the agency in the same way you would if you were formal partners. You want to see how they think about your business. And be available to answer their questions. It isn’t about seeing how well they think when they are kept in the dark.
7. Dedicate the necessary time to each step in the process and be available to both your consultant, if you have one, and the agencies. You will get back what you put in.
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