• Inculcate a spirit of partnership
  • Avoid a superior/subordinate relationship, characterized by
    • Atmosphere of mistrust
    • Lack of respect for the expertise of the agency
    • Undercurrents of intimidation
  • There is no doubt to an agency that a client is and can be ready to exercise the option to dismiss them
    • Some clients even use this tool for dealing with their agency
    • Fear, intimidation and disrespect have no place
  • The best advertising is often only created within the absence of fear
    • The by-product of real partnership—a joint effort—based on mutual respect of intelligence and expertise

• Be wary of change for change’s sake
  • Imitating a trend fails by definition to achieve the first purpose of adverting which is to create a distinctive image for a client
  • We think that success in advertising is achieved by finding a long-term positioning and sticking with it.
  • Tune in, instead to the changes in the consumer

• Make sure your agency is making a fair profit
  • If an account is unprofitable to an agency, that account will be less important to the agency

• Give the agency the opportunity to be totally absorbed in your product, the people and
  your culture
  • Great clients totally immerse their agencies in the product
  • When an agency team thoroughly understands a client corporate culture, it will more likely create campaigns that last
    • If a campaign precisely reflects the culture, there’s a better chance the client will stick with it
    • Articulates a corporate mission, the client will give it longer to work

• Create an environment of experimentation and be prepared to pay for failure
  • Nothing predicts mediocrity in advertising quite so precisely an environment of risk-aversion
    • Natural to want to conform to rules and formulas in quest for a measure of certainty the outcome of development process
      will be viable adverting
    • Great clients want advertising that stands out

• Treat the agency people well
  • Great clients know it is human nature for people to work harder for their friends than for business acquaintances
  • The happy consequence is that the great client gets more out of the agency

• Agree on a clearly defined objective of the advertising you wish to create
  • The failure to define or agree upon the precise purpose of adv. Dooms the creative process form the start

• Keep approvals simple and disapprovals kind
  • Nothing saps energy more than an agency presenting the same work over and over at succeeding layers of the
    client organization
    • The best system for approval of adverting is to have as few layers as possible
  • Three simple axioms to remember:
    • Be honest. If you don’t like something say so.
    • Be specific. Don’t ask for a new execution just because this “one doesn’t do it for me.”
    • Be kind. It helps to think of commentary as if you are evaluating the person.

• Make the agency responsible for the advertising and give them the authority it needs to
  do it
  • Involvement in the process is an exceedingly difficult line to walk
    • Often, lack of involvement is just a way for the client to avoid sharing responsibility for the end result
    • On the other hand, too much involvement denies the approval empowers the agency to realize its vision; get a sense of balance
  • Great clients state precisely why they disagree and then challenge the agency to find a solution in which both parties can agree

• Perform evaluations of each other at least annually, and more often in the beginning of the relationship
  • A good agency wants to know if there is a major problem before reading about it in the trade press
  • Great clients draw up the terms of evaluation in partnership with the agency

Ask about our online Agency Relationship and Assessment program or click here to learn more.