Comments on: How to Choose the Right Ad Agency

By: The Financial Brand

The Financial Brand — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:43:45 +0000

Good point Andrew. An agency pursuing a client is much like a job seeker out on an interview. How interested are they in your organization? How much research have they done? How much do they know about you?

By: Andrew Wagner

Andrew Wagner — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:52:02 +0000

As the owner of a ten year old boutique shop, I would add “passion”. A brand’s steward can only deliver real value when the steward is immersed in the brand and understands the business model the brand brings to the table. An agent (not agency) needs to be a client of their customers.

By: Editor

Editor — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:16:52 +0000

@Tony – At the heart of the matter concerning Creative Briefs is understanding what kinds of questions the agency asks. You want to find out how their minds work. What kind of information do they need to start a project? A little? A lot? Are they asking about goals, objectives and outcomes? Or are they asking more tactical questions?

Regarding one of your comments, you said, “a pretty picture or nice layout doesn’t always make the sale.” So true. Then you say, “It is tougher than it sounds.” Even truer.

Before launching The Financial Brand, I was a creative director with a financial marketing firm for 8 years (Tony you know this already, but maybe not others). So you know I feel your pain.

One of the things I used to do was approach every concept by asking, “How is this superior to a clear, concise, direct, straight-forward delivery of the offer?” You have to constantly be on the lookout for “creative encoding” that clouds the basic message or obscures the goal. As one of my ad heroes (David Olgivy, I believe) once said, “If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t ‘creative.’”

By: Tony Mannor

Tony Mannor — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:43:35 +0000

Dang! I forgot to say that #11 was my favorite!

We have clients that want us to steer the whole show and others that just use us for graphic design services or newsletters. For those looking for graphic design, be cautious – a pretty picture or nice layout doesn’t always make the sale. You have to have a graphic designer who knows how to place emphasis in the right areas to have the finished piece end in a sale.

It is tougher than it sounds.

By: Tony Mannor

Tony Mannor — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:32:56 +0000

So true, so true.

The only thing I would be cautious about is the part about the creative brief. We do one that is more internal than an external marketing piece (for non-clients to review). And ours is more of a work production flow document. I would hesitate to throw that out to a potential client. It would be like showing them your underwear

However, showing them a sample creative brief with a description of your production flow would be something that I would feel totally comfortable sharing.

I also like #12 – I used to work for an old southern gentleman who was full of old but true axioms. One that still sticks with me is “If all you have is a hammer, then all your problems look like nails.” I do think that the internet should be a component and we always throw in the option of a microsite to our clients, it is usually part of a broader campaign strategy. Plus microsites are awesome for tracking effectiveness. The analytic data is superior to almost anything else. Plus they are amazingly affordable.

Jeff, as always – you are a scholar and a gentleman. Excellent post!