In marketing, the difference between an exceptional/average outcome is often the quality of work that the agency partner delivers. But today’s process of selecting an agency is broken and a huge time/energy sucker for all involved. Today, most creative agencies are selected through a creative pitch. A brand would invite 10-12 agencies and ask them to pitch. It would usually result in advertising agencies spending weeks to work on campaign ideas and culminate in a presentation to the CMO/CEO Agencies spend almost 40-50% of their time creating pitch decks. It is a monumental waste of time and effort. And I do not think getting creative folks to come up with ideas( without them spending enough time with you and your consumers to understand the business and get insights) does any good to the business But the cost of selecting the wrong agency partner is high. So, is there a better way? This is what we have successfully followed so far To make an agency partnership work, you need to ensure 3 things a) Technical Expertise and Previous Experience To understand technical expertise, go deep into their most successful campaign. Ask them what was the marketing objective of the campaign. How did the marketing objective get translated into the communication objective? What was the consumer insight? How did they unearth the insight? How did this insight flow into the script? What were the measurable outcomes of the campaign? Would they do anything different if they could go back and do the campaign again? b) Alignment in Thought Process To understand alignment in thought process, again look at previous examples. If you as a marketer believe that consistency in brand is most important parameter, look at the most successful brands that they handle. Did they maintain consistency in the core messaging, or did it change every year? Also ask them about their thoughts on the category and how they think about the category. If there is a lot of misalignment, it will be difficult to get them to commit to the kind of work you would want c) Involvement of the Right People The people who pitch for the business might not be people who work on the brand Always ask for the team who is going to actually work on the brand. Interact with them. Think of them as extended team members. If they are not qualified/interested enough to work on the brand, there is a chance the outcome won’t be great. Just like you would often check for vibe/culture fit while hiring, do the same here as well for the 2-3 key people who will be working on the brand The entire process would at best take 8-10 hours of intense time commitment from both the brand and the agency side. And if all brands start doing this, the entire ecosystem will be at an advantage. Instead of wasting their time on creative pitches, agencies can dedicate that time to delivering exceptional outcomes for their existing brands 😊
Devranjan Dash
6mo
My Thoughts:- What is the ask in her Arindam Paul; Atomberg Technologies and #VC's of of Atomberg Technologies is to hire a #Marketer and why so? Why Organisation hire Agency's? Because they act as extension of Arms and Legs in getting conceptualisation creation & execution done but never ever supposed to be Brain because that is what the #Marketing team supposed to be?. So if they are extensions that is Hands and limbs to expect them to do Brain work that is Technical Expertise/ Provide Direction isn't it like expecting Hands to Think while the using the Brains to carve and Hammer? Sorry the effective way of Agency evaluation is - The Wide range of Industry segments that they worked and the type of cross learnings that they are able to bring it on table instead of having experience working with competition , then #fire your #Marketing and #product team - Are they adept is managing multi-dimensional needs i.e carpentry experience with Painting the creative flavour they are able to add to your ideas. No wonder , why there is chasm between Agency and Brands? Because Brands think they are hiring Brains aka Agency while they should be the Brains driving the Agencies agree with Madan Kamath
Surajit Guha
6mo
True that. Agencies are known and celebrated for finding 'new ways' to make a brand/business prosper. But as a community we have yet to find a new way to replace or improve this flawed business model where you offer 'custom-made solutions for free' without any commitment or contract (on the IP) from the potential buyer. The feeling of getting short-changed and the agony will continue till we find a new way to sell our services.
Very well articulated Arindam. A communication strategy deeply connected to consumer insights is a potent combination. I also think that lot of times ,pitches are very generic with platitudes on how consumer will emotionally react ( say a brand name or logo etc) which are not measurable and hence one can't calculate an ROI on it. Any creatives on a product should be feature based, addressing pain points resulting in a feel good.these can come only through insights through experience. I might be wrong but I believe that consumer experience with product should enhance the brand name and logo and not the other way around. Just my thoughts( Not a brand guy)
Aman Agrawal
6mo
Category expertise and knowledge are hugely undervalued. As an agency, If I understand the apparel category better, it automatically doesn't make me a great fit for the food industry and vice versa. From the top the tactics, and strategies remain more or less, but we speak to different sets of people so it's really important to understand what motivates them to buy. Which you only know by working in a category for a while.
Not that I'm into ads or any sort of content campaigns, but it's marketing... and don't we all have tips for marketers? 😅🤣 Would these make sense too? 1. Ask about their biggest campaigns that failed. 2. Ask the ad campaign (something not by their agency) that they hate the most, but is a successful ad campaign. 3. If you've executed campaigns earlier, show it to them, and look for their thoughts/opinion about it (they don't have the performance data, but you have them, and so, their opinion on those campaigns can reveal a lot on how well they understand your niche and your audience/customers).
Sandeep Das
6mo
Very thoughtful and beautifully written post. The pitching process is broken on both sides and a huge waste of time and effort as you have rightfully pointed out. Every pitch is inherently biased, which can never be removed 100%. But implementing some of your ideas should reduce this bias. I have worked on both sides of the fence. Many a time clients don’t have a strong reason for opening a pitch. On the other hand, most agencies are not even qualified to participate in respective pitches they approach. The complete puzzle of acronyms and catchphrases that now define marketing add to this confusion.
Rohit Ramesh
6mo
It's refreshing to see a practical and more efficient approach to selecting agency partners in the marketing industry. Focusing on technical expertise, alignment in thought process, and involving the right people makes a lot of sense. This approach not only saves valuable time but also helps ensure a better fit and stronger collaboration. It's a win-win for both brands and agencies, and it certainly promotes a healthier and more productive ecosystem. 😊
Shraddha Sriram
6mo
Generating creative concepts is just the first step in crafting an effective marketing campaign. To transform those ideas into reality, you need a deep understanding of the industry landscape, business objectives, and target audience. Without this comprehensive knowledge, even the most innovative strategies may fail to resonate with your intended audience, rendering them ineffective and unproductive
I sell bikes, after 15+ years selling soaps, toothpaste, alcohol & lipstick. You?
6moHere’s an alternative for Brands: Calling 10 to 12 agencies is a red flag that the brand doesn’t know what it wants. Figure that out first. Have a pitch fee. Call out your budget, your goals; and your media budget: This will get the right number of interested parties; those that will have skin in the game. Don’t interrogate their past work. Folks change, brand objectives change, not everything is linear. The same folks won’t even work on the account, and most importantly, its privileged information. Instead give a clear brief and evaluate clarity in thinking during the pitch. Clarify questions in a pre call. Brands that are honest, fair and clear, often get the kind of folks they deserve.