Posted
In my experience there is great potential for miscommunication and confusion when clients and agencies work together. These two groups come from opposite ends of the spectrum. Often times, the client has little to no experience in marketing their brand effectively, but they know every little detail about their customers. The agency, on the other hand, has extensive experience in marketing, but they don't know the first thing about their client's business.
Both groups are eager to jump in and make a change, but they each approach the project from different angles. Because of this each group brings their own "baggage" to the table. Let me clarify…
The Good, Bad and Ugly
Agencies tend to "marry" their ideas and forget that they are NOT the target market. They can get so close to their work that any negative response is taken as a personal insult. I have seen creatives completely shut down when they are faced with criticism. I have even know agencies to FIRE CLIENTS because they didn't follow creative instruction to their satisfaction!
Clients on the other hand have been working in their business for years. This close proximity makes it easy for them to forget why they came to the agency in the first place. Think about it… does it make sense to go to a doctor's office and then after receiving the diagnosis ignore the treatment options? Many times this happens in advertising. Clients ask for guidance, but when proposals are presented the client falls back to what they have always done. If they do decide to act on some of the suggestions they overanalyze every aspect of the campaign until all of the creativity is boiled out of it.
Overcoming obstacles, together
So how do we overcome these obstacles? Is it possible for both the client and agency to be pleased with campaign results? In order for this to happen I believe that these two groups must seek a mutual and intimate understanding of each other's business and goals. The agency and the client should become best friends; always searching for ways to strengthen their relationship and allow for growth on both sides. They should have complete trust in one another and be confident in the fact that they are looking out for the other's best interests.
In my experience, the best campaigns start when everyone approaches the project with an open mind. The agency comes in with a respect for the client, an urge to learn every detail of their business and a desire to not only identify the target, but get inside their heads. Likewise, the client approaches the project willing and open to all suggestions, no matter how unconventional they may be. If the ideas turn out to be unfeasible then they can be tweaked, but nothing kills the creative spirit more than immediate rejection without constructive feedback. In short, both sides should be fully aware of their shortcomings and have a willingness to cooperate in order to make the campaign succeed.
What We Believe
At TradeMark Advertising we believe that every brand has a story and it is our job to tell it. With every client we start by taking ourselves out of the picture by evaluating the company's history, target market and desired outcomes. We present several ideas, monitor progress, and if necessary, make changes along the way. We're open and honest about every aspect of your project because we're in business to make YOU succeed. At the end of the day it's not about how many awards we can rack up or how nice our portfolio looks, because if we are in business to make our clients succeed all of those other things will fall into place.
We know that your brand is important. That's why we want to partner with you… to learn your story and help you turn it into a best-seller.