As lead at South West Marketing Leaders (a group supported by CIM South West and Bristol Media), CIM South West board member and Stuff Advertising MD Jonnie Galvin-Wright, reviews findings from three events in the autumn on the client agency relationship.

Findings were based on primary research conducted by the Applied Marketing Group at Bristol Business School, University of the West of England led by Professor Tim Hughes and Dr Mario Vafeas. Jonnie highlights some of the key findings that can lead to more harmonious and productive relationships.

1. Briefs
• Get sign-off by all stakeholders before the creative work begins.
• Be collaborative – produced by client, refined by agency with the client on board.
• 10-15 pages of a brief is not brief – can it be more succinct.
• Recognise that a client feels anxious about output if agency hasn’t questioned the original brief.
• An ‘Immersion’ phase on bigger projects is helpful, but is the client prepared to pay?

2. Presenting creative work
• A one-route solution is feasible, if the client expectations are managed early but several routes can help the client pinpoint what they want (and what they don’t want), refer to brief process!
• Sometimes there is more than one answer to a brief, each with equal worth.

3. Housekeeping
• Always set expectations at the start.
• Always offer an ‘induction’ to how the agency works.
• Always maintain transparency and communication, particularly regarding costs and time.
• Understand that an account manager must adapt management style to client.

4. Understand client niggles
• Agencies don’t always ask enough questions.
• Agencies don’t tell clients what is/isn’t working on a day-to-day basis.
• Sometimes it ‘just has to be done ’ and clients expect agencies to fall into line.
• Don't let Agency costs become unrealistic, unanticipated and worst of all opportunistic.
• Sometimes the Agency just can’t have more time.
• Always allow for direct contact with creative people.

5. Understand the experience and nature of the agency/ client team.
• More inexperienced clients and agency staff are not always trained to manage relationships or evaluate creative work.
• Inductions are helpful.
• Understand that clients can differentiate between agency types, and will manage them differently.
• Ultimately Agencies are disposable. That's the law of the jungle!
• Trust is the number 1 basis of a commercial relationship.
• It is often based on interpersonal relationships.
• Staff turnover at agency means, loss of trust and loss of knowledge.
• This is not helped if staff turnover is poorly communicated to client.

6. Quick wins to successful client / agency relationships
• Understand the macro factors.
• As an agency do your homework on the client’s business.
• Be honest – Is this a relationship that can work?
• Commit wholeheartedly.
• Have common goals.
• Review regularly.

Some descriptionThe findings also used some secondary data such as Forbes in the US which found that 62% of clients admitted that they now view agencies as suppliers, and that today’s relationships are no longer a partnership.

A final note - clients and Agencies should be wary about how business is being done in the future too. The Forbes survey for instance suggested that the fragmentation of the marketing mix will push toward the emergence of non-traditional agency partners. Clients, it seems, are looking for alternative solutions to their current partnerships. This of course was exactly what Patrick Collister (Google’s Head of Design) was talking about at the recent Vision conference in Bristol when he talked about Agencies and clients creating mixed account, client and creative teams to work on marketing on a day-to-day business. That is a new model for the agency and marketing industries all together.

Jonnie Galvin-Wright is managing director of Stuff Advertising (www.stuffadvertising.com) and a CIM South West board member.