We are involved in two new business pitches right now so I thought I would share some quick tips on hiring an ad agency.
Hip Shot
- Don’t — it’s usually easier and cheaper to ask the incumbent for a meaningful plan to address your concerns.
Meet with agency management, give them a fair chance to solve the problem. You don’t want to lose the institutional memory that resides in the staff who have worked on your business.
You also don’t want to be known as a serial client. Serial clients change their ad agency every two or three years. Sometimes for frequently. Agencies know who the serial clients are. They don’t get great work from either the incumbent or the newcomer. The agency you hire will look to maximize profit on your account because they’re assuming there won’t be future revenue.
If you must make a change, don’t have an ad agency and have determined you need one, or you are introducing a new product and want another group to look at the business problem, here are a few simple things/steps to keep in mind.
Hip Shot
- Can do — do the companies you are considering have the basic capabilities you need to get the job done?
This question can be answered with a well written RFI. As an aside, stop calling an RFI an RFP. Step one is a request for information, for the agency’s resume, the proposal, if it’s even needed, comes later.
Determine the capabilities you need and ask questions in the RFI that explore these areas. If you need big, ask about size. If you need multimedia, then ask about that. If there is a list of competitors that you won’t consider having on the agency’s roster then provide the list.
The goal is to determine a short list of teams that can do the job. The goal isn’t to make the potential agency break its back answering esoteric questions that don’t have anything to do with your real needs.
“They make us hate them before we start working for them.”
Hip Shot
- Will do — will the new agency do the work in a way that adds more value than you are currently receiving?
Craft a request for proposal that allows you to see how they think and work. The RFP should be a logical extension of the RFI. Provide a complete brief so that the agencies have enough information to craft a meaningful response. Offer a stipend for the work. Whatever you offer won’t cover the agency’s cost but it sends a strong message, it shows you value the work an agency provides and believe they should be compensated fairly. Give them enough time to execute against the brief.
Your goal here is to find the short list, the two or three agencies that will be able to really help you.
Hip Shot
- Fit — does the agency’s personality fit your corporate culture? Do you like them?
This is the last and most important step in the search. Once again a lot depends on what you are looking for but keep in mind hiring an agency should be a long-term decision. (See serial clients above.)
If it’s a large agency ask to meet the people who will lead the account. If it’s a small agency don’t bother asking to meet the day-to-day folks. A small agency won’t have the bench to honestly show you who will be on the account. Concentrate on the agency principles and determine how they would engage in your business.
This should be a face-to-face meeting at their office. Ask them to present their RFP response. Go to lunch but don’t ask them to pay. (See stipend above.) Take the time to understand how each agency will fit with your company’s culture and with your team. A good fit is in everyone’s best interest.
Share your agency search horror stories in the comments. I have a bunch so I’m sure you do too.
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The bottom line is that if you are having problems with your existing agency because you are not happy with their people, just ask them to change the people working on your account. It’s such a waste of time and effort to brief a new agency. let your existing agency brief the new people on your account.