The Brandcast

In a time where all brand communication strategy is mission-critical, one must be careful with the initial selection of an Advertising and Marketing agency. Hiring the wrong group to consult with creatively could be a waste of money and time.

There are, from an insider’s perspective, several ways to evaluate and select the right partner for any businesses’ marketing efforts.

“What has agency X done for their clients lately?” Is probably one of the best questions to ask. There are many good agencies with smart people working for them, that might not have the heritage one would expect. Rather than focusing on legacy, examine recent efforts for quality and effectiveness. It might sound important when a 30 year-old agency talks about a big past campaign, but maybe not. Advertising changes, as does the employee pool in a given office. If a business is romanced by an agency boasting the results of a big fancy ad campaign from 22 years ago…RUN! The people responsible for those brilliant ideas are not likely to still be there. While a legacy of quality and value is important, and usually speaks to that group’s internal high criteria for hiring new employees, remember to evaluate their most recent work for quality and effectiveness.

In the cases of both the fledgling and established ad shops, try to ask who, specifically, was involved with the campaign you are looking at. Artists, designers and writers usually work in teams, but each individual lends unique and specific talents to the final look of a project. Remove just one, and the creative chemistry might change.

Ask a creative employee why they made certain creative decisions. There are usually two types of answers:

“Oh man, I just love the way that color made me feel when I picked it out.”

Or

“I believe the color we chose made sense based on the target market due to the following reasons….”

Maybe this example is a bit extreme, but it should be easier to get the idea. Some artists are dreamers, which is fine when strategy is not involved. Other designers, writers and artists view their creativity as a means to a very strategic end–an end that will increase a businesses’ bottom line if executed as planned.

It’s also important to chose people that are up-to-date with technology. There are million potential mishaps from increased production costs to outdated or incompatibility issues that might arise if a group still relies on drafting tables and carrier piegons.

The most important indicator one can sense during the agency selection process is trust. Nobody will ever be happy with a final strategic result if they can’t shake that nagging feeling that can be caused by various issues from bad interpersonal communication to shady billing practices. Don’t trust a group? Then it’s probably not a good idea to get involved.
Finally, if great recent past results, intelligent-sounding employees and trust are in ample supply, it’s time to get ready and… sit back. Some clients become so involved in each detail of the campaign, frustration abounds and the creative process is both altered and inhibited. When hiring an agency, one can expect the best only by letting them give their best.
I won’t start telling past client horror stories involving the phrase “my wife doesn’t like blue!” But it’s important, after careful selection of your agency, to let them do what they do best: get creative.