The differences between agencies is not as big as the award shows would have you believe. Most agencies are actually capable of doing great work if given the right brief. It is often the client, not just the agency, that makes the difference and determines the quality of the advertising. As David Ogilvy wrote in the seminal Confessions of An Advertising Man, “Every client gets what they deserve.” In other words, there are no inherently good agencies or bad agencies, just smart clients and mediocre clients. This is why the same agency can do great work for one client, and bad work for another.
The most important thing a client can do is to inspire the agency by setting the bar really high. Marketers shouldn’t be afraid to ask for the audacious results. Establishing ambition is critical. Agencies may be somewhat risk-averse at first as they, consciously or unconsciously, probe the client’s “comfort zone” at the beginning of a relationship. Agencies try to figure out what kind of ideas the client would be open to and how far will they go.
Giving the agency a great brief is a must but that, in and of itself, is not enough to unleash its creativity. A client should have the stomach for risk taking and, if necessary, a willingness to push the agency to go further with the ideas they present the first or second time out. Great clients emancipate their agency from fear of failing.
A good client will form the context for an agency relationship. Over the years, I found out that partnerships with great creative culture had these characteristics in common:
Untidiness: A lot of the best conversations happen in between meetings and some of the best decisions are made based on gut reaction. That’s how customers will react to ideas in the real world. When relationships are less structured, more intuitive, and decisions made faster, the interaction is often better. Spontaneity begets big ideas, so don’t be afraid if the process is a little messy.
Informality: A culture of creativity starts with friendship and trust, and with blurred lines between client and agency. Marketers should cultivate a strong personal relationship with the creative people. A lot great ideas start over a drink, or a meal together, not in the conference room. I can tell you, without hesitation, that those clients who gravitate toward creative people will see better work, because the best people in the agency will fight to work on their business.
Candor: Being frank and direct can be uncomfortable when discussing creative ideas because it feels personal, and there are feelings involved. But, in being candid and giving agencies straightforward feedback, marketers can save time and frustration for all involved. If the idea is dead on arrival, be clear about that. Don’t let them waste time on something that has no chance of moving forward. Give the agency guardrails for the work, pick one horse quickly and concentrate on making that idea great.
Streamline: Benjamin Franklin famously said, "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days." It takes a bit longer with advertising, but the concept is the same. Advertising has an expiration date, expressed in the enthusiasm of the agency for the idea. The longer the clock ticks, the more likely it is to lose momentum. Streamline the approval process and keep meetings small so they are more productive, especially for a high stakes project. And limit the number of revisions. There is nothing agency people hate more than an approval process that drags on and on.
Champion: Over the years I’ve found that the best advertising is created where there is senior client hands-on involvement, from brief to final approval. Ideally, you want to have the person who can say “Yes” to the idea in the room throughout the process, and not go through a gauntlet of junior people who are empowered to simply say “No” and chip away at it.
Marketers need to evaluate their relationships in the context of today’s hyper-complex ecosystem and determine whether it can weather the challenge. If they don’t think they can be candid or informal with their agency partners, it may be time to reevaluate those relationships.
