The forgotten art of crediting your agency
Everytime I see a marketer showcase their latest campaign, I always scan to see if they have tagged their agency or their agency partners. 90% of the time they don’t. I am not talking small agencies. Some of the biggest agencies don’t get credited in their client posts.
Same is the case with press releases. You can tell when the company has done the press release vs when the agency has done it. The client release rarely mentions the agency even in the body of the release. Forget the headline. The agency press release always has the brand name in the headline plus a quote from the CMO and the entire release is thoroughly vetted not only by the marketing team but in a lot of cases even the legal team.
Why does this happen?
Client releases are often coordinated with external PR teams and rarely does the agency get to have a say in the framing of the release. The emphasis in such cases is usually on the brand and the company behind it.
When agencies do the press release, it’s understood that they will obviously put their name in the headline because a lot of clients work with multiple agencies. Credit is important because it is both an acknowledgement and an appreciation of the effort.
Coming to individual client posts, I have my own assumptions but it probably wouldn’t be fair to generalise since every marketer has a different mindset.
My request to marketeers and to media outlets which publish releases is simple: please acknowledge the agency. Not because we all want a pat on the back but because if you call us partners and not vendors, then take our name in the same breath that you take your brand’s.
Fair?
PS: This isn’t a complaint and none of our clients are guilty of this behaviour. This is a statement of the reality in the industry and a request for representation at the main table.
Such a valuable perspective, Tej! Aligning agency plans with CEO/CMO goals can indeed drive more effective results. What strategies do you find most impactful in ensuring this alignment?