A Pathway to Harmony / Reframing Agency Reviews

Through my 34-year journey as an Agency Review Consultant, I’ve witnessed firsthand the profound evolution of our industry—from traditional agencies and mass communications to the groundbreaking impact of digital marketing, and now to the era of mind-blowing tech-empowered personalization driven by automation and amplified by AI.

Throughout this profound evolution of our industry—and of society, itself—one constant truth has remained unwavering: harmonious client agency partnerships yield the most remarkable results.

In my perspective, harmony lies at the core of any thriving relationship, be it a personal relationship or corporate partnership. Cultivated through trust, harmony becomes the driving force that nurtures growth and propels us forward.

But what does harmony truly mean in the context of a corporate partnership? Harmony, in this sense, represents the stimulative interplay between marketers and agencies, where open communication, shared objectives, and a profound understanding of each other's perspectives thrive. It’s important to acknowledge that harmony does not necessarily mean equality, as both parties bring unique strengths, perspectives, and distinct but intertwined needs and goals.

Regrettably, marketers often approach agencies as buyers of services, unintentionally causing agencies to respond as performative sellers. This walls-up dynamic creates a substantial communication gap, hindering understanding, fostering guesswork, and undermining the very foundation of a partnership.

These transactional-style searches yield more of a rejection process rather than a true selection process—resulting in the choice of the last agency standing, and not necessarily the best-fitting solution. This wasteful model—which I’m guilty of having engaged in—leaves no one truly satisfied and has led to extensive discussions on altering or eliminating the process altogether in favor of test-and-grow, short-term agency engagements.

It's impractical to entirely scrap agency reviews; marketers will always require a means to evaluate potential partners. Instead, we must redefine the purpose of agency reviews, transcending the traditional notion that they are mere "searches." Let’s reframe agency reviews as transformative pathways that forge enduring partnerships, driving innovation, creativity, and extraordinary success.

At Hasan + Shumaker, we approach Agency Reviews with harmony as the ultimate objective. Here are some examples from our playbook, which you can apply to foster harmony in your upcoming review process:

Collaborative Due Diligence:

Replace the conventional Request for Information (RFI) process with live briefings and collaborative meetings. This approach enables meaningful exchanges that delve beyond surface-level information. Start by interviewing 5-6 qualified agencies after doing some research on your own. Fully brief the two or three agencies that you connect with best and keep the conversation flowing.

Continuous Feedback and Open Access:

Rather than limiting post-brief communication, empower agency candidates with relevant insights. Guide them in team selection and coach them through their preparation. The prevailing method has agencies blindly guessing, in hopes of luckily winning. By bridging the information gap, you enhance understanding and enable agencies to deliver their best. Effective communication forms a crucial component of harmonious client-agency relationships.

Respectful Timelines:

Prioritize respect and fairness by establishing timelines that consider the workload of agencies, working around their existing commitments—pledge to work around holidays and existing commitments. This approach cultivates an environment of mutual appreciation.

Compensation Alignment with SOW Flexibility:

We advocate for open and transparent discussions on scope and compensation prior to agency selection. However, it is rare to know the full scope of a new partnership, making proposal pricing a challenge for competing agencies. Hence, gain alignment on compensation parameters before agency selection, incorporating flexibility for adjustments in scope and pricing post-selection. Adaptability and flexibility in compensation and scope promote enduring partnerships that evolve with changing needs and/or opportunities.

Supportive Integration:

The onboarding and integration phase of any new partnership is critical for long-term harmony. This is when promises made become promises kept—by both parties, not solely the agency. Clients make promises, too, but theirs are rarely acknowledged; things like promising to communicate often and clearly, promising to pay on time, promising to provide direct feedback even when it doesn’t feel constructive. If you aren’t aware of your promises, you’ll eventually break them, creating unintentional strain in your partnership.

Despite the technological tilt in our industry, it’s human interactions that either foster harmony or erode trust. Hence, when conducting an agency review, focus less on cultivating a competitive environment and more on providing authentic feedback, sowing the seeds of trust. By reframing the selection process as an engaging onramp to a prolific partnership, this approach emphasizes collaboration, two-way transparency, and mutual understanding as indispensable ingredients for enduring partnerships.

I realize the notion of harmony in a corporate partnership is idealistic thinking, but it’s practical advice when seeding a new partnership. I’ve applied this methodology with hundreds of marketers—over 20% of our clients have partnered with their agency for 12 years, or more, while the median tenure of all our clients is 7.5 years, far surpassing industry norms. This longevity stands as a testament to the power of setting foundational harmony in the review process.

Why does longevity matter? Industry studies consistently demonstrate that long-term client-agency relationships result in superior campaign outcomes and greater overall business performance. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has revealed that long-term partnerships yield higher levels of trust, creativity, and collaboration. A survey conducted by The Drum underscores this, revealing that 81% of marketers believe strong agency-client relationships have a positive impact on campaign success. Additionally, a study by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) highlighted that agencies with long-term client relationships outperform those with shorter engagements, reinforcing the enduring value of harmonious partnerships.

I invite you to connect with me, share your insights, and join me in reframing the agency review process to transform our industry—one partnership at a time!

#partnership #cmoinsights #newbusiness #marketing #harmony #CMO #ana #4as