You’ve selected a marketing agency! After navigating through the chemistry checks and seeing your decade’s fill of Powerpoint inside two weeks, you’ve finally arrived at a decision. Champagne! Take a breath…and let the real work begin.
Just like any relationship, it’s important for client/marketing agency relationships to be based on common understanding and agreement rather than assumptions. So, while it may seem polite to avoid tricky topics upfront and drink more celebratory champagne, there will never be a better opportunity to cover-off the formalities. So, with this in mind, we’d suggest client-side marketers discuss the following topics with their newly appointed marketing agency partners…
- Timeline. Agree timeline for development (and launch) (Note: Some of the steps will be vague as, in many cases, deciding the direction will be necessary before specifics may be confirmed. Example steps: agree strategy, or budget splits according to agreed route)
- Costs. Clarify hourly ratecard to be used in calculating estimates for the agency’s services (Note: some clients choose to negotiate this as part of the pitch, before formal award).
- Confidentiality. As necessary, all parties should sign an Non-Disclosure Agreement and agencies may be asked to agree not to work with the client-firm’s specified competitors simultaneously. Also, many client-firms opt to stipulate a time period the agency must wait before representing a competitor should either party choose to dissolve the relationship (Note: this is often masked as a mutually agreed notice period).
- Rights. Agree who owns the rights to the native [creative] assets the agency develops on client-firm’s behalf and how, when and under what circumstances those native assets would be made available to the client firm. If there are costs for this, agree them upfront.
- Contact Matrix. Agree team and day-to-day contact hierarchy within the agency and the client-firm. (Note: Clients will ideally ensure an acceptable proportion of their primary contacts’ time will be available to them during the first month(s) of their relationship for on-boarding and coordination.) Set ground rules for who contacts whom and when (Note: each key contact person within the client firm should have an appropriate-level primary contact and escalation point within the agency and vice versa).
- Reporting. Agree to a project reporting schedule and frequency (Ex. Will you have weekly calls, email updates or meet in person). Also agree who, agency-side, will provide updates on project status, how often and in what form. And, client-side, agencies will wish to confirm who will receive their updates within the client firm and facilitate information gathering, etc. to fulfill agency needs?
- Jargon Key. To avoid confusion early-on, clients and agencies sometimes find a joint jargon/abbreviation dictionary helpful. They often include the top (20-50) terms continually used, but unknown to outsiders. This type of guide is also very helpful in on-boarding new agency-side or client-side team members.
- Staff Permanence. Clients often site agency-side churn and frequent internal handovers from one person to another as their primary reason for moving their business. Given this, client-side marketers often consider agreeing a core team (with names) and guaranteed commitment periods upfront (assuming no turnover) and set out to better understand critical agency employees’ notice periods upon awarding their business.
And with all those contractual formalities out of the way, everyone’s minds will be clear to discuss the ‘fun stuff’! As we work with blue-chip as well as small independent firms, our clients within small start-up firms often ask us for advice on which topics should be a part of their on-boarding agenda in the early-days following appointment of their marketing agency partner. If you’re new to marketing, but in charge of your firm’s selection of a marketing agency, reviewing the points below in advance of your first meeting with your newly appointed marketing agency will help you to be in the right mindset to contribute to early meetings.
Newly appointed marketing agencies and their clients should aim to confirm the following during their first months of working together:
- Brand. Full brand debrief to establish brand tenants (and facility tour, as relevant)
- Audience. Agree target audience profile(s) and relevant insights
- Approach. Agree strategy and final creative brief which will motivate the agency’s creative teams to do good work for your brand
- Measurement. Agree realistic goals and measurement criteria
And with all these points covered, let the champagne flow!
