At times, we get calls for help from client-side marketers who have grown frustrated by hotshot agencies which won’t answer their calls or emails during the agency search and selection process. These client-side marketers will have started out by consulting the various agency award show winner listings when making up their agency shortlist, become enthusiastic about 5-10 of the regularly applauded firms and then subsequently have made contact only to then be disappointed when the award-winning firm(s) went silent.
So, why do hotshot firms behave in this way? If we were a journalist, we would knock on agencies’ doors and solicit edgy verbatim comments, but as we’re not, we’ll just have to allow for our own subjective views informed by FindGood’s interactions with hotshot agencies and our years working within agencies and managing the agency search and selection process. In many cases, hotshot agencies are unresponsive because:
- They can have their pick of briefs and yours isn’t a perfect fit. They wish only to work with those firms which fit their ideal new business profile (often large, prestigious brands which are known to allow much creative liberty, or briefs with large budgets and forgiving production timelines).
- They’re stretched too thin. As the saying goes, ‘make hay while the sun shines’. Inundated with new and interesting briefs immediately upon receiving awards, many firms will find themselves with little to no capacity and unable to scale quickly enough to take-on all briefs which present themselves while maintaining their quality standards.
- They’re in the midst of a merger. Mergers and acquisitions are common within the industry and recent award-winning agencies will often receive interest from holding groups and others immediately upon proving their worth via producing a string of noteworthy campaigns. The timings and conditions of their imminent change in ownership will at times lead agencies to appear hot and cold in quick succession.
So, yes, of course, consider award winners amongst others for the agency shortlist. But, don’t take it personally when they aren’t quite so responsive as the small, relatively unknown, but eager marketing agency around the corner. And if you haven’t yet found that agency around the corner, we’ll be happy to introduce you…
