Its time that we trust each other
How can both clients and agencies redress the imbalance in their relationships, where are they going wrong as they face difficult challenges, budget cuts and changing market conditions?
David Wheldon former brand director of Vodafone recently stated that “marketing is one of the worlds most fascinating professions” and it is and one to be celebrated and enjoyed not winged about and condemed.
Stop saying marketing has changed: it hasn’t, the channels have altered, as have the opportunities for consumer feedback. But essentially you still need to know the brand’s values, you still have to know and understand your supply chain, know the value of your proposition, and you have to know who your customers are - and that is no different from ten, fifteen , or twenty years ago.
As the Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ says “your brand is what people say about it when you are not in the room” - it essentially boils down to customer experience, the product is the best marketing you have and the consumer is the best channel. Word of mouth has amplified the challenges, but the rules of marketing are still the same. there should be no excuses, Consumers have always been in control, no one forces them to buy anything!
It is fashionable to kick the agency, but those in the marketing community are worse when they complain the marketing function is not taken seriously. If it is not at the top of the company’s agenda, it isn’t delivering as it should be.
The client-agency relationship is also far to imbalanced with too many agencies feeling the pinch thanks to the recession and have the joy of “sharing the pain” with their clients, but don’t actually get a share of the gain when times are better.
Few clients are willing to open up- although agencies are not always ready to take the risks when it is offered - the client still holds the cards.
Clients are also playing a clear role in the law of diminishing returns, there is an increasing need for agency help but most client budgets are going south, Agnecies can’t help themselves, they are always too willing to do things for less normally at the expense of another unfortunate client.
Real collaboration and relationship is the key, Honesty and pragmatism is the way forward. But listening and valuing each other has to be an overiding requirment.
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