Agency Search: the chemistry process and ten key questions to ask

During most agency searches, considerable emphasis is placed on the functional capabilities of the agencies you’re evaluating: Size, scope, and capabilities, balanced against strategic and / or creative proof points – all weighed against an acceptable financial model. But just like any interview process, marketers should dig deeper to find out if the chemistry between prospective agency(s) and their marketing teams is strong enough to stand the test of time. An agency that looks good on paper or appears to tick all the proverbial boxes, may end up being a disaster if client facing agency resources and marketing teams don’t actually like each other.

Is it time marketers rethink agency competitive conflicts of interest?

A major and complex issue for marketers when looking for new agencies, or going to market with a tender, is concerns over conflict of interest. That is, not wanting to select an agency that already has a client that is a competitor. But what constitutes a competitive conflict will vary from advertisers to advertiser and category to category. It will also increasingly vary as the relationships between advertisers and their agencies evolve. Some categories are incredibly broad in what constitutes a conflict, such as financial services or alcoholic beverages, and therefore can quickly limit the choice of agencies without conflicts.