PS: Live Young

Another question: how do you keep up with what's going on?

OK, I shall follow your theme of brevity as I think you can see some of how I keep up to speed in my other postings.

Apart from reading various publications, I subscribe to a number of blogs which give me an overview of what’s going on. Some of them are listed on the right. You need to tap into what people are currently thinking and saying. I know Passive-Aggressive Notes is a little left of field (really here only for entertainment) but is a good example of real people doing real, unedited things - for example in the office space; hence the photo above. The industry blogs are great for other reasons but you cannot beat raw behaviour and thought – not filtered through clinical analysis or industry-speak. Make sure you grasp what motivates your people. If you need to really understand what’s going on, talk to them - go to the source. Talking of the source, Adverblog recently showed the Paul Smith Evian vid. For somebody from the North who went frequently to Nottingham and always made his way to one particular shop, I have admired Paul Smith and looked to him for inspiration. His mantra at the end of the short film and his “yesterday’s papers” comment in the middle are spot-on for those looking for new ideas:

Fun Time

How come a particular client will go to corporate hospitality events of another agency but we can’t manage it?

Yes, this is nightmare territory – the potential for stronger relationships and the equal likelihood of squandered money. The simple answer, to quote a movie line, is that you just ain’t doing it right. The more complicated one takes a bit longer to explain. Actually the fact that the other agency has succeeded shows that the client is on for such entertainment in the first place. You just have to work out how you can make it work for your agency.

First of all, you have to decide what you are trying to get out of your corporate hospitality. Is it stronger day-to-day team relationships, connection with a new senior decision maker or change in agency perceptions? For example, if it is a stronger client-agency team you may want to consider something interactive. This can range from activities like outsourced management survival courses to a few beers and ten-pin bowling. If it is change in agency perceptions, it may be more work-based and be a breakfast or evening seminar for a number of clients where the content is geared around something which the clients will be interested in and a revered outside speaker takes the lead. Getting Rory Sutherland to be his entertaining self may be easier if you are part of WPP or arranging for Robert Peston to speak about the economy may pay off with senior clients you are wishing to impress.

You also need to get the tone and timing right. In my experience, getting clients to come to events has seemed harder over the last few years and with the current “post crunch” pressures in every client organisation, it is becoming even more problematic. So making sure you are designing the right type of event is even more essential. Clients will only come if they really want to come. Therefore see it from your clients’ perspective. Are we talking about a breakfast session of intellectual discussion or a drunken evening culminating with your MD showing off his exclusive party trick of setting fire to his Sambucca-drenched testicles? (I kid you not. I could not make this type of story up!). What would work for your clients? Is the most senior client going to accept/like it? What signals about the agency does it give out to the other clients?

A good friend feels that alcohol is an essential ingredient for corporate entertainment and I tend to agree with him but he goes further by explaining it is a lubricant that enables clients subsequently to award projects to assuage their embarrassing behaviour. Then again he told me the Sambucca story so he moves in slightly different circles. However I do feel you need somebody in your team who is the catalyst for things to happen. They may not always be the most senior but it helps. It may be you....they are the ones without any prompting who get the party started and lead the initially reluctant clients to the dancefloor and get them to enjoy themselves.

Summer entertaining around sports or Christmas parties are laden with timing problems. There are invariably expensive but if you book Goodwood when the Wimbledon semi-finals are on or you schedule your Christmas bash on the night of the main industry awards you may have wasted your money. Time things carefully and consider teaming up with other agencies or suppliers to host a client event (your clients will thank you around Christmas time). Also think about not doing a broadcast event but use the money to do exclusive, discreet things which will have a greater effect. The Claridges Chef’s Table may create a stronger experience with a select client list than the agency team trooping down to Basingstoke to take out the whole marketing department out to the local Café Pasta.

Hope this helps. In the meantime, don’t forget Christmas is around the corner. (and thanks to Holly O’Neil for the photo above).

New World Whine

I mentioned in my last post that I was reading Steve Harrison’s How to Do Better Creative Work. Well I have just finished it and I owe him a "virtual" apology as a few months ago I was talking to someone about the book. My friend had been to the book launch and it was the same day I had a read an extract in Campaign. I can’t remember exactly why I thought this but I had got the impression from the extract that Steve was stuck in a groove and the world had slightly moved on from this viewpoint. Well, I misrepresented him in that conversation and I should set the record straight.

I had intended to read it after that but I intend to do a lot of things. It was only because I pass by a new bookshop called Clerkenwell Tales on my daily walk to work and one day I noticed his book in the window display that I resolved to buy it. The first thing I noticed about it as someone who has had arguments with publishers about pricing of my own books that it was being sold at just under £15. This is definitely a plus point – nobody wants to pay £30-£35 for a book of this type. I also liked that it was well designed inside. Anyway it was a good read, offered real insight and a good breadth of case studies. I would recommend it to anyone engaging with the creative process. Don’t get me wrong, though. I did not always agree with his way of going about things but you don’t get to be one of the most awarded creative directors in the business by appealing to everyone all the time.

The reason why I mention it here again is that I had a lot of sympathy with his concluding chapter in which he encouraged people not to throw out the communications rulebook with what currently seems to be a new age in communications. I am no doubt misrepresenting him again because what I call the rulebook he would probably describe as the sum of valuable learnings gained along the way since the communications industry started to mature.

I think back to April this year when the IPA Excellence Diploma essays were published and the likes of Alex Dunsdon from M&C and Matt Sadler at Euro RSCG got us to think about the consumer communications landscape in a different way. I was genuinely excited about having the chance - through those essays - to think a bit differently about customers, communications and how agencies will need to gear themselves differently around these challenges.

You might think that some of the IPA essays were in direct conflict with what Steve is promoting. Well I am not so sure. There is no doubt that the consumers’ world is changing but we need to look for new approaches through the filter of some of what has gone on before. Our emotions and behaviours have not totally changed – they just have a new contemporary context. Steve’s heroes of Ogilvy and Bernbach did not have our historical perspective. They used their intellectual curiosity, rigour and instinct to master their particular moment. We need to do the same for ours by embracing the new but not throwing out all the old - something we could easily do just because we don’t have the imagination to update its guiding principles to cater for a new challenge.

What that means is that we have to take a look at a number of areas. For example, how does the sacred cow of the brand idea work in this new context? As I am currently in danger of creating a "supersize" posting, this is something I am going to return to in a subsequent blog.

Art Nazi

This is my first agency and I am struggling with the creative head who is assigned to my main account. He does not take me as seriously as he does other colleagues. How can I work better with him?

The issue will be more with him with you if he is the senior in the relationship. He should be making you feel part of the team but that is obviously not happening. I remember the unnerving experience of being an account exec caught in between clients and a stroppy creative team so I know that you will be the one having to work at the relationship.

This would be my 3-pronged attack:

1) Put yourself in his shoes. Are you doing something (or not doing something) which is aggravating the situation? Or is it work overload or another concern on his part? Ask one of the colleagues he does get on with, what is their way to get him on side. Understand what makes him tick and through what you can connect with him.

2) Creative people respond well to those with passion about their work and knowledge of an account. You are in a good position to help the creative head look good in front of the client by providing him uptodate info about the client’s products and what is going on in the marketplace (but do not inundate him – find out whether that would be useful). In terms of being passionate about creative work, maybe he feels you do not understand the creative process enough and have not been exposed to enough work to appreciate the creative perspective. I am currently reading Steve Harrison’s How to Do Better Creative Work and although he has a specific way of seeing things (who would expect anything less..!), he does give an good insight into the creative process. Also I think adverblog is a great way to keep up with new campaigns and the ways creativity is developing.

3) Be patient in your expectations. Things will not change overnight but if you show your worth and use chemistry to connect, things will get better. And remember you are not the first to encounter problems. How do you think cartoon stereotypes come about? See below – of course these "cardboard cutouts" don’t really exist....!

Mind the Gap

Listening to the radio this week, I was surprised to hear that it has been two decades since the release of When Harry Met Sally. Today sees the UK release of the most recent take on boy-girl relationships – 500 Days of Summer - and it is being vaunted as the 21st century version of the Meg Ryan/Billy Crystal film.

I was reminded of the more traditional “Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus” view on relationships when I went to an AAR/BIMA presentation of some agency/client relationship research. Agencies were portrayed as more “touchy feely”, believing that perceptions could be mainly steered by the state of the relationship and clients were more single-minded in their view that performance was everything. In fact, the widening of this gap was one of the main symptoms of a relationship about to break down.

Maybe 500 Days of Summer will give us a few hints to view the state of the 21st century agency/client relationship as well. The dynamics are becoming more complex as both sides re-engineer the traditional model. And as agency-folk know - if we tinker with our client relationships in the wrong way – adding the equivalent of a different soundtrack, giving it an edgier voiceover, we may end up with a monster:

May the Force be with You...

I am an Account Director with great experience in branding but my company does not fully develop digital comms like we would do print materials. I know the basics but I feel I may be being left behind. I want to expand my digital knowledge so I can advise clients with confidence. Do you have any ideas on the best and most effective way to do this?

Good question. I think everyone - from agency CEOs to junior creatives – are struggling with how to keep up with new developments. It’s just that you may feel like the archetypal teenager wanting to lose their cherry because you think everyone of your peers is doing it and you’re not. The digital world is so massive that it makes people who are dealing less with digital solutions feel as though they are missing out. The reality is you are and you are not – you have realised that you could be doing more but there is so much of it, you need to decide what is relevant to you, your client and your agency.
You work in the area of brand and design and I think those agencies – in contrast to other traditional agencies like advertising agencies - are in a very interesting position with regard to structuring themselves for the new challenges all agencies face. They are less constrained by the old art director/copywriter model and have always dialled up and down different resources like design, copy, film, modelmaking according to the brief. This sort of flexibility is what all agencies will need to show a lot more of.

So what can you do personally? Here are just some initial suggestions:

1) Decide what knowledge is relevant to you in your job and mine this vein of info as it will make most sense to you and should bring business benefits. I would start with your clients’ customers and understand how they are using or could be using online to engage with your client’s brand. I would register for Google Alerts (google.com/alerts) so you can see what is being said or not being said on the web about your clients’s brand. You can get more detailed about this by also registering at moreover.com for sector-specific related breaking news. Technorati allows you to set up RSS feeds for blog-generated info if blogs are used frequently to talk about your client’s products (eg mobile phones). In fact, everyone is talking about social networks as the key for brand engagement. They are definitely part of the story but I thought Seth Godin brought a level headed view in a recent debate about how businesses could use them:



2) Because there is so much out there, you need to treat gaining knowledge in this area like learning a language – you will learn more if you have to learn it and it is in a live environment. Like when you are asking the way in Paris and you have to make sure your French is good enough to be understood to find the railway station, I suggest that you choose something which will help you familiarise yourself with some digital channels and force you to engage with them in quite a granular detail. So take one of your interests and see if you can use the web to help you further it. So if you are into cooking, create a blog using one of the easy platforms like Blogger, Wordpress or Typepad to blog about the results of using new recipes. If you have a company or school reunion use Facebook to organise and record it. If you are a mad-keen cyclist, then use Twitter to tell people of your exploits. My point is that these platforms cannot be seen as normal media as they have changed the way people see the world, interact with each other and engage with brands. So you need to interact them with yourself and a little more deeply than just your average customer. In my case with this blog, I have had to learn about online reputation management, website analytics, social bookmarks, coding issues and many more things. Sure if you had asked me about online reputation management, I could have given you the theory and the mechanisms but now I have a much more practical understanding and the continuing need to keep on top of it. And that is helping me think differently about client problems.

3) There are some many great sources in our industry and beyond that will provoke your thinking, you should consider signing up for RSS feeds from the likes of Adverblog, Seth Godin's blog, Digital Connections and mashable.com. Once you have visited a few they will point you in the directions which may be more your style and taste. Also because you will be finding stuff on the web which you will return for reference, you may want to sign up for a bookmarking site. Somebody recommended me Diigo and I find it really easy to use. I don’t share my bookmarks but it is great way to keep a handle on all that you come across which may be of relevance later down the line.

So that it is my starter guide. The problem you will have is keeping up with all the information but it will be up to you to decide what is relevant. And you have to bear in mind that this sort of thing takes a chunk of time out of your week so you need to legislate it for it. Also as Princess Leia in Family Guy's Blue Harvest found out, there are people out there to help you –with so much talent and inspiration. It just may take a bit of time to open the lines of communication.

Game of two sides

Who was your worst client?

It’s funny; when I think of the answer to that question, I am routed back to the first real mistake I made as an account handler, the feeling of pure naive embarrassment and the hell the client made for me as a consequence. I was an account manager with not much production experience. We needed a shot of the incentive for a mailpack and the art director wanted to use a particular photographer. It was a pack shot of an electronic address book and in my inexperience I did not realise he was using the likes of David Bailey for the equivalent of a tube pass photo. In my head now, the cost is £500 but I would like to think that I have priced it up over the years of telling the story to equate to modern day prices but I have to say I am not sure whether it was not really £500! Anyway like a lot of familiar agency stories, time was tight and I could not get client approval because of holidays so I gave the go-ahead and when the client got back, she refused to pay for it and wanted me off the business for such a crass error (so you can see why I am not sure whether it was not actually £500). For years afterwards I was mortified that I had done this, felt under supported by the production manager who should have known better and advised me accordingly - but you know what - I never made another production error like that again – in fact I was more on the ball than most because of it. Looking back on it, whether the cost was £200 or £500, the client was right to kick up a stink about it and I think she was really using it to show to my MD that she felt that the account was under-resourced by not having an account director on her business – which she was also probably right about. Historically, she had been a “hardass client” with a number of my colleagues having rubbed her up the wrong way so my reputation in the agency was not really damaged but at the time I felt like she was my worst client. In effect, how bad your client is depends on where you are standing – whether in the middle of your own personal maelstrom or with perspective some time later. My learning now – as that happened in another severe downturn – would be from a management perspective, ie about making decisions re under-resourcing accounts to make the books balance without considering the risks involved.

The packshot story was my personal experience. A more recent one which I observed but was not personally involved in other than in resourcing decisions was where the client had taken ages with the pitch process, screwed us down too much in the negotiations and, with it being a very big account, let the floodgates open with the number of briefs which had been delayed in the 2-3 month pitch process. Now that was stress! – with everyone working overtime to get off the backfoot, much crying in the toilets on account of the demanding clients and everyone knowing we had bent over backwards too much to make decent enough money. The fault was equally with the agency for agreeing to certain terms but what was missing from the client side was a sense that both the client and agency had to make the relationship work.

So the obvious next question: my best client so far? I know that definitively – one of those moments in your career where the stars align – chemistry with the clients, right people on the business, sense of collaboration, shared objectives and mutual agenda. It all leads to great work and amazing business results. I remember some of the business highlights which we achieved together. I also remember the risks the main client contact took and the way she worked with us in partnership. I also remember the celebrations we had – one Christmas taking over Café Kick and the client and account supervisor taking over the bar and pouring the beers while the caipirinhas were being made late into the night but that’s another story.... In the meantime if anyone needs a pack shot of some foosball players as above, my rates start from £500...

The man who mistook his client for an iPhone

We have taken on board a new client and have added in some quite innovative ways of working to our service delivery including using a project management extranet, hotdesking at the clients’ premises and a very collaborative method of developing work. Yet they don’t seem that happy – are clients just getting more demanding and we will never satisfy them?

Yes they are getting more demanding but it may be not be anything to do with you and your agency. Everyone is under the cosh at the moment so business performance may be influencing things. Having just moved from their previous agency, they may have been on the rebound and now realise not everything can be solved by making a new appointment.

Without knowing the details of the relationship I can only surmise what the reasons are but, as you mentioned the innovative ways of working, it reminded me of an experience I am going through at the moment. Having just bought the iPhone 3Gs, I am struggling with somebody’s – not sure whether it lies at the door of Apple or O2 – implementation of innovation and basic functionality. As a mini computer which fits into my pocket, replaces my iPod and allows me to design a new pair of training shoes and subsequently order them online (see below), it is a thing of mesmerising technology and seductive beauty. As a basic phone from which you expect good reception, no dropped calls etc , it sucks.




But if I think about it, before buying I focussed on the new innovative things which I thought would make my life of a higher quality. I did not give reception and dropped calls a second thought. Though when I complained to a friend who had previously told me he had been having problems –he just said “Yeah – welcome to my world” – so I probably had not even wanted to acknowledge it. These are just hygiene factors in today’s world, I thought. I realise now – as I wait 5 minutes for the signal to come back – how wrong I was.

So translating this to your situation you should ask yourself whether the introduction of your new ways has impacted on the basic delivery of what they were expecting. For example, does your working at the client’s office mean that you are not spending enough time at the agency making sure the internal teams are briefed and on track. Has your team getting up to speed with the new client organisation impinged on delivering top quality output straightaway? Also in this age where open source collaboration, beta versions and Agile-type methodologies are now being adapted for other work contexts, was the client aware that operating with your “very collaborative method of developing work” may mean compromises and trade-offs in certain areas? In other words – back to the basics of expectation management – did they know the risks as well as the benefits of signing up to the new way of working?

Probably it is best to assess things now rather than wait for a more formal performance survey. Just a quick email to your client contacts asking what’s working and not working will give you a good understanding and show your main client that you are committed to high standards of service delivery. Then you can see what is the real cause of their disquiet.

Cushioned Landing

I read in Campaign that supposedly Helen Calcraft had had a bit of a strop after the result of the B&Q pitch. It was reported that she had learnt about the result from one of her clients - not the B&Q client. I actually heard that it had been through other sources – still not the B&Q client. Either way, her kicking the cushions around reception (or whatever she did to vent her anger) seems justified as her agency and her competitors had been working on the pitch process since January. So well done to Chris MacDonald and his team at McCann and commiserations to MCBD, Rapier etc but I have a question. How come clients, knowing that the grapevine is very active in agencyland and considering the time and effort that pitching clients demand of agencies in the process don’t have the wherewithal – I think I just mean common decency – to tell everyone straightaway?

Financing Placements

Here’s a question. Work experience in account handling– should agencies pay newbies or not?

Just from a practical point of view, I would ask yourself how long the placement is for and which side is getting they most out of it. If we are talking about a week or two weeks in the summer holidays - to give a student invaluable experience of what an agency is about - then I would see the payment happening "in kind". If you need someone for longer and to cover for excessive workload then it feels right to pay them.

Nevertheless, if you cast your mind back to when you started, money has always been an issue to newcomers in London and unless your student is staying in his chairman uncle’s pied à terre in Knightsbridge and using the company driver, you may want to take pity and subsidise travel costs etc.

Money Too Tight To Mention

We are about to renegotiate our contract and monthly fee with a major client. We have had good reviews recently. I am the main account person and will be attending the meetings with our commercial director. However, in such an economic time – when they are looking to make budget cuts - are we about to driven into the ground on costs? It’s happened on other clients.

The thing I see in this recession is that there are no blanket patterns. One day we are hearing about green shoots of recovery in one sector, the next we are hearing of gloomy long term forecasts. I know of agencies really hurting because of what is going on, others (though in the minority) have had their best trading periods. One thing we know is that there are always going to be both winners and losers. So your presumed prognosis of the negotiations is a little premature.

But let’s face it - it is a difficult market out there. You’ve got agencies undercutting each other, others using their existing business to subsidise the servicing of new areas for the client. In fact, you have every example of aggressive business practice – it is just more acutely present in a downturn. I was at a breakfast seminar recently, run by Chris Merrington of the training company Spring8020, and a lot of people there from network agencies and independents were saying that they were facing some pretty harsh challenges. The topic being discussed was negotiations in these difficult times ; it was suggested that agencies need to bear in mind the 3 principles of 1) knowing one’s value, 2) holding one’s price and 3) being confident. Good advice – but what does this mean for your agency’s situation and your personal role in the negotiations?

1) You personally are probably even better placed than your commercial director to know what the various clients value about your agency’s service delivery. You are working with them on a day to day basis. You know what is currently in the minds of the clients. And you are aware what the business or marketing strategy is. This context will help you evaluate whether, for example, it’s your creativity, a particular individual on the team, your speed of response or your board director’s leverage with their CEO which makes you invaluable to them. In your regular conversations with the client (way before the negotiations), you need to be subtlety playing this back to them. In agency performance reviews or new client introductions, you should be doing the same – with the result that when they weigh up moving agencies or downgrading your involvement, it is not an option: they have come to rely heavily on the agency. So, as you can see, this is not something you can cosmetically conjure up for the negotiation but it is something you can exploit within the negotiation if it is there.

2) Holding one’s price is easily said. Many a tough managing director has buckled under the stress of hard negotiation or the chilling realisation that the particular piece of business is vital to the health of their company. But what is more chilling is that even a 10% cut in hourly rates can reduce your margin by 50% - a serious business constraint.
I am not going to go into all the preparation which is needed for such a negotiation but a few thing areas are worth mentioning. Both of you need to have discussed a strategy around how the conversation should go. You both need to know what you are willing to give up and when you need to walk away. You, as an account person, may be more hard-wired to concede to clients’ demands - your commercial director will be able to set you boundaries to avoid this happening. Also if you both have to give some up, get something back in return –whether introductions to other parts of the business, change in payment terms or something as small as inclusive travel costs. In addition, if they do want to cut costs, be a bit more creative and see if it can work in your favour too. (eg introducing an agreed menu pricing to cut down on your time haggling over costs, or automating some processes)

3) Confidence comes from a number of sources. Make sure for example that you and the commercial director are aligned – don’t assume that you are both on the same page –have a rehearsal with a colleague firing different questions at you both. Confidence comes from being able to explain any figures under discussion in the meeting. And ultimately, confidence will also allow you to use time – a very strong negotiating tool – to walk away from the meeting not having agreed everything but allowing you to deliberate your next move.

So, good luck. I am sure I have missed some stuff out. Maybe we might get a few more suggestions in the comments to this post to help you out. In the meantime, have a look at this video. I feel a fraud including it as it has done the rounds a bit in the US – but – hey - as we know from the green agenda, recycling is what it’s all about these days. Anyone who has been beaten down on a project cost will recognise some of these scenarios:

Account Handling Prêt à Porter

Mike, you asked me for a question to start your blog off. I know you are wanting to encourage serious debate but let me be a bit left of field and get to the root of what’s bugging me. Maybe I am getting old but I am not sure our younger account handlers have quite got the measure of what they should be wearing in client meetings. Particularly the guys. Does anyone else find this? Any advice?

OK, interesting question particularly for you. I remember a few years ago some of my female industry friends felt it was inappropriate for some girls in agencies to be wearing crop-tops at work. But I don’t remember you, my friend, getting on the barricades about this. So with this knowledge I will be taking a more balanced view in my answer. And sorry ladies I might just limit myself to what I know but I would encourage you to give me your views on the female perspective. So here goes...

Let’s face it. It’s been 10 years since the start of the decline of the tie in agencies. And although Mark Jacobs and friends have reintroduced it in the skinny form as a sort of “nouvelle vague” new wave, it hasn’t led to wholesale re-adoption. When someone proposed the theory of ties would come back in with the recession, I was interested in whether the theory would have as much credence as the one about length of women’s skirts and the health of the economy. But considering the acuteness of the crunch in certain agency disciplines, I see no change - the theory does not float. In fact the lack of tie thing has impacted on the wearing of suits by account handlers.

Surely modern times require modern thinking? Or, in other words, we need a dress code to suit the time we operate in. And we operate in a post-modernist world - full of fragmentation and cross-referencing. We are a result of where we have come from and what is currently happening to break down the old barriers- and it doesn't feel reversible.

Though , you are definitely not alone in your comments. At one agency I went into recently, one of the directors was complaining about the scruffiness of one of his account directors and I had to agree with him. But with the current vogue for beards, the mishmash themes of the high street and shoe-systems which were developed for rugged treks of the Andes, it is easy to appear like a colour-blind devotee of Joaquin Phoenix fresh from the Inca trail.

Having worked in a very informal agency with a mix of quite formal clients, I have seen the potential minefield that you are alluding to. My only sartorial tips are 1) always get the shoes right, 2) dress for expectations and 3) don’t confuse the concepts of fashion and style.

The shoe thing is funny as I don’t immediately check out people’s shoes but am one of these people who think you can tell quite a lot from shoes. I know that when I looked down at the shoes of quite an impressive agency CEO, I recognised in them the scuffs and flaws from his playground childhood. And, as I say, I do not seek shoes out but I know loads of people who do.

Dressing according to people’s expectations is not just about varying your clothes for meetings at the client offices but if you have a boss like you, my friend, one needs to know what signals are being given out by one's attire.

And getting fashion to work in a stylish way is an art in itself - colleagues and I amuse ourselves in surreal discussions about current use of double-denim in streetwear. Anyway I do not feel qualified to offer up state of art advice in this area other than what I have said in relation to clients and colleagues but I will end this post by referring to one of my favourite photo blogs who definitely understands style and where fashion fits into it: thesartorialist.blogspot.com

...and if you are still struggling with the reference to Joaquin Phoenix you may want to check out this as well...

Client Services vs Project Management

Is there a size of account/project under which pure account management isn't a necessity? We find that sub £100k it is much more cost effective to have both PM and AM roles performed by a hybrid producer. Is this the best way to do things?

Hybrid? - like half man, half plant? Presumably we are talking about a digital project – I think a lot of design and digital agencies are looking at the client services vs project management question at the moment. I have been working in this area with a digital company and my experience is that a lot of the time it is about a mindset than a fundamental difference in process between the two.

You will be best placed to say whether your hybrid producer with his/her individual skills can fulfil both the internal project management task and the client service roles. But your ultimate decision depends on your overall approach to clients. I think if you want to develop project-based clients into longer-term ones then a hybrid may fall short because they are covering too many bases in the short term. Ideally an account director should understand the business your client is in, identify the business challenges and match what you can offer to their needs. Good ones are hard-wired to identify new opportunities, be sensitive to the politics of the organisation and promote the agency in the best way. They should also be thinking about where the account could be going and what the client thinks of the agency. This does not mean that they should be swanning around at the client’s and not focused on the delivery of a particular project. So a project manager will be responsible for the day to day delivery but the account director should be making sure the vision of the client is being realised in the work and quality-controlling that aspect. The best teams are where the roles are dovetailing in every aspect of the delivery but I think you have to be very clear with the client how the roles work together so there is no confusion and feeling of duplication.

I also don’t know what say a £80k project would include – ie are we talking technical build or do you back off at wireframes etc? Either way, that strikes me as quite a large project still and if you are wanting more projects from the same client then your hybrid producer may be too stretched to be able to extend the momentum of the account as they are concentrating on just delivering the project.

Oh by the way, on a related subject, I know my friend Paul Canty (paul@preloaded.com) is looking for someone at group account director level to work across some pretty exciting clients like the BBC, Channel 4, The Arts Council etc. A funky outfit but serious operators.

Keeping in Touch with Failed Pitch Clients

We were recently invited to pitch for a large project/account which we didn't win. Feedback was that they liked us and would keep us in mind for future projects. How can we ensure we remain on their radar and be first in line next time a project comes up?

My friend at MCBD, Nina Jasinski, would have a whole contact strategy around keeping failed pitch clients warm until the next opportunity. She would put them on the e-newsletter circulation, send them examples of new work, diarise courtesy calls and send messages of congratulations from holiday when they are promoted. It is a very small world and even if they do not award you business in their current role, they may put you on the pitch list when they inherit a dog of an agency in a new role down the line.

If the chemistry is good, catching up for a coffee on a regular basis (or initially after a few months) may be something they are willing to commit to.

But be wary of clients who cannot give valid feedback and just want to be loved by all losing agencies and most pertinently just want to move on from the arduous pitch process. The number of agencies who come a “close second” can sometimes equal the total of pitching agencies minus the successful one. So validate and qualify if/why they liked you and keep in mind for future conversations.

And sometimes you should just be thankful that you didn’t win but that’s another story…

Useless Client Feedback

As account director on a client, I can see my team getting hacked off with the feedback on creative work which they get. There are particularly 2 or 3 clients who are either vague or very proscriptive. What can I do before my creative director gives the order to issue the AK47s?

Well hold on there. Before war is declared, I have a few suggestions but I get the feeling I will be returning to this subject again and again in different guises in other posts.

Here are some quick questions which may provoke some ideas how to solve this deadlock:

1) Ask yourself if the issue is further up the line at the client. I’ve found a lot of the time the problem is that the senior decision makers are approvers of the creative but have not seen the brief or been exposed fully to the thinking that got you there. Maybe a shorthand rationale of the thinking emailed to the senior client before they see any creative. Ideally what saves time in the long run is a face to face presentation of the work to all approvers.

2) Do the clients feed back via phone or email? I reckon the vagueness comes from interpretations of verbal comments. Ask your guys to encourage the clients to follow up any unclear phone calls with emails. Hopefully the process of writing it down should identify any anomalies and get more logic into their feedback.

3) Can you put together a short workshop run by your planner and/or creative director/team? It would could be positioned as a “value add”, establish how you want to get feedback, may show them the error of the ways and get them to think how they want feedback from their colleagues. Use of humour can sometimes hit the nail on the head and show people the error of their ways. My proof? Exhibit A – well not this but like this....or yes like this...or not..

New Business Crash Course

I am a senior account manager and although I think I’m good at what I do with clients I have not had much new business experience. In fact I have only worked on one pitch as an account executive. We have just lost a major client and we are trying to get on more pitch lists. I have been asked to get involved in a pitch next month. Can you give me any tips?

Definitely. The best book about agencies I have read for some time is Jon Steel’s Perfect Pitch. To be honest, I found Truth, Lies and Advertising great for the case studies but quite tough to read. Perfect Pitch – about the whole area of new business - is a very easy read with some great tips for newcomers and veterans like.

My other observations about your situation is that the instincts and client management skills you have developed on existing clients will stand you in good stead for communicating and interacting with clients. Also as someone who has something to prove in this area, you have the opportunity to shine. Do your research on the customer, product and client through trawling reports, mystery shopping and looking up old press stories and you can add invaluably to the team’s thinking. Also – if you have a role in the presentation, just put yourself in the customers’ or clients’ shoes and you will be a step closer to a good response.

Also thanks for the question, after finishing Perfect Pitch I said I would email Jon Steel what a good book it is and got waylaid. I am going to do it now.

Going Green

My client takes CSR really seriously. My agency just starts a few green initiatives every so often when we are pitching for a socially responsible client. We are a relatively small agency and my MD is not someone who would do this naturally. How can I get them to take things more seriously as we should do a lot more and I also think it will win us a few points with our client?

I lived in Germany as a student (some while ago - let’s just say the Wall was still up in those days) and it’s funny how long it has taken for the UK public to adopt some of the environmental habits which the Germans and Scandanavians took for granted even then. Although the crunch has slowed down the recent Green momentum in the UK, it is something which younger generations and certain baby boomers will not let go away. I applaud your determination to do something and more and more agencies are taking it seriously and not using it as a “greenwash”.

And as you know, a lot of this stuff can start at grass roots level without the company needing to change radically to begin with. My present agency has a self-appointed Green Team who have educated themselves about office environment initiatives and then established certain ones themselves.

I know it will sound the norm to certain agencies but the first thing I noticed was the use of double-sided printing as the default setting on the printers and copiers. For the first week it was so, so annoying but then I got used to it and then I thought I had discovered sliced-bread. Anyway these types of initiatives which also have economic advantages maybe will get more cynical management interested and a momentum going.

Your big question should be why certain initiatives have not worked previously and how you can avoid this.

It sounds as though your MD may be the major stumbling block. I also suggest targeting other board members individually who you feel could support your cause – particularly if you can show a business advantage – whether internally or via clients. Then getting group of like-minded people together and planning an easily actionable set of measures to begin with. Ask for a slot at the next company meeting and also make sure you recruit into your team people who can cajole people into changing their ways and can get heavy if things are not happening.

My Green Team colleagues recommend having a look at www.recyclenow.com. And also making sure you have really investigated the benefits they will give you as a business (by getting your validated arguments ready for the disbelievers). At Rufus they are doing a really good job. Here is one of their ads which adorned the loos for seated comtemplation during Obama’s inauguration:

Any questions?

Let me know if you have any questions you want answered in this blog by commenting below. I will either answer them myself or get someone I know to give their opinion. They should pertain to the agency-client relationship and will be dealt with according to how relevant they are to the ongoing discussions.(Usual comment policy applies -no defamation, inflamatory remarks etc).

About this blog

Openmike is my idea for a discussion blog about client services and the agency-client relationship in advertising and marketing agencies. I think a lot of what we do in dealing with clients is common-sense psychology but sometimes such principles don't give us all the answers - it is the dynamics of the situation which dictate the outcome. Because of the changing nature of clients and agencies and particularly at this economic time I also think we should be reassessing how we work with clients.

I suppose why I am doing this is because I miss the creative output that writing two books gave me. Putting them together furthered my thinking in the whole area of client-agency relationships. Yet, as anyone has published a business book alongside the day-job will tell you, it is a very large commitment and I have no particular desire to go down that route again for some time. So I like the informality of a blog and the possibility to interact with others on the same wavelength – and maybe with those on different ones.

Also along the way I have been given some good advice. Other times I could have done with some to stop me making the mistakes I have. So in Openmike I will be calling on other people’s experience to answer some of the issues posed - keeping it down to earth and practical, avoiding any academic discourses and having a bit of fun. And I have my own questions – like “why are agencies programmed to make the same mistakes?”, “can we work with clients differently?” and “why do all planners at the moment seem to be called Ben?”

It is for account handlers, working on the day to day of client business and agency management, trying to fathom solutions to client issues.

So there will be a chance to ask questions, look at what’s going on and have a bit of fun at the same time.

I don’t know if people need another blog but here goes. In the meantime enjoy! And let me know your questions.

People watching gallery

Paul Canty md @preloaded
Another Sheffield boy made good. All that electronica must have stood him in good stead in the digital world. Co-founder of the agency that brought you Spooks online.

Sophie Dalglish executive producer @Inferno
Definitely a rising star. A graduate of the Craik Jones school of creativity and client delivery, she approaches things with that Yorkshire down-to-earthiness you need in agencies. Another mad keen urban cyclist.

Freddie Baveystock brand consultant @Rufus Leonard
A scholar and a gentleman. Also his musical credentials are second to none, having been part of the Big Chill team. Annoyingly, he easily outpunked me at the Christmas fancy dress party.

Neil Francis creative force @Stephens Francis Whitson
One of his charms is his humour. Although he takes cycling pretty seriously and when the Rapha Condor team plump for the Tour de France, work and family will be hoping that he will not be answering the call.

Victoria Fox managing partner @DDB UK
Clients must love it when they get her on their business. Colleagues do. One of the best account handlers in London. Practises what she preaches and does it with a smile. Presently racking up the airmiles with various client service charm offensives.

Nina Jasinski marketing director @Engine Group
Fantastic at new business and passionate about what she does, a tireless performer. Somehow she has managed to bring up a beautiful family at the same time – a definite achiever on all levels and ironically an all-round good egg.

Phil Allison founder of Culture Shock Media
One of the most charming men I know. Sickenly good-looking, although dogged by daily references to the Bourne Identity. He has made Culture Shock the place you go if you need publishing, content provision or filmmaking in the arts world.

Steve Aldridge big cheese @ Partners Andrews Aldridge
One of the best in the business. Somebody who you would want on your team. Highly competitive and very engaging. And yet an unhealthy obsession with SuperDry T-shirts.

Dolly Clew house photographer
Just out of 14 years with EMI promoting bands to college yoof and now wielding a camera around the streets of the world like a Leica master. When not travelling for herself and Lonely Planet Image Library, she is available for weddings, bar mitzvahs and the arts. I owe you bigtime Dolly

Useful Trade Body Links

The Advertising Association www.adassoc.org.uk

Advertising Standards Authority www.asa.org.uk

Association of Publishing Agencies www.apa.co.uk

British Design & Art Direction www.dandad.org

British Exhibition Contractors Association www.beca.org.uk

British Interactive Media Association www.bima.co.uk

Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre www.bacc.org.uk

The Chartered Institute of Marketing www.cim.co.uk

Commercial Radio Companies Association www.crca.co.uk

Committee of Advertising Practice www.cap.org.uk

The Communication, Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation www.camfoundation.com

The Communications Agencies Federation www.cafinfo.com

Design Business Association www.dba.org.uk

Direct Mail Information Service www.dmis.co.uk

The Direct Marketing Association www.dma.org.uk

Incorporated Society of British Advertisers www.isba.org.uk

Institute of Sales and Marketing Management www.ismm.co.uk

The Institute of Direct Marketing www.theidm.com

Institute of Practitioners in Advertising www.ipa.co.uk

Institute of Public Relations www.ipr.org.uk

Institute of Sales Promotion www.isp.org.uk

Internet Advertising Bureau UK www.iabuk.net

The Market Research Society www.mrs.org.uk

Marketing Communication Consultants Association www.mcca.org.uk

The Marketing Society www.marketingsociety.org.uk

Ofcom www.ofcom.org.uk

The Public Relations Consultants Association www.prca.org.uk

Radio Advertising Bureau www.rab.co.uk

Radio Advertising Clearance Centre www.racc.co.uk

Royal Mail www.royalmail.com

Satellite & Cable Broadcasters Group www.scbg.org.uk

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The formal stuff

The Openmike blog at http://agencyopenmike.blogspot.com is the personal website of Michael Sims. Written entries on this blog are my personal opinions and are not representative of any employer or client. Copyright © 2009 Michael Sims. All rights reserved.

I welcome and encourage you to participate in the discussion on this site. Comments are owned by the poster and will be moderated to ensure propriety.

Any unwitting breach of copyright or relevant code can be reported to me at MSims999@gmail.com and it will be remedied accordingly.

Any questions?

Let me know if you have any questions you want answered in this blog by commenting below. I will either answer them myself or get someone I know to give their opinion. They should pertain to the agency-client relationship and will be dealt with according to how relevant they are to the ongoing discussions.(Usual comment policy applies -no defamation, inflamatory remarks etc).

About me

I am working as an independent consultant; recently I finished a project, helping to set up a new digital agency within the Publicis Groupe and currently I am helping to set up a new account globally for the Ogilvy network.

My credentials? Well, I have worked in client services and senior management in brand, direct and digital agencies - independents and network-owned – at Kitcatt Nohr Digitas, Partners Andrews Aldridge, Rufus Leonard, Wunderman, EHS Brann and Rapier.

My recent experience is in the area of setting up new agency teams and operations, helping agencies define their client offering and developing business. Plus helping clients work better with agencies and develop their marketing activity. I became a freelance consultant through needing the flexibility to move to the US - which I have shelved now.

I am also an awards judge, a visiting lecturer at Warwick Business School and run internal training courses for clients and agencies in the area of briefing and creative evaluation. I have written two books focusing on key practical tips and techniques for the agency-client relationship – Agency Account Handling: Avoiding Blood, Sweat and Tears and the other for clients - Working with Agencies: An Insider's Guide