How to keep the spark in the client-agency marriage
A client-agency relationship is akin to being in a marriage in so many ways. On the surface, it is about two very different but complementary parties coming together. In reality, a marriage often involves the whole ‘clan’– parents, siblings and even your neighbour two units away.
In a client-agency marriage, you can safely include IT, procurement, legal, compliance, product development and even other agency partners into the mix. Every client-agency marriage is unique and there is no “one size fits all” solution. However, there are some sound observations both clients and agencies can benefit from to spare themselves heartaches and make the relationship last.
Observation 1: Great client-agency relationships build culture and process
Great work comes from great relationships and great relationships build culture and processes that are unique. The keyword to note here is ‘build’. Culture and processes need to be built. These are not things that just come together magically when you put two organisations together. Once a strong culture and differentiated ways of working are established, your client-agency relationships will weather the painful effects of staff churn and talent gaps.
Observation 2: Share everything with each other if you want to succeed…
Talk to each other, share your aspirations for each other. There is no way to be on common ground if clients and agencies do not communicate. In all relationships, trust and understanding are not built overnight on a bed of roses. The reality is often filled with stumbling blocks, mistakes, disagreements and even failures.
Involvement and openness from senior leaders on both sides are critical success factors. For example, agencies often demand more clarity on how each piece of work fits back into the client’s bigger business vision. Likewise, a client naturally expects agencies to think beyond the brief and show how creative ideas complement the bigger business strategy.
Observation 3: …Include your feelings
Let’s be honest. As much as we tell ourselves that this is business, a client-agency relationship is made of many moments of human interactions. It is only natural that feelings are involved, especially in cases when the views of the client and agency on how to approach a certain aspect of a project don’t converge. When disagreement arises, it is key to remain constructive – feel free to reveal how you feel towards any subject, as long as the other party knows that your aim is the best possible outcome. Clients in particular should appreciate agencies that can argue constructively – this shows that they are passionate about the business and not merely order takers.
One good way to transform a potentially emotional conversation into something constructive and actionable is to formalize the feedback process to address issues and pain points. From our years-long experience in managing agency performance tracking, we have learned that it is not a good practice to allow corridor chatters to fester and leave issues up in the air. Instead, a consistent and disciplined process in managing a two-way performance evaluation helps facilitate open communication. Such a process establishes a channel for unbiased feedback that is contextually relevant and based on actual projects. It pre-empts where the gaps in performance and communication are and highlights actionable steps to address them over a pre-agreed period of time.
Observation 4: Set clear rules of engagement
We live in a time where boundaries are fluid and inter-related. A client-agency relationship is no longer just about the two of you anymore. There is no way to plan and execute any campaign now without getting the ‘clan’ involved. ‘Collaboration’ and ‘stakeholder management’ are some buzzwords we come across frequently when we talk to both clients and agencies.
The hard truth is that the client needs to take the lead and be transparent, especially when it comes to inter-agency collaboration. Clear expectations and boundaries need to be set for each agency partner to avoid ambiguity.
MINI’s partnership with Uber in Chengdu is one solid case of carefully orchestrated collaboration between multiple partners. The challenge was to bring the showroom experience to customers during the launch of the five door F55 beyond traditional media channels and generate warm leads. MINI worked with Carat China to internally gather 1st party insights into target audience, embedded a ‘Hail MINI’ function into Uber’s app for users to select a ‘MINI Uber’ service for a free ride by specially trained drivers and finally closed the loop by allowing target customers to book a test drive from Chengdu’s MINI dealership. The campaign would not be so successful if partners worked in silos.
Observation 5: Challenge each other to keep the relationship fresh
A client should always aim to give the agency a chance to push the boundaries – actively share examples of work that you aspire towards. Maintain an appetite (and budget) for ‘test and learn’ projects that are not part of the plan.
In turn, the agency should be prepared to go the extra mile and invest time to share best-in-class work from around the globe. Agencies – show your client how each case can apply to their business challenges.
Work together to set a measurement and incentive framework to reward outstanding work and make this a win-win relationship.
The MasterCard Digital and eCommerce Engine was born out of this environment of ‘tension’, where partners pushed each other to greater innovation. Together with its agencies, MasterCard created something unique – a business model to reach people with the right content and offers in real-time, driving transactions using social and digital channels. This breakthrough collaboration exceeded initial KPIs and drove three million qualified leads to their merchant partners.
It is no secret…
When all is said and done, the key to a happy client-agency marriage is not a secret. It all boils down to openness, fairness, transparency and communication. Both the client and the agency should be on equal standing in the relationship. As cliché as it may be, it truly takes effort on both sides to make things work. Keep your end goal in mind and the rewards will be mutually satisfying.
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