What makes a great client?

As our agency is active in a couple of parallel new business efforts we got around to talking about what makes a great client. We all tossed out some buzzwords and then I recalled an article from the November issue of Harvard Business Review. In the article celebrated architect Frank Gehry provided an excellent response to the question and to balance in the creative process. Here's an excerpt from that article.

You’ve said that one of the reasons the Guggenheim Bilbao is a great building is that you had a great client. What makes a client great?

It’s a collaboration. I’d say it’s 50/50. The client has got to be willing to talk to you. Imagine you get a job with IBM, you’re working with an executive vice president, and he shows the model to the president, and the guy says, “What the f--- is that? That won’t work with my work.” So I only accept jobs where I work with the decision maker.

How do you balance your clients’ desires against other concerns?

The client hires you, so the client is the priority. But you can’t just build a building based on what the clients say, because their vision is based on what’s normal. How do you get out of the normal? You’ve got to question everything. Spend time with the user group. Glean all the information you can. And then throw it all away and begin to play.

How do you go about solving design problems?

I’m like a pussycat with a ball of twine. It goes over there, and he jumps over there. It falls on the floor, and he goes there. I’m opportunistic. Once I understand the problems, I try things. I see what works and what doesn’t, and then I try again. When it looks like something I’ve done before, I abandon it. I have learned to trust my intuition.

Thank you Mr. Gehry for helping us think about and "build"  great client relationships.

SMZ Wins Big at the 2011 "D" Show

Last evening was a special night for the advertising community in Detroit and for SMZ as well. The fifth annual "D" Show took place down at The Max in Detroit. The D Show is the yearly creative showplace for agencies big and small.

This year the show received over 400 entries. After a first round of judging done by the D Show committee, the finalists are then reviewed by a jury of our peers from around the country. Last night, those judges recognized our work for the Detroit Red Wings as being some of “the best of the best” in this year’s show: 
· Outdoor: “Zamboni”
· TV—Consumer under $75,000: “Pre-Game”

London, Ontario Outdoor

Not only were we recognized for those ideas, in addition we were honored by receiving one of the top awards, “The Joe,” for “Zamboni.” Unlike other awards that are judged by our peers, The Joe Award is judged by a panel of distinguished journalists. They see the best the world of advertising and marketing has to offer. Those journalists were given access to the top-scoring entries from all of the categories for judging. They then scored the entries based on their assessment of the creativity, concept, production value and the overall merit of the entry.

Congratulations to everyone at SMZ and to our clients at the Detroit Red Wings!

Swift and surprised

My daughter is a huge Taylor Swift fan. When I heard a local radio station discussing a video by Vh1 Blog Editor Rich Juzwiak this morning I had to check it out. This is a surprise to Brooke showing how Ms. Swift is so often, like at last evening's American Music Awards,  "genuinely" surprised.

BlogThis!

Black Thursday?

Black Thursday, doesn't that mean you burned the Thanksgiving turkey? Not anymore. After 15 years of working on mall marketing - watching Black Friday go from a retail industry term to a consumer selling message - the calendar has been broken.


Last year our client, Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills, MI pioneered the midnight opening. Still technically on Black Friday. This year an hours arms race began. Retailers like Target, Macy's, Kohl's and Best Buy announced they'd be opening at midnight on Black Friday. Now Walmart has announced it will be opening at 10 pm on Thanksgiving night.

"Our customers told us they would rather stay up late to shop than get up early," Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer of Wal-Mart United States, told the New York Times.

Not sure where this goes next? Although Thanksgiving in brunch form is starting to make some sense. Enjoy your doorbuster circulars on November 23.

ChapStick® and silly social media reaction

In every pocket of every jacket I have a ChapStick®. When my lips get sensitive I apply some moisturizer. Simple as that. Today a client shared with me how a number of people's sensibilities became "sensitive" about a seemingly innocent ad posted by ChapStick brand.

Click the ad image for a link to the full story and let me know if you get "chapped" about the whole thing?

Should we drive a Lincoln or Listen to Lincoln?

“You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. 
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. 
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. 
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. 
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. 
You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence. 
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.” 
― Abraham Lincoln

Advertising Agency Searches and the RFP Process

Our agency is active in three RFPs. That's nothing to complain about. Instead I'd like to applaud the work of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) on their recently published guidelines for Agency Search. The following is a trade article and link to the White Paper outlining how to conduct an effective search and selection process. (Note: any client prospects reading this, we welcome opportunity to talk without there having to be a formal RFP process.)
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How to Conduct Agency Search: ANA, 4A's Offer Guidelines

After Spate of Long, Unwieldy Reviews, Agency and Advertiser Associations Give Advice to Head off Trouble Before It Bubbles up

By: Rupal Parekh Published: October 03, 2011

   

After years of marketers marching to the beat of their own drum when it comes to picking agency partners, the industry's two leading trade groups, the Association of National Advertisers and 4A's, are now weighing in with a jointly recommended agency-search procedure. The move marks a first-ever attempt to rectify a process that can be highly inconsistent, and often unnecessarily expensive for both marketers and agencies.

In an 18-page document out today, the ANA and 4A's outline steps for how to conduct an effective search and selection process -- from how to determine whether a search is required in the first place to what to consider during contract negotiations. Two themes repeatedly touched on are the need to make the process simpler by casting a smaller net that includes just a few shops and eliminating paper-pushing when possible, and the need for companies to more carefully evaluate cultural compatibility.

Debra Giampoli, Kraft

ANA/4A's Guidelines for Agency Search White Paper

Some might say it's too little too late, since reviews have already become far too unwieldy. Recent examples include those that drag on for over a year -- such as Accenture or Exxon -- or cattle-calls that involve more than 100 agencies like the Zappos' review did.

For the 4A's, it's an attempt to address a spike in complaints received this year from its agency members.

Those who compiled the document -- a team of marketer and agency representatives from the likes of Visa, Pfizer, American Express, Kraft, EuroRSCG, Merkley & Partners and the Richards Group -- say a series of factors has altered the dynamics of the client-agency relationship, making the guidance timely. Among them: procurement is sitting at the marketing table and is involved in agency reviews; media fragmentation is leading to more reviews for specialist shops; and a weakened economy is placing more burdens on marketing departments.

"Pitches can be really time-consuming for marketers to lead and very expensive for agencies to participate in," said Debra Giampoli, director of global strategic agency relations at Kraft Foods. "Because of the economy we're in, agencies and clients are pressured more than they ever have been before to make every dollar of spending count and it's more important than ever to make the right decisions. Mistakes can be very distracting and costly to the business."

Per the guidelines, the ideal agency search process should last three months with just one week used to identify which shops to invite, and six weeks granted to prepare and present ideas. "If the review drags on, the entire process is at risk as agency talent that was originally available during the review may be reassigned, or the agency may even decide to back out of your search and participate in an agency RFP with a competitor."

It also suggests a cap on the number of shops asked to participate, saying that no more than six to eight shops should be invited to fill out a request for proposal and no more than three should be invited for a final round. Further, the document calls for companies dropping bulky questionnaires whenever possible, urging them to pick up the phone instead.

The ANA and 4A's even go so far as to say that marketers might want to do away with a formal search process altogether: "You may also want to consider skipping a formal RFI/RFP process in favor of a fast-track, closed-search process where specific agencies are invited to discuss their capabilities."

Said Diane Fannon, principal, new business development at Dallas-based Richards Group: "The fewer agencies you have, the more in-depth time you can have with them. The worst reviews are where agencies don't have any interaction with the key clients, and the best relationships are the ones where you have more than one date before you marry."

"Cultural conflicts will almost certainly sabotage an advertiser-agency relationship, regardless of how well an agency's core competencies and administrative processes match an advertiser's needs," the guidelines say.

To that end, the 4A's and ANA say that agency visits during a search should be required, and marketers should take note of details such as the amenities a shop offers its staff, and the emphasis it places on titles. It's also important to know whether the agency will be able to collaborate with shops already on the marketers' roster.

"It's not a vendor relationship; you are putting your brand and business in the hands of marketing professionals said Ms. Fannon. "The worst thing is when you go through this process and it's really not a great fit ... and the client has to do it all over again."

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS IN 4A'S/ANA GUIDELINES

1. If procurement is going to be involved, decide if its role will be as a facilitator or driver, and be clear with agencies about fact.
2. The ideal amount of time for a search process is three months, and the ideal number of shops who answer a request for proposal is no more than eight.
3. Decide whether a formal search is necessary or whether you can identify a select number of shops -- internally -- or with the help of a consultant to participate in a streamlined, closed process.
4. Have a discussion about compensation early on, not at the end of the process. Agencies should bring up the topic even if a marketer doesn't.
5. Agencies shouldn't do a bait-and-switch, bringing in one team to secure the account, and assigning another to do the work. Ensure the client meets the people who will work on their business.
6. Agency visits are a must and cultural compatibility should be weighed just as heavily as capabilities. Clients should understand how the agency behaves overall and should select the whole agency, with its values and staff, not just the handful of people who pitched the business.
7. An agency's culture shouldn't only be complementary to a marketer, but also to the other agencies on the marketer's roster.
8. Speculative work presented by an agency during a review frequently doesn't translate into a campaign, so decide if it's really a necessary part of the process. If it is, allocate enough time for agencies to deliver the assignment.
9. Offer non-winning agencies a debriefing phone call and give them honest feedback.