Working With Agencies: An Insiders Guide

Change is afoot in the nature of the relationships between creative agencies and their clients. On one hand, clients are becoming more experienced and demanding; on the other agencies are increasingly polarized between the big consolidated groups and smaller independents. Yet as more organizations than ever seek like–minded business partners and more agencies throw off the historic mantle of creative aloofness, so a new potential for collaboration between them grows.
Working with Agencies has been written for marketers in client organizations who want to refine their skills in the key areas of selecting an agency, briefing creative work, creative evaluation and developing campaigns together. Mike Sims explores the partnership from both sides, stressing that even the most creative products require a logical approach to communication, and shows how clients can ensure that their relationships deliver synergy, campaign efficiencies and a strong market presence.
In a new landscape the basics of productive cooperation remain: knowledge, trust and a sense of collaborative adventure. This book reveals the inside secrets of how to achieve all three in your own agency relationships – and reap the rewards.

Spis treści:
INTRODUCTION.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
1. AGENCIES: CAN’T LIVE WITH THEM, CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THEM.
Understanding What you Want from an Agency.
Understanding the Nature of your Organization.
The Collaborative Spirit: The Essential Ingredient.
Starting off on the Right Foot.
Ensuring that the New Team Works Well Together.
2. HOW AN AGENCY WORKS BEHIND THE SCENES.
Understanding how an Agency is Structured.
Understanding the Creative Development Process.
3. SELECTING AN AGENCY.
Preparation Before an Agency Review.
Working with Third–Party Specialists.
Guidelines on Agency Search and Selection.
Meeting the Agency Face–to–Face.
Po st–Pitch Feedback.
4. BRIEFING AN AGENCY.
The Value of the Briefing Process.
The Role of the Different Briefing Stages.
The Key Elements to the Brief.
Four Principles for a Good Brief.
The Hotspots of the Brief.
Developing a Challenging Communications Proposition.
Creating an Inspiring Briefing.
5. CHAMPIONING THE CREATIVE PRODUCT.
How to Evaluate Creative.
Providing Usable Feedback.
Creating a Creatively Receptive Environment.
Presenting Creative Effectively.
6. SMOOTHING THE WAY FOR EFFECTIVE CAMPAIGNS.
Establishing Project Management Systems.
Approval Procedures.
Checking the Legal Aspects.
Moving from Concepts to Campaign Execution Effectively.
Managing Problems with a Creative Concept.
7. TAKING CARE OF THE FINANCES OF THE RELATIONSHIP.
Different Agency Remuneration Structures.
Working with Procurement.
Contract or No Contract?
Setting a Budget.
How an Agency Works in Terms of Finances.
8. DEVELOPING A LONG–TERM RELATIONSHIP.
Managing Creativity.
Knowing the Friction Points.
Balancing Success and Failure.
Getting your Portfolio of Agencies to Work Together.
Evaluating Agency Performance.
EPILOGUE.
REFERENCES.
USEFUL INFORMATION SOURCES.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
INDEX.

Okładka tylna:
Change is afoot in the nature of the relationships between creative agencies and their clients. On one hand, clients are becoming more experienced and demanding; on the other agencies are increasingly polarized between the big consolidated groups and smaller independents. Yet as more organizations than ever seek like–minded business partners and more agencies throw off the historic mantle of creative aloofness, so a new potential for collaboration between them grows.
Working with Agencies has been written for marketers in client organizations who want to refine their skills in the key areas of selec ting an agency, briefing creative work, creative evaluation and developing campaigns together. Mike Sims explores the partnership from both sides, stressing that even the most creative products require a logical approach to communication, and shows how clients can ensure that their relationships deliver synergy, campaign efficiencies and a strong market presence.
In a new landscape the basics of productive cooperation remain: knowledge, trust and a sense of collaborative adventure. This book reveals the inside secrets of how to achieve all three in your own agency relationships – and reap the rewards.