How to know when you need a new advertising agency
Even though many of us do not own or manage our own businesses, we know that times can be quite difficult in the corporate world. To stand out and compete, companies will turn to the services of an advertising agency, so that while the company concentrates on offering a solid product or service, the advertising agency can focus on making the company a consumer giant.
In practice, this sounds great. In fact, it can be argued that this is the way to go for companies looking to stay ahead of their competition. Much more often than you think, companies will try to use advertising internally, thinking that no one knows their business better than they do. The problem with this is that, at some point, you are too close and drawing conclusions about advertising strategy is based on emotion rather than analysis and evaluation. In the same way that you cannot tickle yourself, it is difficult to handle your own publicity.
But sometimes the job doesn’t work. What was once an exciting partnership is not as productive and you wonder what the future holds. Also, expect to see the signs of decline before it starts to affect your results.
How can you know it’s time for a new ad agency? Well, that will be more difficult than you think. Here are some telltale signs that it’s time to part ways:
You find nothing but men “yes” – A business owner may find the idea of a uniform agreement quite pleasant simply because it makes him feel like he has all the answers. The problem is that an ad agency needs to be able to challenge its client to think differently.
You lose track of the numbers – How weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly advertising dollars are spent helps a business know where they are financially, where they should regroup, and how best to move forward. Transparency is key, but if an advertising agency does not keep communication about these numbers open, the company that hired them is flying blind.
Your ad agency is not in action – When things are new and exciting, the ad agency you hired for your business maintains a regularly scheduled communication, providing a breakdown of everything that is happening with your account. However, over time, communication becomes less frequent and the company begins to feel left out and less important. The tension can escalate, making subsequent meetings with the agency feel strained and uncomfortable. Both parties may fear dating. It’s time for a change.
The only thing companies need to keep in mind when working with an ad agency is that it takes time for plans and strategies to develop. Each side plays its part in achieving goals and milestones along the way. Keep in mind, though, that an ad agency works for your business, and if they’re not cutting it anymore, you need to find an agency that does.
