Agency relationships seem to come in all shapes and sizes, but the overriding concern that most clients experience seem to range from their agency being AWOL – absent without leave – or that they just don’t quite get it and you are struggling to get them to perform up to your standards.
Yes, sometimes the challenges come about through a lack of communication, or perhaps that what was originally ‘sold’ to the client was not communicated to the delivery team (which is why a client should always insist the agency pitch team IS the delivery team!).
But the real challenge in any scenario comes down to whose job is it really to make things work well? And then there is simply only one answer that’s acceptable – the agency.
Managing ones client is of paramount importance in getting the most out of the relationship. Clients have day jobs to do and the very reason they hired an agency was to augment their own efforts by outsourcing to an expert who has more time and resource. The last thing the client should be doing is having to chase the agency, or re-write copy, or drive the campaign – that responsibility lies squarely with the agency.
And driving the relationship from the agency side is so much more productive than being held to task by the client. It might seem like the tail wagging the dog, but the agency should know what they need to perform at their optimum level and know just how to work with the client to get it.
Ashley Carr, Managing Director, Neo PR
