The agency-client relationship is tricky - while some agencies dream big with grandiose ideas for executing a project or campaign, a brand may be constrained by strict guidelines and a limited budget. The absence of communication leads to a tense business relationship, and, potentially, a break-up.

According to a study by R3, the average agency-client relationship lasts 3.2 years. Instead of giving up, it may help to pinpoint where the relationship went wrong. The healthiest agency-client relationships have lasted over 22 years, and that is due to a strong foundation built on trust, communication, understanding, and listening.

As the bridge between the marketing agency and client worlds, we used our agency-client network to gather insights about the most important topics that both agencies and clients want to communicate to their partners.

5 Things Clients Wish Their Agencies Knew

1. Agencies should educate themselves about the company with everything publicly available and then augment that with additional info from the client.

This topic was highlighted most frequently by both client and experienced agency participants. As the client’s partner, advertising agencies should constantly make an effort to thoroughly understand the inner workings of each of their client’s businesses through research and in-depth conversations. In other words, if the information is a simple Google search away, the agency should already know the information.

“Clients want you to research their company and industry. Do your homework and keep up with the company on an ongoing basis. Do not ask the client to ‘tell us about yourself or how are things going’ - particularly if you have done business with them previously. If the company is publicly traded, you (the agency) should keep an eye on their earnings. You need to position yourself as an expert and as someone who is genuinely interested. Educate yourself about the company with everything publicly available and then augment that with additional info from the client.”  

- SVP of Communications and Marketing for a global Financial Services company

“In today’s world, the ROI of every marketing dollar is under a microscope. Gone are the days where you can just spend without having a deep analysis of the impact that spending is having and the return or impact on revenue. Agencies should also spend time learning how a company is backed: private vs. public, venture vs. private equity - all of that has a great impact on the budget and the return on investment dollars.”

- Katharine Voyles Mobley, VP, Head of Marketing for First Advantage

Brand-side marketers appreciate agencies who value understanding how a brand operates and take a more proactive approach to their proposed solutions.

“I've always preached to my teams that if you are working on a publicly traded company or a private company that is followed by analysts, you have to be reading any and all reporting on the brands.  For publicly traded companies, you need to listen to earnings calls, reading transcripts, reviewing analyst recaps, etc. This is the best way to have a clear understanding of where their business is heading and why.  You should also be thinking about how you link your efforts to the goals, objectives, and strategies being communicated by the brands C-suite.”

- Jason Rockman, President for DEFINITION 6

2. There are layers upon layers of bureaucratic red tape at big companies - I wish my agencies knew how to help me navigate it.

Understanding the internal factors of the brand is the key to driving the proposed strategy forward. In order to develop a quick and effective marketing strategy, agencies must comprehend the gravity of the “bureaucratic red tape.” The “corporate underbelly” runs a specific way when it comes to balancing “culture, finance, and budget cycles with product portfolios.”

Since the brand may be under strict regulations when it comes to a budget, agencies need to listen to company objectives and expectations, while being patient about the approval process. The faster an agency understands what they can and cannot do, the faster they can work.

“Bureaucratic red tape. The big companies have layers upon layers of approvals, controls, review committees, rules, standard work, etc. I wish my agencies knew that enough to help me navigate with speed - they need to follow the rules, provide estimates up front, don’t start work until they get a PO number, etc.”

- Tim Hernquist, Associate Director of Marketing for Carrier Corporation

3. I love new ideas but don’t be put out if we can’t execute everything the way you think we should.  

Agencies should not be afraid to challenge ideas and resist being an “order taker,” but they also must know that, at the end of the day, the client knows their business better than anyone. The agency may be an expert on emerging trends, but listening to the needs and boundaries of the client will help execute the task accordingly.

“I love new ideas but don’t be put out if we can’t execute everything the way you think we should. The client-side folks are likely having to navigate a minefield of internal politics to make most changes happen and/or get funding for changes and other projects.”

- Drew Hawkins, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing for North Highland

4. Clients want strategic consultant services, not someone “selling” something.

Agencies...don’t even think about upselling! The partner’s job in a relationship is to support, provide expertise, and understand.

“My budget is my budget. I don’t have money I’m hiding or waiting to spend. Help me address my immediate need first before upselling other things.”

- Drew Hawkins, Senior Manager, Digital Marketing for North Highland

“Clients want strategic consultant services, not someone ‘selling’ me something.”

- SVP of Communications and Marketing for a global Financial Services company

5. Clients want an extension of their team…not fair-weather friends.

Once a client selects an agency, both parties enter a partnership. The agency becomes a member of the team, with a stake in their client’s business.

“Clients want an extension of their team. Not fair weather friends who are only present when business, a contract, and money are present.”

- SVP of Communications and Marketing for a global Financial Services company

As an extension of the team, it is not only important to speak up and communicate with transparency about concerns, but it is also important to back up and support the brand’s efforts. As an expert in their field, agencies can prove the value of their marketing efforts and should educate this importance to non-marketers of the company.

“I wish they could help me teach non-marketers within my company what marketing is all about, how it can be most powerful and give it visual examples and case studies to make their point. Marketing is completely misunderstood by most of the people I work directly with.”

- Tim Hernquist, Associate Director of Marketing for Carrier Corporation

The agency-client relationship is a two-way street that requires constant effort and a deep understanding of the other party. Maintaining a strong relationship can be difficult... but a good partnership is always worth fighting for.

Now that you’ve finished reading “Things Clients Wish Agencies Knew,” read more about the agency relationship in our blog, “Things Agencies Wish Clients Knew” with our agency partner’s insights.

Special thanks to Tim Hernquist, Drew Hawkins, Katharine Voyles Mobley, Jason Rockman, and others for their contribution to this post!