Expectations from Advertising Agencies
Agency selection is seen as an important decision process for the advertiser. Because any wrong decision made by the advertiser in choosing an agency will result in the failure to achieve the desired goals in the advertising industry, which works with large amounts, and the budget invested in advertising will be completely wasted...
For this reason, the working process is very important for both the advertiser and the agency to avoid similar difficult situations. The biggest role in this process falls to the budget owner, that is, the advertiser. There are many factors that the advertiser should consider when choosing an agency, and after the agency is selected, the success of the campaign and achieving the expected goals is the top priority. If we look at it in this context, it is useful to list the priorities that the advertiser should pay attention to when choosing an agency and the advertiser's expectations from the agency:
Agency's Manpower and Equipment: This is the first point that the advertiser should pay attention to. Senior management and agency employees may be included in this article. When choosing the agency they want to work with, the advertiser should pay particular attention to whether their "chemistry" with the agency employees is compatible. In today's market, agencies often cannot choose their advertisers, so they have to do whatever job they can from any sector. Therefore, an agency employee must be open to all kinds of information and have the necessary equipment. When the advertiser comes to the agency, he/she will expect the agency employees to be knowledgeable about the advertiser's industry or will be interested in whether they are open to this information. For this reason, agency employees should be open to all kinds of opinions, sincere and well-equipped.
Work Done by the Agency for Other Clients: This can be said to be the most important point for the advertiser. Because most of the time, agencies attract attention with the work they do for other clients. In a sense, the work they do is an opportunity for them to show themselves, and in the eyes of the advertiser, these works are an indicator of how experienced the agency is and how well it does its job. However, the point to consider here is the sector in which the agency's work is performed. As we said before, this agency also depends on its employees. Therefore, in order for an agency to be considered a "good agency", all factors must be considered as a whole.
Product/Service Group of the Agency's Other Clients: Although we said that agency employees should be equipped for all types of advertising, there are times when some agencies specialize in a certain product group. Therefore, when choosing an agency, the advertiser should check the work of the agency he wants to advertise with and whether they have experience with the product or service group. However, this can also be a neutral factor due to the equipment and creative abilities of the agency's employees.
After all these factors, the advertiser chooses his agency and starts communicating with him. After this, the relationship between the advertiser and the agency is shaped. The advertiser conveys some information to the agency regarding the campaign or the work to be done. This information includes the product, the market the industry is in, the brand's share in the industry, the brand's competitors in the market, etc. on issues. This and many similar communication processes will play a role between the agency and the advertiser. Therefore, mutual trust and understanding should play a major role in the relationship established between the advertiser and the agency. Therefore, it is of particular importance for the advertiser to pay attention to the phenomenon called corporate identity when choosing an agency.
It should not be forgotten that institutions have an identity just like people. For example, in case of any problem, it is essential for both parties to fulfill their duties as quickly as possible in order to solve the problem. This ensures that the problem is resolved as quickly as possible. If the mutual relationship levels of the agency and the advertiser are compatible enough and the methods of approaching problems are fast and solution-based, this will both meet the advertiser's expectations and be added as a plus point that increases the prestige of the agency.
After all these factors, the most important thing that an advertiser expects from an agency is that the campaign produces the expected results. These results may sometimes be financial and sometimes related to promotional activities such as recognition. To give an example, the brand may want to position a new product it has launched in the consumer's mind, this brand may be the first thing that comes to mind when the consumer is asked about the product group, or if we approach it a little more materially, the brand may aim to increase the sales rates of the product it advertises by 5%. Ultimately, the most important factor for the advertiser is whether the advertisement reaches its purpose and whether the allocated budget is used appropriately.