The confusion problem. Keep 'em happy.
Mark Sneider, managing director of the Cincinnati-based brand consultant Reardon Smith Whittaker, says we're now living in a "current complex media environment," where clients can get lost among their dizzying array of options for a campaign. They can also get lost among a big agency's portfolio.
According to a 2006 Blackfriars Marketing Index survey, online spending grew more than a quarter for all marketing budgets. But at the same time, marketers' confidence level in their campaigns went down. Even though there's plenty of evidence that shows online advertising can be effective, the Blackfriars' study suggested clients were confused by the vast amount of choices now available to them, an indication that uncertainty breeds a lack of confidence. While the internet may have given agencies a bazillion ways to communicate to consumers, to clients, it has also given them a bazillion ways to get lost amid the advertising landscape.
Speaking of lost, larger ad agencies tend to overlook their smaller accounts in tough economic times, Sneider says. With talk of a recession, and clients sure to be tracking every dollar spent for simplified campaigns, now is the time to refresh the agency's customer service skills.
"Agencies can be too focused on their next big win and not enough on the client at hand," Sneider says. "If you're not the major client in the portfolio then you may get the B-team on the project. Clients know when they get that team, and they don't like it."
Takeaway for agencies: If you're going to integrate for the client, simplify and clarify your options. And polish those customer service skills.