Agency Selection

Here are some of the key questions to ask when selecting a new agency.

1. Does the agency understand your business objectives?
The marketing agency's understanding of your business objectives contained within your brief will be reflected in their response and the strategy that they develop. The agencies we will select will be able to provide an insightful analysis of the business issues and challenge the brief intelligently. Then we’ll start asking some more questions on your behalf!

2. Can the agency differentiate your business?
Is the agency capable of producing big ideas? Do the possess the insight into the core essence of your brand? Can they produce a single-minded proposition that your target audience will find irresistible? Can they position your business effectively and create ‘market space' for your brand to fulfil its potential. If so, we’ve found you an agency that can and will make a difference

3. Is the agency producing results for its existing clients?
What are the clients saying about their agency? Have they given positive testimonials regarding the quality of the work? Were they from senior directors of their client companies? Exactly how have they worked with their clients to deliver profitable results? When we’re happy with the response to this question, we’ll ask some more.

4. Does the agency have the right credentials?
What kinds of brands is the agency working for right now? What are the skill-sets and levels of experience of the people? Do they have the types of clients that will ‘fit' comfortably with your company's profile? To a great extent, these questions will help us to determine the suitability of the agency.

5. Will you be dealing with the directors of the agency?
Be sure that you meet the people who will be working on your account. Are they experienced directors with a hands-on approach that will be adding real value to your business or are they agency figureheads whom you'll never see again after the pitch is over? Is there a large hierarchy that may compromise and dilute the work? Will your account be delegated to a lightweight?

6. Will your account be important to the agency?
This is a key question. It is important that your account is seen as being significant and special on every level, considering diverse elements such as willingness to gain the a close working knowledge about your business, attitudes to the importance of brand stewardship, commitment to strategy, creativity, personal chemistry, enthusiasm and budget.

7. Does the agency realise that advertising is not always the ‘solution'?
“Advertising is the solution, now what's the problem.” is a widely held view held by traditional agencies. A modern, progressive marketing agency must demonstrate that it has a full working knowledge of the most appropriate options available to meet the objectives of its clients today and tomorrow.

8. Is the agency capable of integrating traditional and new media?
Agencies that just work within a single medium might very well hold you back. Integrated, media-neutral marketing is concerned with a holistic, solutions-based approach that consistently delivers results on an ongoing basis. Today, you need an agency that spans both of these media arenas.

9. Does the agency offer high level strategy and creativity?
Within any campaign, strategy and creativity must be applied with the perfect weight. They are mutually interdependent disciplines. We’ll ensure the agency can deliver on both.

10. Is the agency's motivation to take your business to the next level or to win awards?
A client's business success beats the pursuit of Clios every time. Again, at Marketing Agency UK we’ll make sure the agency has a value based marketing philosophy i.e. one that is based on becoming recognised for creating increased sales, profitability and ultimately shareholder value for your business, rather than for a cluttered trophy cabinet.

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