The Future of the Client Agency Relationship - A presentation by Hall and Partners

The agency landscape
High value, strategic
Low cost, tactical
Short-term Long-term

New demands
Mass, Populist
New, New Tech
High value, strategic
Low cost, tactical
Short-term Long-term

Confidential & Proprietary. Not For Public Distribution. Do Not Copy.6
The IPA client relationship group
Leigh Thomas (Chair)
Dare
Joyce Kelso
Head of Groups
Richard Alford
M&C Saatchi
Jason Cobbold
Redscout
James Denton-Clark
Karmarama
Kate Cox
Bray Leino
Helen James
BBH
Pippa Glucklich
SMV Group
Sarah Hennessy
MEC Global
Sara Tate
Mother
Mark Boyd
Gravity Road

1
Discussion with the IPA
Agency Group
24
Senior marketing clients
25
Agency CEOs and leaders

The agencies

The clients

A relationship breakdown…
it’s emotional

Pointing fingers. Blaming each other

An open debate to create a Shared Agenda to deliver new value

They do not value us as much as they once did.
Our relationships are weaker, shorter, with more and more pitching
We only hear half the conversation sometimes.
You know there is a conversation before the meeting and it goes on after the
meeting
I sense they do not trust us, they hold back.
We no longer feel we get the full picture
There is a diminishing acknowledgement of agency capabilities
There is an inherent tension in the working relationship and an increasing
lack of love and respect for our industry
Fundamental mistrust between many of us. I don’t feel they value our talent
and skills as they once did
We are rarely honest with each other about decisions or how each other feel
about ideas. It's essential that there is honesty from both the client and agency
A fragmentation of strategy has led to so many people being involved. This
has bred a culture of mistrust

Struggling to deliver better, faster, cheaper

Clients want it all, they want it now, want it to be great and they expect it to
be cheaper
Clients are demanding acceleration of delivery. We are struggling to keep up
with demands
More pressure to deliver cheaply, less resource to do it, more frustration,
more blaming
We are chasing bottom lines and being forced to push products and services
that make the most revenue. It is harder to always consider what’s best for the
client and brand
Procurement has become ever present, driving down cost at the expense of
time to deliver properly
All our clients are putting us under increasing pressure, as they are under
pressure. It’s a vicious cycle
It’s getting faster and faster and faster. There is a the danger of losing the
essence of what makes agencies strong
The need for speed is turning what we do into a commodity and harming the
value of creativity

Drifting downstream together

We are slipping further and further away from the top table discussion
We’ve become implementers of short term tactics focussed on short term sales.
I’m involved in fewer discussions about long term brand strategy
Marketing’s own ground is shifting, this is leaving us out in the cold
We are getting stuck with mid-level marketers who lack accountability and
sight of the top-table agenda
We’re no longer connected at CEO level. Now seen amongst a bunch of other
agencies
The brand discussion has become an internal organisational discussion, no
longer limited to just products and services. We’re not always involved in this
discussion
More and more are asking for content that is delivered across devices, aligned
to what audiences need and want
They once looked to us for advice on the strategy but now they are looking at
so many others as well

Being told to work collaboratively

Collaborate they say. We try. But it is becoming harder and harder. We have
to learn new skills in collaboration
Clients said they want integrated full service, one-stop shops. A dream team,
cream of the crop but what agencies deliver is integrated mediocrity, with no
clear navigation tools
The client rarely creates an environment where agency collaboration is
possible. Clients need to elect a lead, otherwise it doesn’t work
The lead agency is often too controlling, wanting to champion their creative
idea, rather than solving the real consumer problem
Agencies are sometimes at fault when it comes to collaboration. Not being
true to their specialism and saying they can do it all
There is no incentive to collaborate at the moment. Although some clients are
beginning to build it into their appraisal systems
Clear ideas should be centrally nurtured - controlled and radiated out through
the centre

Not getting paid fairly

The industry has become diversified and pluralist, the implication is spend is
now divided up across more suppliers. There is less to go round
We’re not getting paid for the true commercial value of our ideas
The conversation increasingly about the reduction of cost when it needs to be
value versus cost
The dynamic with procurement can be very counter to clients explicit request
for a ‘partner’
We need to get better at engaging with procurement

Access to wider parts of the business
New reward models and fair payment
Clients to establish clear principles and models for collaboration
Space to deliver creative excellence and build long-term value
Involvement in broader strategic discussions
Clear KPIs and incentives for collaboration

Seen as selling, not listening

They come in on talk mode. It’s all about what they think I should be doing
Some agencies monopolise all the meetings, sucking all the oxygen out the
room
They are like nagging children, they have no awareness that they are only a
small part of my role
Being part of the team and integrated required knowing what’s going on, how
I work
Agencies should break up current operating models where account teams are
gatekeepers to planning and creative. They think about how to innovate in
how they service clients, be quicker and better at collaborating, think about
offering up payment by results

Not understanding their world…

Narrow view of the Marketing Director role

Agencies need to “get with the programme”. Most have not moved to anything
like the P&L driven, dynamic environment in house marketing teams have to
operate in
Agencies still overly "creative driven" - they never arrive at a conclusion that
is focussed or driving the business
Knowledge sits high up in the agencies, but those aren’t the people who work
on my account
They don’t understand the numbers and can’t build business cases,
particularly creative agencies
They put their P&L first rather than bringing to life their own specialism in an
ecosystem of specialists. You can’t be all things to the client
It's time to focus on solving the business problem and think of yourselves as
brand people, strategy custodians. Think big picture
The strategic discussion is shifting away from communications towards
customer engagement and product innovation

They think, wrongly, that a Marketing Director is all out creative, when in
fact less and less of their time is spent on that
I need people who understand my business, are wise and have a way of
getting to the hub of the business, but without being too geeky
Agencies need to understand the marketing jigsaw, why and how decisions
are made
Internally we are getting involved in the sign-off process, outside of
marketing. We now need to co-create with non-marketing functions
They don’t all get it. Our focus is being more direct with end customers

Not understanding their customers’ world

Shoreditch microcosm of people coming out of the same mould, they have no
idea about the real world
A lot of people in the industry like to navel gaze and aren’t streetwise or
connected to the consumer
I don’t think any of them have ever been into an ASDA store, they shop at
Whole Foods
My agency doesn’t know how to communicate with the 18-24 year old
audience, no one at their agency seems able to develop a campaign that keeps
them engaged
They used to know our customers, but that planning skill has become
executionally focussed
Agencies need to come in being almost a management consultant - this is a
very useful thing for clients. This it too often seen as the unglamorous part of
the role
I’m seeking a partner agency that is less reactive and more proactive,
identifies ideas that can transform my business

Not understanding the new world

Not just advertising. Not just TV. Not just digital.

It’s about connected customer experiences

Ad agencies are still focussed on old school advertising with its sparkly veneer
They still think it is about the ads when it’s about so much more
It is now all about creating engaging experiences, most agencies seem to have
missed this shift, still thinking it is about communications
When they talk digital, it is still comms, whereas I am thinking service
innovation
Digital overblown as ‘new’ now – its just another channel. It needs to be more
joined up across delivery
Is now all about putting customers first and designing seamless experiences
(driven by technology and innovation)

Our brand has evolved, from being a challenger to being more credible and
purpose driven
Less brand-centric and more about connecting with consumers, being
relevant. There is a corresponding shift in how you use content and channels
Agencies need to start demonstrating platform neutral innovation
The strategic discussion is shifting away from communications towards
customer engagement and product innovation
Understanding and loving the business is what agencies used to do. They also
need to come up with product ideas, not only repositioning the brand

Agencies claim to do everything
when specialist skills required

I’ve been disappointed in the past by agencies telling me they
do everything, but then they can’t deliver, or at best they
partially deliver
Specialise rather than generalise – think about it, can one
agency really be the best at everything? Do your clients really
believe this?
More and more clients are requiring specialists to go in and
work in their businesses. They are also building in-house
resource

Agency people no longer have a monopoly on talent

The industry is just not attracting smart new, diverse talent
There is a lot of nepotism within advertising
They are all fishing from the same pond
Hoxton is such a different 'out of touch' world. The industry
needs to do more to attract really clever people
Agencies need to realise they are competing with the City and
even US for good talent

Greater commercial awareness
A broader creative contribution
Beyond comms, more focus on customer experience
Commercial creativity, with clear ROI
More diverse talent including technical skills
Genuine collaboration
Better integration of specialist skills to deliver the connected experiences

Danger

Innovating fast
Building in-house talent
Blurring the lines of internal external
Leading integrated teams themselves
Developing new skills to manage change
Winning and developing talent
Evolving new models and ways of working
Working with a broader range of partners

Long-term commercial partner?
or
Project-based specialist?

Creating great communications?
or
Creating great customer experiences?

Consultancy that orchestrates and integrates?
or
Deliver solutions within your specialism?

Greater commercial focus and responsibility
Focus on long as well as short-term goals
Articulate how purpose underpins customer experiences and
galvanises new behaviours
Define the collaborative working model
Establish clear accountability and performance measurement/ROI
Broaden the diversity of talent
Create fair reward models and payment structures

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