How to Succeed at Media Agencies

Some years ago I was on a conference panel alongside other agency people We were asked whether we would encourage our children to make a career in media agenciesamp160Setting aside the fact that my children are grown up have their own careers and wouldn39t have paid attention to me anyway I was the only one on the panel to say yes I wouldAt their best agencies are great places to work full of interesting people with to misquote a famous adman permission to interfere in others39 businesses without having to take all that much responsibility for the consequences of their actionsYes okay people have bad audits people lose accountsamp160but it39s hardly on a par with having to close a plant is itThe sheer range of marketing activities required by clients and thus regularly offered up by agencies is hugeamp160It39s not only the number of communication channels on offer but the opportunity to advise on how best to knit together eCommerce instore PR experiential media forms packaging content creation and so onThe more complicated things get the more relevant it is to remember basic principlesamp160There are two basic rulesBe paid 100 by the client Put the client39s interests front and center Do what39s best for him or her What the media vendor wants what the platforms decree what will benefit your agency the most financially these should not be your primary concern If they areamp160you39re doing it wrong and eventually you39ll be found outWhoever you are whoever you work for you can39t do everything It39s very easy to say yes to claim invincibility to pretend to be an expert in all things The truth is you39re not If you think you are you39ll be found outI can almost hear the howls now quotBut clients don39t pay us properlyamp160We have to offer new services to make ends meetquotQuestionableThe best clients and there are more of those than perhaps you might think pay their agencies properly If your clients aren39t amongst them then there has to be a grownup conversation sharing numbers and making the business case Discuss the options If a client wants the best people then this is what they cost if the client doesn39t need every service then don39t provide those that aren39t used and don39t charge for them Be honest transparentThe agency business isn39t all that complicated Costs are c 70 in people and thus within your control There39s no manufacturing no supply chain no raw materials You can flex adaptamp160Granted there are holding companies but to most clients that39s an internal matter As my dear old mum used to sayamp160look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselvesWhat39s wrong is to assume that you can always find ways to make the money up from somewhere somehow That can work for a while indeed it worked for years but today we all know where that ends and it39s not prettyRule two Don39t overpromise Don39t say yes to everythingOne small example remember when agencies suddenly became experts in measuring effect some offered trackers others econometrics That worked for about five minutes until everyone worked out that paying the agency a fee to mark its own homework may not be smartFar better to accept that you39re brilliant at certain things Others are equally brilliant at other things Look to collaborate to partner upNobody39s great at everything so ask yourself which is better To offer a suboptimal service provided by people who if they really were the best would not be buried in an agency backroom somewhere in order to make money until you get found outamp160Or might it be better to partner up with someone who39s built a successful business doing whatever it is to incorporate their work into yours and to bask in the reflected glory that comes from a job well doneI recently interviewed Nick Emery for the series Crater Lake is doing with MediatelNick has the opportunity to build a media agency operation from scratch for You and Mr Jones He made the point that now is a wonderful time to be in media given the opportunities I agree as you can hear next week when Mediatel publishes the video interviewAgency leaders just need to grasp the opportunity whilst keeping to basic principles quotJustquotClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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How to Succeed at Media Agencies

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Brian Jacobs

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How to Succeed at Media Agencies

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