What’s the difference between a good agency-marketer partnership and a great one?
In announcing the call to entry for the fourth annual Agency Marketer Partnership Awards, Campaign Asia-Pacific and our awards partner, Observatory International, have learnt a thing or two about how best to answer this question.
In the most successful partnerships—such as the one exhibited by DDB Group Hong Kong and McDonald's Hong Kong, 2016 AMP Award winners—both halves bring specific individual qualities to the table.
The best marketers take calculated risks and buy great work, even if it makes them feel uncomfortable. They embrace their agencies as business partners but also respect them as people. And they play fair, but firm.
The best agencies, meanwhile, are those that think at a business, not just a brand, level. They display comprehensive business acumen and are committed to the brand to the extent that they take genuine brand ownership. They are digitally passionate, think differently and encourage client input.
In short, the best partnerships occur when both sides respect and understand the priorities of the other and look to work together in a transparent fashion wherever possible. There is, says The Observatory’s Asia Pacific managing partner, Richard Bleasdale, a “clear link” between the application of these individual traits and the resulting level of success the partnership achieves.
Bleasdale also points out certain innovative working initiatives he has observed while examining the best marketer-agency partnerships. These include both parties adopting business consultancy roles, building a combined 'team' culture, re-inventing the traditional briefing and idea development stages and embedding digital thinking, skills and tools at the heart of the relationship.
Does your brand or agency have a partnership you would like to spotlight? Learn more about the awards through the entry kit here. Download the entry template here to submit your entry.
Entry Fees and Deadlines
- Entry deadline: 21 July 2017, 6 pm HK/SG Time
- Entry fee: US$250 per submission
For enquiries, please contact:
Ka Ling Man
Events Manager
Direct: +852 3175 1993
Vannthy Vourn
Events Coordinator
Direct: +852 3175 1982