A global study, conducted by relationship consultants Aprais and the Advertising and Marketing Communications Roundtable, analyses more than 1,400 client-agency relationships and several million individual questions answered through Aprais’ proprietary evaluation system.
The findings reveal that becoming a ‘client of choice’ is critical for advertisers. Reaching this status results in agencies upping their commitment to an account by up to 28 per cent, according to a scale based on the allocation of talent, senior management time on an account, level of initiative and whether the agency looks beyond advertising.
Clients, furthermore, can influence this dynamic more closely than they might think. Reaching a higher client-of-choice rating is driven by a range of factors, led by providing feedback and recognition to the agency, and using agency resources effectively.
“Of course, the agency has to live up to the trust placed in it by the client, otherwise it won’t last,” said Aprais Asia-Pacific president Reg Moses (pictured).
Citibank Japan consumer businesses chief marketing officer Caleb Hunt said the results demonstrate why clients need to focus on improving their agency interaction models. “In the best relationships, the agency will challenge the client,” he said, adding that poor relationships lead to a “negative spiral”.
Client-agency dynamic is pivotal: survey
GLOBAL - While the importance of the client-agency dynamic has always been well understood in the world of advertising, new research demonstrates just how vital the relationship is to the overall commitment an agency brings to a client account.
