VIEWPOINT: LEADER - Agencies' role in CRM acceptance

<p>Agencies banking on the much hoped for second half rebound in </p><p>adspend had better start looking elsewhere for business. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The release of the latest adspend data region-wide makes it abundantly </p><p>clear that the first half spending malaise will not lift any time soon - </p><p>at least not soon enough to spare this year's bottomlines. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But all is not lost, provided agencies are willing to look and work </p><p>harder for business. Regional advertising growth may be anaemic at best </p><p>and contracting at worse, but it belies the fact that there is still </p><p>revenue to be earned. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The slowdown has not stopped companies spending marketing dollars though </p><p>it has reduced the amount advertisers have at their disposal. What the </p><p>downturn has done is accelerate the shift of marketing dollars away from </p><p>television-centric campaigns to less sexy disciplines, including </p><p>customer relationship management. Asia isn't the only market where this </p><p>is happening. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The region is merely tracking global marketing trends, where the shift </p><p>to more targeted - and in effect more efficient and accountable - </p><p>communication has been underway for some time now. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, getting businesses to take up and commit to the challenge of </p><p>harvesting their existing customer base will require agencies to play </p><p>their part. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>There is more than a passing interest in CRM, as OgilvyOne's survey to </p><p>determine the general attitude among businesses in Asia towards </p><p>nurturing meaningful customer relationships. But the overriding point </p><p>that also came across was the nervousness exhibited by companies in </p><p>implementing a CRM strategy. Having long overlooked the crucial role of </p><p>CRM to the success of any marketing plan, companies are decidedly </p><p>skittish. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>If anything, this provides an opening for agencies to step in, ease </p><p>clients' fears at this critical acceptance stage, while offering the CRM </p><p>know-how that businesses desperately need. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>