5 Ways to produce Poor Advertising and 6 ways to avoid it

Here’s what many clients think agencies are:

1. A supplier- like my stationery supplier except they deliver ideas, sometimes damn good ones
2. The people I call to communicate the strategy (not the ones I call to help me with strategy)
3. The people I pay but I’m not so sure what I am getting in return (half of my money spent on advertising is wasted but I don’t know which half)
4. The people I call for press, radio and TV. Full stop.
5. The people who I tell what to do and then pay them

Here’s what T&T ad agencies should be:

1. Partners that understand the strategic intention and who are brought into the inner circle (this would have implications on both sides and agencies would have to play a more thinking role than a tactical one and the current compensation model would have to change)
2. More accountable so that there is some measure for ROI. In T&T we are doing a horrible job as an ad industry on tracking performance and measuring anything
3. We should stop being ad agencies and start being relationship builders because ads are not the only way to connect with people. In fact, traditional ads are losing their efficacy
4. More tough. Don’t let the patient be the doctor
5. More transparent. Here’s what I did and here’s what that cost (this will necessitate better tracking systems than we currently have)
6. The owners of more cajones to say no (that’s not the way to go or no thanks if you’re not paying a small pitch fee which does not even cover my costs/clients counter that it’s an investment in new business).