This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 5, 2017 - June 11, 2017

GOOD businessmen know that many elements are involved in carrying on a sustainable and successful business. One factor all businesses must consider is positioning the brand to the public. That is why businesses engage advertising agencies.

Some agency-advertiser relationships last a lifetime, but some advertisers find there is a need to change an agency after a while.

Once the decision is made to conduct a search for a new advertising agency, the advertiser should consider these points before the search commences:

1. Clarify the brief and requirements of the brand

This is the first and perhaps the most crucial part of the process to get right. A company or brand should know what it wants from an agency before searching for one. This will ensure an agency search stands a reasonable chance of achieving a successful outcome for the advertiser.

If advertisers have used other agencies in the past, they must reflect on why the previous relationship did not succeed and why there was a need to find a new one. There has to be a reason why the previous relationship did not work out, and before embarking on another one, figure out the root cause of the issue first.

In order not to carry old baggage into  a new relationship, advertisers must be introspective and brutally honest about their role in the demise of the previous relationship.

Then, advertisers should start looking at their need to hire a new agency. Before doing so, they must decide why they need it. Is the advertiser looking to do a:

•     New product development?

•     Repositioning of the brand?

•     Investor relations programme?

•     Crisis management exercise?

•    Creation of a new campaign to the same positioning?

2. Provide a written brief

When engaging a new agency, think of it as setting out on a hiring exercise. When hiring staff, a company writes out a job description, the requirements and then a short blurb on the background of the company. Likewise, companies should use this approach to search for an agency.

The advertiser company should write down the “job description” or what is required of the new agency, which should be in the form of a written brief. The brief should include a description of the company, its status, its needs and the new business opportunity that this represents.

The written brief should:

•     Be clear about what is needed;

•    Provide the critical information necessary to complete the task;

•    Inspire or motivate people to do their best.

“Writing a brief is about making decisions about what is needed. Deciding what to leave out is part of it,” says Khairudin Rahim, CEO of 4As Malaysia.

“More time should be spent trying to understand or describe the problem or opportunity rather than ‘hinting’ at the solution,” he adds. In short, advertisers should get straight to the point and be transparent about their needs and expectations.

Experienced practitioners in the industry have revealed that “advertisers who not only put more thought into their brief — but also use their own creativity to make briefing the agency or agencies an inspiring experience — tend to get better results”.

There are three main reasons for this. First, the brief will stand out from other possible assignments that the agency is working on and get a larger share of attention.

Secondly, advertisers who have put more thought into the presentation of their brief demonstrate that they have greater empathy for the creative process and provide the springboard for a great creative leap.

Thirdly, when advertisers put out a well-thought-out brief, it shows that they are in the market for a great creative response and will be open to radical ideas rather than be frightened by one.

3. Consider the budget

If there is anything the agencies cannot stress enough to advertisers, it is that they want transparency from the get-go. This includes budgeting. Advertisers should be realistic and open about the true budget available in order to set the right criteria for agency selection.

When agencies are approached for consideration, one of the first questions they ask is: “What’s the budget?” Though it may be unseemly for an agency to kick off the relationship that way, it is a fair question to ask. It is a legitimate business consideration for an agency when deciding whether to participate in a review.

All agencies would want to know what the advertisers’ general budget is before they commit to participating in a pitch. Refusing to provide budget parameters would cause some agencies to decline to participate.

At the end of the day, advertisers and agencies are looking for high-performance relationships based on mutual trust. If there is ever any doubt about best practices, advertisers should consult the local industry guide “Finding an Agency” developed by 4As and R3, which outlines clear steps for both parties to go through an effective search and selection process that will nurture a better working relationship from the outset.

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