Agency search is inevitable. A new CMO or brand lead is one trigger, sure. But performance issues, and more commonly agency malaise, taking a client for granted over time becomes the justifiable rationale to initiate a search.
However, the root cause of agency performance issues that spur a search is a bit more surreptitious. The fact is, the very people connecting you to your agency love short-term relationships - it’s what their revenue model is built on.
Agency CMOs constantly field RFPs where brands initiate a second agency search within a 36-month span and always with the same search consultant. Something is amiss.
Consider that pitches take a predictable form that relies on limited touch points plus consultants who don’t have demonstrative insight into the way agencies pitch v. their day-to-day service model. Yet the cost of search continues to rise as consultants add layers of process, extended timelines and auxiliary services that justify higher fees.
Your agencies should be held accountable for ROAS and so if a change is needed, make the change and stop dancing with the devil that brung you (CLICK). But getting it right means doing things differently: A new search process, at once leaner and with the touch points that ensure cohesive eye-to-eye relationships, cost effective and a win:win for client and participating agencies.
With your agency, and all your partners and suppliers, be fair but absolutely demanding…. the scrutiny on your brand’s performance ain’t dissipating any time soon. And if they’re not cutting it, then by all means initiate a search for new ones. Just remember, getting your search partner right first is the surest way to find agencies that stick.
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