With September came the 2010 installment of ANA’s Agency/Client Forum. Invitations for this year’s conference featured a glossy photograph of two rams butting heads with locked horns. 200 attendees were greeted with the same visual in signage, handouts and presentations at the New York City event. And yet, despite the tone set by this image, the day’s message was decidedly optimistic.
Prominent agency and client presenters – from the Chairman of Crispin Porter + Bogusky to the Director of Global Agency Management for Microsoft – conveyed common perspectives on what it takes to achieve successful partnerships.
Chief among these was the concept of mutual purpose, which was highlighted by nearly every speaker in one way or another. Most simply stated, mutual purpose is the alignment of business philosophies and objectives across client and agency. The two are ‘in it’ to prosper together and to use shared creativity to build business. Most interesting, however, were the unique methods employed to achieve this result. Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s General Manager of Global Integrated Marketing, Clive Sirkin, spoke about their focus on “commercial programs” rather than brand marketing. In this scenario, Kimberly-Clark and its agency partners emphasize the use of creativity to address behaviors in customers rather than brand positioning in the market. As a result, he says, engagement becomes a discussion of making money rather than a discussion of what creativity is.
There was also widespread acknowledgement that great ideas come from differences, and that agencies and clients are able to maximize this when they work as collaborative business creators. Clive Porter, Chairman of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, spoke about the case of Domino’s Pizza who had long focused on the message of fast delivery in their advertising. By collaborating at the product level, changing the pizza’s recipe, and focusing on this in the advertising, Domino’s was able to achieve a 14.3% increase in sales – an effect that couldn’t have been achieved by a single commercial.
Collaboration was also emphasized in context of agencies working effectively together – something that becomes increasingly important as the marketplace and advertising channels become increasingly diverse. This has resulted in an era of specialization where the one-size-fits all solution becomes less viable and agencies are, more and more, working closely together.
Of course, a discussion on successful partnerships wouldn’t have been complete without a reference to accountability. Undoubtedly, establishing agreed upon methods of measurement and Key Performance Indictors is critical to a productive working relationship.
In the end, there was acknowledgement that, together, client organizations and agencies can break new ground. Achieving this requires commitment to the above concepts and – just like any relationship – an investment from both parties in making it work.
