Marketing Procurement

10 Strategic and operational principles for agency selection

Principles of Agency Selection

“Pull Quote”

The relationship between an advertiser and its media agency of record is one of the most important for brand owners to get right.

As one of the world’s leading, independent, media and marketing consultancies Ebiquity has produced a comprehensive guide to help brands in their agency selection.

The relationship between an advertiser and its media agency of record is one of the most important for brand owners to get right. But the process of an agency review can be incredibly challenging, resource-intensive, and time-consuming. As one of the world’s leading, independent, media and marketing consultancies, Ebiquity advises advertisers on more media agency reviews than any other company.

Since January 2016, Ebiquity have run more than 200 national, multi-market, and global pitches. Media billings of contracts awarded under their guidance in this period have totalled more than $12bn. Based on this market-leading experience, the Ebiquity team has brought together ten, best practice guidelines to help advertisers succeed in the art and science of agency selection. They know that these guidelines deliver the right outcome for advertisers – the right partner for today and tomorrow, with the right contract.

You may also like to download: Agency Selection: The Art and Science of selecting the right agency partner report

The relationship between an advertiser and its media agency of record is one of the most important for brand owners to get right. But the process of an agency review can be incredibly challenging.

With transparency high on the agenda for advertisers, agency evaluation today goes well beyond assessing commercial promises. Gone are the days of old-fashioned creds and one-size-fits all solutions.

Advertisers want agency partners who can tailor their offering to meet their diverse and evolving needs.

10 guidelines for agency selection

1. Ask yourself first if you’re sure you want or need to change agency
2. Make the pitch preparation phase a priority
3. Think outside the box
4. Make transparency a golden rule for all parties in the RFP process
5. Define the rules of engagement from the start
6. Brief agencies well, with qualitative content and clear expectations
7. Set challenging, realistic, measurable, and commercial goals
8. Build the foundations of a two-way relationship by positively engaging with Agencies
9. Encourage agencies to demonstrate creativity and delivery
10. Make the process streamlined and agile

Download the full report

About the author

Laetitia Zinetti is Managing Director, Continental Europe, Ebiquity. She has more than 20 years’ experience planning and implementing media and marketing strategies, with senior roles client-side at both Qantas and Nissan. She is based in Ebiquity’s Paris, France office.

The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Marketing Procurement iQ or imply endorsement from the publisher