One of the keys to maintaining a successful, productive relationship between a marketer and its agencies is the implementation of an active Agency Relationship Management Program.
This is best accomplished by utilizing a formal review system that measures everything from qualitative relationship factors to outcomes, drivers of outcomes and barriers to success – skill sets, people/communication skills, thinking skills, creative skills, process skills, financial skills, and cultural compatibility.
We believe that an Agency Assessment is most effective when it is a 360° process where both client and agency participate. Identifying problems and then developing a remediation program to improve and renew the relationship is far more productive, efficient and less expensive than initiating a search for a new agency (but not every relationship can be repaired).
Marketing First Forum, the Ark Advisors global partner network, offers customizable and scalable assessment programs for clients large and small, including two outstanding proprietary Online Assessment Tools–Evalu8ing and Hainsight.
Once the assessment is completed and/or the tool is implemented, Ark Advisors can return on an annual or semi-annual basis to assure continuity of the program, help interpret results, and facilitate action plans for ongoing improvement.
Proprietary Online Assessment Tools
Measuring Collaboration: The Evalu8ing Tool
One of the most effective and useful tools we have found to aid in assessing agencies is Evalu8ing. The Evalu8ing System allows marketers to evaluate and identify the level of collaboration and the quality of the relationships between clients and their agency partners. Read more »