Bridge Toll

Agencies are business consultants, nothing more. They make recommendations on a companies business situation, based on up to date marketing information and most importantly a outside fresh perspective. Their solutions are supposed to fill gaps the company could not see themselves.

When businesses hire more traditional consultants to streamline or improve efficiency, I would wager to bet the companies institute 80-90% of the recommendations, because the consultants are seasoned professionals who understand how to make companies run better, with more profit. It would be stupid to ignore these recommendations.

Then why do so few companies take an agencies recomendation for marketing campaigns? Are agencies rolling over in favor of a happy client? Do clients not value agency opinions? Is marketing viewed as a necessary evil and used only when necessary? Sadly these are all true.

Because of the change in payment structure for agencies, they have become dancing monkeys, at least most of them. Instead of holding a retainer offering a solution, and asking for more for implementation, agencies crank out horrible shit that a CMO says his wife would like to see.

Its sad to see businesses avoid and ignore good advice they are recieving especially in an era where all "good business" advice they have paid for is beginning to mount in the american financial sector. While marketing is not the cure for bad business, its a start to changing course. Hell look at Microsoft now.

A little message from the Bob Slydell of advertising.