Finding Better Agencies Blog


Every week, the team at RSW/AgencySearch publishes value added content about the marketer and agency world. Usually, we’re focusing the conversation on meaningful, relevant and timely topics like AI, the changing face of in-house agencies, and the challenges facing agencies in a new, ever-changing marketing environment.

We hope you enjoy the read!


WPCU Victory

Wright-Patt Credit Union Victory!

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We were given the great opportunity of running the agency search for Wright-Patt Credit Union, one of the top credit unions in the nation. WPCU was looking for a new full-service agency that that could…
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Groundhog Day - Don't Drive Angry

Break the Groundhog Day Cycle: Finding a Better Agency Partner

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Just like Bill Murray's character Phil Connors in the classic film Groundhog Day, many marketers find themselves caught in the same cycle year after year with their agency partners. Understanding why you’re…
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Independent Agencies – Flavor of Choice

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By now, I'm sure you've all heard about Omnicom's acquisition of IPG, making it the largest agency network in the world. For most of the marketers we've worked with since our start in 2005, helping…
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Give Them a Good Look

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I recently read an article in AdAge titled "Small Agencies Win Big Accounts" and it got me thinking about the marketing agency searches we run for our marketing clients. When I started RSW/AgencySearch,…
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Is Your Agency Embracing AI?

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In an AdAge article this past week, titled "How AI is changing the way agencies work", it talks about all the great efficiencies and productivity that platforms are delivering for marketing agencies. It's…
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Marketer: Running a Search? Got Agencies? Need Objective Perspective?

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More and more, our marketing agency clients on the RSW/US side of our business are getting involved in marketer-led searches. While this is all fine and good, I'm guessing running an effective search…
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Agency Confidence & Marketer Satisfaction: Worlds Apart

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In a recent survey release on MarketingProfs, it has become painfully clear that what agencies think they are really good at isn't viewed quite as kindly by their marketer counterparts. 76% of agencies…
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In-Housing is A Thing. Just not THE Thing.

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In a recent article in AdAge, it cited that 83% of marketers feel that in-housing is better from a cost perspective, but 61% of marketers stated that outsourcing was better if you care about creativity…
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Not So New Year

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We will soon be releasing what we're calling the "Not So New Year Outlook Survey" for responses from Marketers and Marketing Agencies. We typically release a New Year Outlook survey every year and that…
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Not for Just the Full-Service Anymore

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In a recent article in AdAge, the author talks about how the velocity of formal agency searches has gone up in recent months...but not for the things you would typically think marketers are looking for. Historically,…
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Agency Doer versus Thinker – Can You Have Both?

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In an article recently posted in Adweek, Home Builder Taylor Morrison's CMO Stephanie McCarty makes the the claim that "the agency model is broken" which is a bold assertion depending on where you stand. There…
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The AI Elephant in the Room

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Critical Mass' VP of Technology, Ricky Bacon recently published an article on the Drum titled: "Let's Address the AI Elephant in the Room.  You'd Never Hire Someone this Mid". And I think Ricky is…
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A Different Look for the Mid-Spend Marketer

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Are you a mid-spend marketer? Are you spending anywhere between $500k-$5M on your brand to help it grow in share and stature? If that describes you, I'm guessing you probably need to be very careful…
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Why Agencies Matter

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The move to in-house creative teams. The takeover by AI. The question of digital agencies' relevance. Marketers cutting back on agency spending. Agencies have had it tough over the past few…
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The Great Agency Reset

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I recently read an article in Ad Age about how the "Great Resignation" that occurred during the pandemic is now giving way to the "Great Reset". During…
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CMOs Are Facing an Existential Crisis

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Looking for a new marketing agency to help you avoid your own existential crisis?  Our team at RSW/AgencySearch can help at no-cost to you! Recently read the article below about Marketer's existential…
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AI AI Oh No

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AI is overtly or covertly making its way into many professionals’ everyday work, especially in marketing. Many professionals also believe AI will eventually replace their role partially or entirely…
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What Marketers Want. What They Get.

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This is a story about a recent final pitch presentation I oversaw for marketers at a big healthcare system. But before I get there...some backstory context. I have a presentation I give to all our…
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Marketers: Help Us Learn!

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RSW/AgencySearch is a no-cost way for marketers to find best-in-class agencies (of any type/size/location). Each week we post content about marketing agencies and marketers. We hope you find these helpful…
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A Better Looking ’24

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RSW/AgencySearch is a no-cost way for marketers to find best-in-class agencies (of any type/size/location). Each week we post content about marketing agencies and marketers. We hope you find these helpful…
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You’re Killing Your Business and Your Agencies

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Let's hope that what we're hearing more of is true, so the season can be one of happiness and not one of more concern...that you marketers are seeing signs of life and planning for a more "normal" 2024…
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Optimism or Pessimism?

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The 2008 recession was a challenge for many agencies and their clients. The 2020 pandemic was an even bigger challenge for many agencies and their clients. But what we're dealing with today is different. It…
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It’s Not Just An AI Thing

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AI seems to be all the rage among agencies and marketers. We've seen some agencies start to apply the technology to their efforts to generate content for their clients, gather research intel to help them…
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Agency Search Decisions by Committee Can Have Its Challenges

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Everybody has some kind of agenda.  Some more blatantly obvious than others, right? You've got the CFO and/or Procurement who are out to save a buck. You've got the internal marketing/agency team…
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Mid-Spend Marketers: If you don’t STOP IT…here’s how to START IT!

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In our last post we strongly encouraged mid-spend marketers to stop trying to run marketing agency searches on their own. As we suggested last week... Managing an agency search on your own is a little…
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Mid-Spend Marketers: STOP IT ALREADY!

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I have been assisting mid-spend marketers in their quest to find new and better marketing agencies since 2010. Too often I'm stepping into a situation where the mid-spend marketers had tried to manage…
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Agency Search: Who are you Foolin’?

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Some people like to make sure they search all the options before they make a purchase.  While it's certainly the thorough way to manage a purchase, I'm not sure it's terribly efficient. At some point…
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Agency Search: Don’t Hire a Dog to do Your Own Barking

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Was with a prospective agency client the other day on the lead generation side of our business and he made the comment "don't hire a dog and then do your own barking" - in his world meaning, don't hire…
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Reasons to Look for a New Firm

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Marketers typically come to RSW/AgencySearch for one of a few reasons: They feel like their current marketing agency isn't keeping them ahead of the curve.  The marketer wants to move forward, but…
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Pesky Pitch Process Part II

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I posted last week on the pitch process in part 1 of the Pesky Pitch Process.  Little did I know that this week, the 4As would be publishing their own survey report on the topic. Tell ya' what, pitches…
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Pesky Pitch Process

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Globally, 86% of agency respondents find the agency pitch process excessively time and cost exhaustive and 64% of agency respondents find pitching damaging to agency culture. Funny how things haven't…
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Small Fish Big Pond? Or Big Fish in Little Pond?

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You never want to be either of these things...stuck in any kind of pond.  But it happens and when it does, you can't let it languish because it's going to put you and your business behind. Small Fish…
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Figured Out AI Yet?

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So here is what ChatGPT tells me AI is good for (as it relates to your world, Marketers) - a good read and helpful read: AI for marketing can be a powerful strategy to enhance various aspects of your…
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Unification

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Just kicked off a new relationship with an agency on the agency new business side of our business.  During the kick-off, we talked about their clients and the things they did for them - and what their…
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The Agency. The Partner.

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Having a transactional relationship with an agency can be a good thing for some agencies and some marketers. The agency wins because there's a steady stream of new projects that the client needs completed.…
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Are You True to Your Positioning?

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A brand's positioning is one of the single most important things that impact the success of a business. I experienced this first-hand with our own firm, RSW/AgencySearch and its positioning. I knew there…
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Solid Marketer Perspective

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Last year I started a new marketer interview series called "The Marketer's Edge".  We interview c-level marketing executives to learn about things about them, their business, and how they deal with challenges…
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Change the Agency Pitch Process?

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In a recent AdAge article about the agency pitch process, it is argued that the pitch process needs to change because it is too taxing and emotionally and fiscally draining for agencies. Globally, 86%…
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Mirror, Mirror Marketer

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I tell agencies to remember that in the eyes of the marketer, how you look today could be a reflection of how you’ll operate tomorrow. It’s true and valid.  And it’s something that you, the marketer,…
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What You Want Out of Marketing Agencies Is Only As Good As What You Put In

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At RSW/AgencySearch we believe “good inputs deliver great outputs” when it comes to searching for the best marketing agencies for your business. We also believe that when searching for marketing agencies,…
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Creating Access for Marketers into the Agency Search World Like Never Before

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Have you managed an agency search on your own?  If so, you know how time-consuming and difficult it can be. You might think you've got "the perfect agency", but there's always that seed of doubt wondering…
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Industry Experience. A Plus or Minus?

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One of the easiest things to look for when in a marketing agency search is a category fit. When you work in CPG, for example, you want to see sales lift numbers and experience with branding and marketing…
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4 Steps in an Agency Break-Up

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There are 4 steps in an agency break-up you should follow to make the transition to a new firm not quite as painful. There comes a time in a marketing agency's life where it no longer provides meaningful…
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chatGPT’s Top 10

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So these last two weeks we've posted on the top of "Looking for the Must Have Agency".  Got a lot of views and clicks among all of you, so appreciate that and hope the counsel was helpful.  This week,…
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Finding the “Must Have” Agency – Part II

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Last week we talked about what to look for in an Agency if you are running the search process yourself.  The "must have" Agency is not an easy thing to find, so you need to make sure you're asking all…
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Agency Search Firm Perspective: The Must Have Agency – Part 1

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Back in 2007, I asked a group of 20 Agency Principals at a conference in Kansas City to write down their agency's "elevator pitch". 19 of the 20 stated that they were "strategic, fun to work with, hard…
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Agency Partner or Cost Cutter?

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Recently, the agency search world has felt rumblings of an unfortunate trend: some agency pitches are becoming an arms race to see who can cut the most cost, rather than who is ultimately going to be the…
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Their Website. Their Storefront.

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Marketing agencies generally do a solid job for their marketing clients when it comes to designing and developing a website.  They know the importance of things like effective positioning, clarity of…
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In Uncertainty is Flexibility – 5 Boxes to Check

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The majority of agency consultants in the market today are part of big organizations with high overhead and only one way of helping you find new marketing agency firms. Flexibility isn't their thing. They're…
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Little fish or a big fish is a big problem.

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Painful Yet Productive

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The process of finding a new and better agency should be a painful one. "Say what?" you say.  Why would I want it to be a painful one? In our world of helping marketers find new and better agencies,…
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Midsize Brands Need Midsize Help

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In a recent article in AdAge about Midsize brands, they talk about the unique needs of brands that are $100M-$1B in size. There are 350,000 of you out there that fall into this space and you know it,…
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Marketing Agencies Are Our Clients…That’s Why!

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Why should you look to us to help you find a new, best-in-class, independent marketing agency? Because we have been working with 100's of independent marketing agencies as our clients for the past 17…
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Scope it! Don’t Hope It!

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Relying on hope - to find a better marketing agency if your current agency is falling down isn't the best strategy. Looking at agencies without a clearly defined scope of what you're after is no way to…
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Be a Sport. Tell the agency why they lost.

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As the head of company that services agencies (by helping them find new business) I know how painful it can be for an agency that is involved in a search to not make the final cut.  They pour their hearts…
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CMO Safety Net or Ticket to Ride?

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Let me start by reminding all of you marketers what the world of today's CMO looks like: According to a recent Wall Street Journal article: Chief marketing officers’ average tenure in their posts…
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The Future Favors Independents

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Independent agencies are on the rise. The future favors independents over agencies tied to big networks. While there was a day, in pre-pandemic times, when size seemed to matter. Not going with…
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A CMO Transformation is Underway

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You may have heard some buzz recently about “the disappearing CMO”. In case you haven’t, the sentiment is that the term “marketing” is outdated as a catch-all term.  In addition,…
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A Foreshadowing of Things to Come?

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Is how they look today a foreshadowing of how they will operate tomorrow? I believe that what you see at any point during the agency evaluation process…is what you’ll get if you bring them…
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Challenge Them!

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The Challenge Document. The Challenge Document is a document we use during agency searches during the final stage of the review. At that point, we’ve narrowed the list down to a group of (typically)…
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Find Your Match in a Sea of Sameness

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There’s a line we like to cite when talking about, or even to, the agencies that we deal with. "At the end of the day, all agencies do the same stuff." Surprising to hear from an agency search firm? After…
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Let’s Get Small

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In the world of marketing (and business at-large, for that matter), it’s a long-held truth that bigger is nearly always better: big revenue, big accounts, big names…you get the big idea. When it comes…
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Why Do Marketers Look for New Agencies

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We have been helping marketers find new agencies since 2010.  All of the searches we have run have some common threads to them. Spending levels Most of the marketers we represent are mid-to-small…
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How We Can Help You Find a New Marketing Agency

How can we help you find a new marketing agency? Our team at RSW/AgencySearch talk a lot about agencies in these posts and we talk about marketing agency-client relationships in these posts and we talk…
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RESPECT

Just got off the phone with one of our Agency clients at RSW/US who was asked directly by a Marketing prospect to participate in an RFP on a quick turnaround.  Not starting with the greatest amount of…
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A Perfect Match?

The dating metaphor is well worn in our world of agency searches, but it’s tough to ignore the parallels: an agency that’s a perfect match for one brand might be a complete non-starter for another. Marketers…
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Beware of the Bait ‘n Switch

We've all seen it before...the ole bait 'n switch.  Agencies bringing out all the stops during a presentation...lulling marketers into a false sense of feeling like they are (and will always be) #1 in…
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Burn Out Might Burn You…Out

Agency burnout is nothing new. Creatives have been burning the candle at both ends forever. And as I’m sure some of you reading this can attest, either from dealings with agency staffers or a previous…
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Falling in Love Isn’t the Answer

In celebration of my favorite day of the year (Valentine's Day) tomorrow, this post is partially about falling in love. Falling in love during your search Don’t fall in love with an agency’s…
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The End of In-House Agencies?

In this year's 2022 New Year Outlook survey we asked marketers and agencies about the use of in-house agencies. With one exception, signs point towards the trend we saw in last year’s report: marketers’…
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Spending on the Rise in 2022

This year’s 2022 New Year Outlook Report appears to be all about the contrasts - particularly in some areas of spending expectations. Last year brought an unwelcome helping of gloom and doom from marketers,…
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The Marketer Advantage

Agencies have to always be on their game. They have to always be on the hunt to find new business from you, the marketer, and they always need to be pleasing you, the marketer, when they engage with you. …
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The Most Complete List of Top Agency Search Consultants and Agency Search Firms and How to Reach Them

Agency Search Consultants and Agency Search Firms The following is a quick reference guide of top Ad Agency Search Consultants and Agency Search Firms for North America. Check out our compiled list of…
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New thinking for special project work

We recently ran an agency search for a large Texas-based health system looking for special project work help - wanting to still maintain their long-standing (and happy) relationship with their marketing…
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3 Things To Be Thankful For

As we roll out of another fun-filled year, there are at least 3 things we can all be thankful for. As we all know, the world of finding best-in-class agencies is one of constant change and, ideally, improvement. Marketers…
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Keep Your Agency Search Focused

Key to a successful agency search is focus. Unfortunately, it's easy to get distracted in today's "always on" world. And it's equally as easy to not keep your agency search focused when there are so…
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Beginning your search for an agency? Start at the end.

We’ve been conducting agency searches for over a decade, and a few times, we’ve seen marketers try to, for lack of a better phrase, “figure it out as they go” when they search for an agency. They…
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Bespoke Agency Advantages… For The Rest of Us

There’s a new trend in vogue for some of marketing’s biggest brands - the bespoke agency. Just within the last few weeks, both Mercedes-Benz and Planet Fitness have moved to handcrafted agencies…
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Glitz

The In-house Conversation - Minus The Glitz Most of the conversation around marketing trends centers on the “flashier” parts of the industry: let’s be honest, big-budget Super Bowl ads with all…
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How to Get More Out of Your Agency – Without Beating the Crap Out of Them

Having played in the Agency-Client Relationship space now for the past 16 years, I've seen it all. We work with 50+ different agencies across the nation and talk to 1000's every month.  I've seen agency…
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www.clevelandguardians.com?

Drop clevelandguardians into your favorite browser and here is what see what you'll find: While the Cleveland Indians baseball team would have liked for you to find their new logo when completing a clevelandguardians…
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Going for the Gold Agency Search

At RSW/AgencySearch, we strive to be the gold standard of agency search consultants. What constitutes a gold medal agency search? Ok, so maybe we’re a few weeks late on the Olympics theme, but the time…
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Finding a Best-In-Class Agency for a Mid-to-Small Spend Marketer

If you're thinking about looking for a new, best-in-class agency, be careful, as it can be a daunting task. Marketers struggle with the task of finding a new marketing agency for a few reasons: They…
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Agencies Not Responding to the Technology Needs of Marketers

We recently completed a survey among marketers and agencies which, in part, evaluated the technology needs of marketers.  We wanted to understand what challenges were most pressing and then juxtaposition…
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Why is Your Agency, Your Agency?

Why is your agency, your agency? Or, in the case of larger rosters, what role does each agency play in your larger plan? If you have a readily available answer, then more power to you. But many times,…
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Finding a Best-In-Class Agency

Finding a best-in-class agency is no easy task. What is easy, is pulling together a list of agencies that show up in searches.  Or building a list of agencies that come to you from referrals. Problem…
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Marketing Clients Talk About RSW/AgencySearch

In February we invited a number of marketing clients who had used RSW/AgencySearch (to find better agencies), to a virtual conference to talk about their experience working with our firm. We also explored…
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What’s Next For Marketers?

What's next marketers? What’s left to say about the last 12 months? As marketers readjust to the latest readjustments (which themselves were adjusting to previous adjustments), our New Year Outlook…
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The Rollercoaster of Marketing Agency Partners

In 2015, 50% of marketers stated in our New Year Outlook survey report that they used 2 or fewer marketing agency partners to support the needs of their business. In our most recent New Year Outlook survey…
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Our Virtual World and Your Marketing Agency

In our recently released 2021 New Year Outlook survey report, we learned a little bit about the psyche of marketers and agencies as it related to attending conferences and trade shows in this new virtual…
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Marketing Analytics and Your Agency

Marketing analytics is a hot topic these days.  Challenge is, there is so much out there, and not all agencies are diving down deep into what you need as a marketer to support your business. More and…
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Marketing Spending Expectations

Good news is only 32% of marketers expect to see a decline in their marketing spending levels in 2021 (according to our 2021 New Year Outlook Survey Report). The not-so-good news (for agencies and the…
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Good Help Can Be Hard to Find

Good help can be hard to find The goal of every search we conduct is to find a match that will yield results for your business for years to come. It’s something we strive for, and it’s something we…
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The new shape of agency partnerships

It’s been a year of micro-shifts; a plethora of small adaptations to things like messaging, channel engagement, and split-second decisions driven by social forces, political leanings, and of course,…
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We are Nearing the “Silly Season”

The "season" is the time of year when marketers start thinking about looking for new marketing agencies. Some call it "silly season" because there are marketers that just use it as an excuse to change…
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Now Isn’t The Time For Business As Usual

We don’t need to give you the typical introduction to the situation at hand. You all know it's not the time for business as usual. From top to bottom, across all verticals, even brands or industries…
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Now is the Time for Your Agency to Make a Difference

Now is the time for your agency to make a difference in your world. In a recent Adweek article, the author discusses the things brands need to be thinking about and doing now, given the situation we are…
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Making the Most of What You’ve Got

With all the talk about the “shiny new toys” on the MarTech horizon, what often gets lost is making the most of what you've got - the platforms already sitting in your existing technology stack. We…
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You Marketers are Changing the Way

You marketers are changing the way of traditional agency search firms! The world of agency search firms is changing not because it wants to…but because of the way you, the marketer are managing your…
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Creativity

Where Has All The Creativity Gone?

Where has all the creativity gone? Much has been said about the continued trend of agencies being acquired by consultancy giants. Some marketers are concerned that this will result in flat ideas from…
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merger

Accenture Bought Droga5 – What Does It Mean for Your Agency Relationship?

For those that haven’t yet heard, the agency world saw a huge acquisition earlier this week, as Accenture purchased creative firm Droga5. What are the implications of the $200+ million move, and how…
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Let it Be

Let Your Agency Be Your Agency

I saw an interesting article in AdWeek a few days ago, and while I don’t agree with all of it, there is a point that I liked and wanted to expand on: the idea of letting your agency be an agency. It’s…
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MarTech Anyone?

How many of you get inundated with calls and emails from MarTech firms trying to sell you the best of whatever it is they are selling? I'm guessing it's many, if not all of you. I did an informal survey…
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Design

What’s the Best Design for You?

Your marketing group is designed and structured for maximum performance. So should the design and structure of the marketing firms that support it too. There are lots of ways you can set up your portfolio…
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The Great ROI Divide

The Great ROI Divide

When you make an investment, you expect to see results; hiring a marketing agency should be no different. That's why it continues to surprise us that a significant gap exists between the respective…
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agency mia?

It’s January: Do You Know Where Your Agency Is?.

Last week we talked about something called "Silly Season," the time of year when marketers look to make an agency change as part of their New Year adjustments. We cautioned against making a change…
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Silly Season

Tis the Season…Silly Season, That Is

It's the beginning of a new year, which means a few silly (and not so silly) things: Your last few weeks have hopefully been spent relaxing and recharging with friends and family Your New Year's…
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listen to your search consultant

Listen to Your Search Consultant

I just left an agency search where the client was insistent on bringing in two agencies I recommended against bringing in. One was very tactical and one was limited in depth of experience in the sector…
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Building a Better RFI

Thanks to our work on agency searches, we hear a wide variety of questions asking us for tips on how to fine-tune the process. For all the companies looking to make the search easier and more painless,…
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Why Marketers Look

I've been helping marketers look for best-in-class marketing agencies since the start of 2010 when we helped Citrix look for a new digital media planning & buying firm (they're still working with them…
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Big

The Big Agency Disadvantage

Being too "agency-like" is no longer an advantage for marketing agencies. But being agile and nimble is an advantage for marketing firms. With more marketers moving work in-house and more marketers…
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Times-are-Changing

The Times, They Are A-Changin’

It's often said that the only constant is change, and this certainly applies to our world of agencies and marketers. The value of an agency and of a client, for that matter, can now be measured more…
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Do You Trust Your Media Agency?

In a recent Adweek article, they discuss a study that indicates 40% of marketers do not trust their media agency. Partnership trust has declined 11% over the past two years.  This is not only a problem…
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copy paste

What You See Is What You Get

Is how they look today a foreshadowing of how they will operate tomorrow? I believe that what you see at any point during the agency evaluation process...is what you'll get if you bring them on board. This…
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cocktail

Traditional Agency Search Firms in a Squeeze

Just read an article about traditional agency search firms and how they are being squeezed because they haven't adjusted and changed with the times. You, the marketer are changing, your needs are changing…
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When was the last time

When Was the Last Time?

When was the last time you did any of the following for your business? Assessed the relevance and meaningfulness of your brand's proposition. How well differentiated is it.  Does it hold the same value…
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Next Generation

Stunned Silence

Just spent two days at the Mirren marketing agency conference in New York.  Great conference for us as it gives us the opportunity to meet, and get re-acquainted with 100's of agencies from across the…
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What Does the World Look Like Without WPP? The Case for Independent Agencies.

What does the world actually look like without WPP, the world's largest agency network? Let's add all the other big global networks into that mix. Would we miss them?  Would marketers long for them? Personally,…
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thinking

What Was Once “No Cost” Can Now Be “Low Cost”

I suspect some of you have opted to not work with us because of our "no cost" approach to helping marketers find new agencies. With our unique model, marketers pay nothing for us to manage the search. …
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Treat Your Credit Union Like a Retailer (Just Not Sears)

Treat your Credit Union like it's a retailer. Pick your retailer.  A grocery retailer, a sandwich shop, a clothing retailer...you choose. Your credit union needs to operate like the best-in-class in…
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National Credit Union Administration Seal

Treat Your Credit Union Like a Consumer Packaged Goods Brand

Are you and your agency thinking about your credit union brand like it's a consumer packaged goods brand (e.g. like Crest, or Coke, or Tyson)? There really is no reason not to be thinking about it in those…
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8 Animal Agency Traits

Smaller or Bigger – Which Agency Is Better?

In 2015, we published an Infographic called "The 8 Animal Traits You Need to Future Proof Your Agency". Little did we know that only two years later, the world of advertising and marketing would be turned…
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Teamwork

Why It’s Important to See the Agency Team

Ever been involved in a final pitch presentation where the agency doesn't bring in the agency team that is going to work on your business? How do you feel? Important because they're all the high flyers…
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Open the door for your agency? Don’t think so.

In a recent AdWeek article, Wunderman reveals their newest way to circumvent the growing movement for marketers to bring agency services in-house: Create an agency that can work inside the four walls of…
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Category Experience

How Important is Category Experience?

Category experience is something that every marketer we have worked with seems to want in a new agency. Jack-in-the-Box wanted fast food experience. Roundy's wanted grocery experience. Mercy Health wanted…
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hospital

Does Your Marketing Agency Treat Your Hospital Like A Hospital?

Does your marketing agency really understand your hospital brand? Does your marketing agency treat you in a way that allows them to put you in a space that is unlike any other hospital or healthcare offering…
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Truth

Does “No Cost” Really Mean No Cost?

Spoke with a brand new client the other day who shared with me his feelings about our claim of "no cost". He said, "I have to admit, the 'no cost/high value' claim felt a little suspect to me." He went…
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Treat Your Hospital Like It’s a Retailer (Just Not Like Sears)

Treat your hospital like it's a retailer. Pick your retailer.  A grocery retailer, a sandwich shop, a clothing retailer...you choose. Your hospital needs to operate like the best-in-class in any of these…
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positioning

Can Your Marketing Agency Effectively Position You?

Ever looked at a marketing agency website and try to determine what their positioning is? I just left a marketing agency conference in Nashville (quite the exciting town!).  Topic was agency positioning. One…
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The Lazy Marketing Agency

Are you and your agency pushing your brand and its marketing as far as you can? The Back Story There really is no reason why you shouldn't be pushing your agency, they shouldn't be nudging you, and ultimately…
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healthcare supermarket

Treat Your Hospital Like a Consumer Packaged Goods Brand

Are you and your agency thinking about your hospital brand like it's a consumer packaged goods brand (e.g. like Crest, or Coke, or Tyson)? There really is no reason not to be thinking about it in those…
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change

The Ever-Changing Face of Advertising…Changes Yet Again

In our 2018 RSW/AgencySearch New Year Outlook Report, we unearthed changes and shifts in the market that might have bigger, full service shops a bit concerned. Today, more so than years past, marketers…
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agency search consultant

The Chance I Take as an Agency Search Consultant

The chance I take as an agency search consultant when I manage a search for a marketing client is that I risk not making a dime. Not a position many would want to put themselves in! When a marketer engages…
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ROI – Agencies and Marketers Don’t Agree

In our recently released, 2018 Marketer-Agency New Year Outlook Report, marketers and agencies are not aligned when it comes to the importance of measuring ROI. Marketers expect and want to be able to…
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Adweek

Marketers: Don’t Blame the Marketing Agencies

In this week's Adweek, they featured an article we wrote about the impact marketing agencies are feeling as a result of the changing nature of your world, marketers. To read the Adweek article, click here. The…
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Agency keeping up

Your Competitor’s Marketing Agency is Keeping Up. Is Yours?

In our most recent agency-marketer business report 67% of marketers tell us that they feel that marketing agencies (in general) are keeping up with the "modern world".  Overall sounds pretty good. Even…
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Shiny Object

Shiny Object Syndrome

In our most recent survey (to be released next week) we see some evidence that marketers and agencies are beginning to feel that the shiny object called Virtual Reality may not be all that it was originally…
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Is there a good time to change marketing agencies?

Changing out marketing agencies can be a handful. There are personalities that have to be dealt with (both the old and the new firm).  There are assets that have to be transitioned.  There's intellectual…
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Is Your Agency An Ant?

It's like returning to the Ant Farms of our childhood as we turn to the fifth important animal trait that your marketing agency needs to possess to future-proof your business, as well as  theirs. One…
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Is Your Agency a Mountain Goat?

Is your agency a Mountain Goat? We survey you Marketers regularly, and one of the questions we often ask is: please assess your agency's ability to keep pace with the evolution of digital marketing. With…
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Agency of the future

Is Your Agency a Horse?

A survey that we run continuously with Marketers individually establishes benchmarks on how their current agency is performing. One of the questions asks Marketers to rate how reliable their agency is…
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Is Your Agency a Chimpanzee?

This chart probably makes the point best:  Marketing Technology has EXPLODED over the past five years. In 2011, the Chief Marketing Technologist Blog identified 100 Marketing Technology firms.  As…
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Is Your Agency “Best-in-Class”?

Is your agency "best-in-class"? To be a best-in-class agency, you have to deliver on a lot of different levels, but I believe it all starts with your agency's perspective relative to your business and…
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Cool Quotes from Elon Musk

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Was a guest at a Vistage Group yesterday and the leader of the group passed out some great quotes from Elon Musk that will help us all dream a bit bigger. I know they don't have a lot to do with finding…
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Same Agency Search Brief…Different Results. A Good Thing?

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Just completed a search for First Entertainment Credit Union in California. Like many of the searches we have run since 2005, I am always amazed at how different responses can be from agencies given…
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Rule Follower…Good for an Agency?

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Just finished up a search for First Entertainment Credit Union.  Three solid agencies with lots of great experience.  Problem was...one was a rule breaker. I always find it interesting how it is when…
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Shopping for a Vendor or Partner?

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Many agencies tell me that relationships with clients often start with the marketing client coming to them stating that they need something specific, not that they are looking for a new marketing partner. "I…
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The Importance of Smart Strategy in an Agency Search

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When in an agency search, it can be easy to get taken in by the flash and grandeur of a sexy agency presentation. And it's easy to find yourself loving an agency's campaign because it's clever, hip and…
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Little things

The Little Things That Matter in An Agency Search

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It's the little things that (also) matter in an agency search. I just completed three sets of final pitch presentations for three separate searches we are running.  Two in the franchise space and one…
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Agency Technology

Technology and Your Agency Partner – Are They Changing At the Same Pace?

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In this short, 2 minute video, RSW/AgencySearch Owner and President Mark Sneider discusses marketing Technology and your agency's readiness. Click on the image or link below to view this video: Technology…
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Chemistry in an Agency Search is Key

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Chemistry in an agency search is key. Finding the right chemistry with the right agency is almost as important as finding the right agency with the right set of experiences and expertise. I hear this…
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Two Very Interesting Things Happened This Week – #2

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Two very interesting things happened this week in the world of marketing agencies. One dealt with the whole Pepsi/Kendall Jenner thing.  Talked about that in the previous post. The other interesting…
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Creative boredom

Two Very Interesting Things Happened This Week – #1

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Two very interesting things happened this week in the world of advertising agencies that might cause a marketer to take pause. These things might cause a marketer to ask whether or not the direction they…
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Marketing agency is lost

What a Marketing Agency Website Really Tells You About An Agency

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Ever visited a marketing agency website and wondered what the heck the agency actually did? Or have you ever visited a marketing agency website to look for work relevant to your category and found it harder…
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Is Your Marketing Agency Just an Apple for Eating?

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When Leo Burnett left his Agency, he told employees that in order for the Agency to succeed long-term, they needed to continuously add value to their clients' lives otherwise they would just be like everyone…
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Different

Why Agencies Need to Do It Differently

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I just finished presenting a webinar to about 100 agencies that in part, helped them understand that they need to start thinking about things differently if they expect to survive long-term. And it goes…
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Marketing agencies just sayin

What Agencies Say About Marketers

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In our latest New Year Outlook survey, we asked marketing agencies and marketers to tell us what troubles them most about each other. This is the third year in a row we've asked this question and every…
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Credit Union

Searching for a New Agency – Banking Style

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Just finishing up a search for a new agency for one of the nation's largest credit unions. It's been a great search.  Found a solid number of very capable agencies that met the criteria of what the bank…
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marketing agency technology

Technology is Changing. Is Your Agency?

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In our latest 2017 New Year Outlook Survey Report, marketers tell us a number of things about their plans for investing in their business - and specifically, their plans to invest in technology. Things…
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Agency Fit

Marketing Agency Searches – Never Manage Alone

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I have been running/managing RSW/AgencySearch now for 6 years, helping marketers with agency searches. Of the 30 searches we've run, almost half have occurred post a marketing client having tried to manage…
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It Never Ceases to Amaze Me

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In the final phases of an agency search for one of the nation's largest credit unions and once again, I was amazed. I had an opportunity just this past week to sit through three pitch presentations from…
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In House Advertising

In-House Limitations

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In our latest 2017 New Year Outlook Survey Report, 64% of marketers tell us they are moving some of their marketing and agency business in-house. Agencies tell us the same. While in-house agencies can…
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agency search make it count

No Point in Making it Painful

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Agency searches can be a painful process...if you let them be that way. They can (and should) be fun and exciting and rewarding experiences if managed correctly. Just like any process, it all boils down…
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This AD is an Entirely New Animal

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When I say "AD", what do you think of? I'm guessing that you immediately go to advertising...watching an ad. Today, when I talk A & D, I'm thinking more in terms of Analytics and Data, two critical…
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Agency of the Future

How Agencies of the Future Will (have to) Operate

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Agencies of the future have to be a thing of today. Long gone are the days a marketing agency can rely on ad buys to fatten their coffers each year. No, we are living in the days of digital marketing,…
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Do the Due

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Due diligence in an agency search is critical to the ultimate success of a great marketing agency partnership. I spent my entire last Saturday (and a good part of Monday) scouring nearly 250 websites for…
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Finding better agencies

Finding a New Agency Has Never Been So Easy!

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Back in the day, finding a new agency required work. Today, finding a new agency is easier than ever. And I'm not plugging our no-cost search firm here..."believe me". What I am talking about is the new…
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Finding better agencies

Look Before You Walk…Align Before You Search

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Align before you search.  Look before you walk. Some of this is self-serving, but frankly most of it is intended to help the marketer as he/she starts looking for a new marketing agency. Self-serving…
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Finding agencies

Trouble in Paradise for Agency-Client Relationships

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Is there trouble in paradise?  Are marketers and marketing agencies headed for splitsville? What steps can be taken to transform a dysfunctional relationship to one that is more productive and keeps…
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Picking Peaches

Four Things To Consider When Finding A Better Marketing Agency

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A quick Google search will tell you there is no shortage of marketing agencies out there poised and waiting to find new clients. However, finding a marketing agency that is best equipped to serve your…
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A car turning around a bend in the road

Keeping Marketing Skills Current & Relevant

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The number one problem marketing managers and agencies claim they are losing sleep over is that they are understaffed. Often this is another way of saying that, although technically they are staffed to…
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How to Avoid 5 Common Pitfalls in Agency / Client Relationships

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At RSW, we are committed to search for the best in-class agencies for marketers to evaluate at no cost to the marketer. We are also committed to offering tips on enhancing current agency/client relationships. These…
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Agency of the Future

What Your Agency of the Future Should Look Like

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Had an opportunity not too long ago to present to a group of agencies in Scotland on the topic of "Agency of the Future". We survey you marketers and agencies 3-4 times throughout the year - and have been…
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strategic partners

Finding A Good Strategic Agency Partner

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A good strategic agency partner understands that the underlying foundation of any good relationship is solid ROI increases for both parties involved. To achieve this shared partnership ‘goal', marketers…
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Think Small….Get Small

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Think small...get small holds true for marketing agencies just as much as it holds true for marketing clients. We just found out that one of our marketing agency clients won a major piece of business with…
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6 Signs That It’s Time to Change Your Agency

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Hiring a marketing agency is one of the most important decisions you make for your business. The relationship has huge potential to impact your bottom line. In a perfect world, you find an agency that…
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The Tired Agency

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Agencies get tired. The people get tired. So the account tires. Why is that? I suspect there are a few reasons why this happens: The creative team and account team gets bored. They might like you as…
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Leo Burnett

Leo Burnett’s Valediction Still Rings True Today

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Leo Burnett was...and still is, right. Leo Burnett told his agency when he was leaving in 1967: "when the apples become apples for eating and they don't represent the core, the essence of who we are...it…
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pitch

What I Tell Agencies: How to Win a Pitch

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For some, it comes naturally. For others, delivering a winning pitch is a learned skill. For those who fall into category number 2, here are 5 tips on how to win an agency pitch I often give agencies…
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Finding Better Marketing Agencies for Your Brand Image

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When the time comes to give your brand image a makeover many businesses choose to hire an outside agency to handle this task due to their industry knowledge and experience. However, you can't just go and…
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Looking for the right Marketing Agency

What to do with all those agency phone calls, emails, letters?

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If you're like most marketers, I'm guessing you get inundated with agency phone calls, emails, and letters sent from folks trying to get your attention. While I'm sure it can be a real pain in the you…
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When Too Many is Too Much

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Ok...I know the title of this post is somewhat nonsensical, but that's purposeful. Wanted to emphasize the point that looking at too many agencies when in a review of new firms - simply isn't a good thing. When…
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4 Tips For Better Agency-Client Relationships

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Your marketing results hinge on successful partnerships with agencies. Outsourcing fills in the gaps across digital and traditional marketing so you can focus on the bigger picture. This is why it's vital to…
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Some Agencies Still on the “All the Rage” Train

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When digital media first entered the picture, it was all the rage. To some extent it still is....but its role has changed. Back in the day, agencies and marketers looked at digital as something special…
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Warning Signs: Marketing Agencies Gone Awry

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Marketing agencies are funny creatures. There's probably no other industry in the world that operates the way agencies do.  And no other industry in the world that is under such intense pressure as the…
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Tips for Finding Better Marketing Agencies

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An external viewpoint is a great way to think outside the box and think like your customer. Finding better marketing agencies requires identifying matching philosophies and award-winning work, but these…
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4 Agency Pitch Tips from a Client’s Perspective

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The big agency pitch. The moment when an agency is one step away from landing a new client relationship. But the pitch is where things can go awry if you take the wrong direction. Although an agency makes…
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Being a Great Client for a Great Agency

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Entrusting any portion of your marketing efforts to an agency can be a stressful proposition. If the agency ends up pushing your company down the wrong path with the wrong strategy, then the ramifications…
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What To Watch Out For In An Agency Pitch

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Pitches are a necessary evil for most agencies. They require a lot of time and energy, but then often don't result in getting a project. As such, many agencies tend to gloss over the pitch with a generic…
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Specialist vs. Generalist Agency

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When it comes to picking a digital partner for your next project, the landscape of agencies may be a little overwhelming. Not only is it difficult to judge the quality of an agency just off a website,…
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When Is It Time To Look For A New Marketing Agency?

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Your marketing agency plays a crucial role in the success of your business. Consequently, it is important to find a firm that not only meets your specific needs, but has the ability to carry your business…
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The Death of the Agency as We Knew It

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Publicis Groupe and DDB shared insights relative to how agencies are restructuring to fight a dying business model at this year's 4A's Transformation event. Issue is...it's just these big holding companies…
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ANA Says: Embrace Who You Ar-by’s

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Rob Lynch, CMO of Arby's gave an inspirational (and rather humorous) speech at this year's ANA suggesting that every marketer, agency, and supplier needs to embrace who you Ar-by's (I actually made up…
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Tales from the ANA: What’s Holding You Back?

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Spent two great days at the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference a couple weeks ago and unlike the last two years, this year proved to be much more enlightening. I met a lot of great marketers and agencies…
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ANA and Pepsi = Advertising No More

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Brad Jakeman, the President of Pepsi's Global Beverage Group, had a pretty tough message to send to the 2,700 attendees at this year's ANA Masters of Marketing Conference: Stop Calling It Advertising! Jakeman,…
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“WIFM”…Give Them Their Dessert First

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"WIFM" – what's in it for me? Nobody has the time to have to work in order to figure out your story – and nobody wants to hear about you and why you're so great. What they want is the dessert first,…
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What a marketing agency’s website says about the agency.

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Have you looked at your marketing agency's website lately?  Are you even mentioned on the site? How does their blog look?  Is the last post months ago or just days ago?  Because if they're selling you…
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Ad Blocking: This Could Cause Trouble

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Recently read this story about Ad Blocking and thought I needed to share. Here is a link to it in Ad Age...but in case you can't get to the article, I've included it below.   This seems very real and…
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11 Realities That Get In The Way of Agency Growth

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We work with marketing agencies of all types and sizes - from Vancouver, British Columbia to Orlando, Florida and everywhere in between. All too often we run into agencies that have built their business…
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Blah Blah Blah

The Agency That Listens is the Agency That Cares

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I was recently called out (in a good way) in an article by Bulldog Reporter's Richard Carufel.  Richard attended this year's Ad Age Small Agency Conference where I had the distinct pleasure of joining…
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How to Make Sense of all of these Marketing Agencies

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"I must receive 100 calls a week from marketing agencies." A quote from a marketer that one of our marketing agencies was told in a recent conversation. I'm sure you're world is no different.  100's…
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The Agency. The King.

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There once was a day when agencies were the kings. Marketers mostly sought out the likes of Burnett, Ogilvy, Needham Harper Steers, JWT...and the agencies knew it.  Not saying they didn't have to impress…
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Peas in a pod

Our POD: 5 Ways To Use It To Your Advantage

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Your brand has one...or it should have one. A point of difference (POD) is what every brand or service strives to achieve.  In a sea of sameness, you want to bring your end users real value and a meaningful…
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Is It About You…or Me?

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We tell our agency clients all the time:  Make it about them, not about you! We have a client who recently jumped into a second conversation with a prospect to discuss the potential of them helping with…
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Common Pitfalls in Marketing Agency Searches

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I often hear about marketing agency searches being run directly by the marketers running the business. On the other side of our business we help manage new business outreach for over 50 agencies and it's…
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Finding the “Must Have” Marketing Agency

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Finding a "must have" marketing agency is no easy task. Back in 2007 I asked a group of 20 Agency Principals at a conference in Kansas City to write down their agency's "elevator pitch". 19 of the 20 stated…
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Managing Your Business and Your Agency

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Managing your business is no easy task.  No matter how small or big the assignment is.  You could be a Brand Manager on one of 100's of brands, or you could be the CMO of a large Fortune 100 company. …
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How Special is the Specialist? Can be “not really”.

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Just finished up a search for a tourism/destination client and had a number of agencies that were quite the specialist.  They had solid pedigrees in the tourism/travel space. About a year ago, managed…
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Agency Search & Rescue – “Top 10 List” of Tips for Agencies

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It's been five years since we started RSW/AgencySearch and we've amassed our own "Top 10 List" of tips from the front line of pitching, RFI responding, and general review "etiquette" that can help agencies…
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Agency Search Consultants. The problem with today’s model.

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Agency search consultants can serve a great purpose. They save marketers time by managing the search process.  They tend to have a better view of the best-in-class agencies that can best serve the business…
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What Should I Do With All These Ad Agencies?

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Back in the day when I was a CPG marketer, I only occasionally received a call from an ad agency. Today I know marketers receive calls almost hourly from ad agencies looking to win their business. I know…
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When NOT to Include the Incumbent Agency

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There's nothing tougher on an incumbent agency than deciding whether or not to participate in a search that their marketing client is initiating. Actually there is one thing that is tougher...being told…
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A Misnomer: Agency Search Consultants

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Agency Search Consultants Agency: a business or organization established to provide a particular service, typically one that involves organizing transactions between two other parties Search: try to…
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Relevancy Wins Out Over All…In a Marketing Agency Search

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Oftentimes, marketers and some search firms will look for agencies based solely on what is functional and ignore the principal of relevancy. They'll focus on the degree to which the agencies in consideration…
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The Challenge Document. 4 Things to Include to Maximize Their Effectiveness.

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While there's no question that finding a good set of marketing agencies to review is no easy task, one of the toughest parts of managing a search on your own is effectively defining what "The Challenge…
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5 Tips for Managing a Successful Marketing Agency Search

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In one of our more recent surveys among marketers and agencies, 77% of marketers stated that they have managed their own marketing agency search. Unfortunately only 44% of all marketers surveyed said that…
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10 Agency New Business Questions – an eBook

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Our sister company, RSW/US just released an eBook about agency new business that I thought you might find interesting as it will give you a bit of a glimpse into the world of the agency people who are…
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“In the Middle of Review Cues”

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There are certain "in the middle of the review cues" you need to keep your eyes open for. The final pitch presentation is always an exciting time for the agencies involved and the marketer running the…
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5 Pre-Steps Before the Agency Search

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Too often, marketers jump into a marketing agency search without really thinking about what they want, what they're trying to address, and where to look. The marketer has received a few recommendations,…
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6 Ways to Pick Apart A Marketing Agency’s Pitch

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A marketing agency's pitch can be a tough thing to pick apart.  There's so much to evaluate, so many agencies to review, so much emotion and pressure (and sometimes, politics) making the process an unnerving…
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Look Under the Hood – 5 Things to Look for When Searching for a New Marketing Agency

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It's best to look under the hood when looking for a new marketing agency, as they can be a funny lot. Most are forthright, but occasionally you run into a firm that is all in for themselves and it can…
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ANA: Does T-Mobile = RSW/AgencySearch?

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At this year's ANA Masters of Marketing conference, Mike Sievert, T-Mobile's Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer discussed how T-Mobile has single-handedly disrupted an industry through…
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The Search for the Right Agency

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Many marketers try to search for the right agency, but not all succeed. We see it every day at RSW/AgencySearch. Check out our latest infographic to learn more. Marketers often are short on time.  I…
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Philanthropy Can Be Great Even When There Is No Purpose

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This is our fourth year supporting the international philanthropy Soles4Souls (www.soles4souls.org) and it was our biggest year yet. We raised over 4,000 pairs of shoes (4,212 to be exact) that will be…
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Give Your Marketing Agency Choices…And Your Relationship Will Succeed

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Eliminate marketing agency choices and you will run the risk of destroying your agency-client relationship. Agency-client relationships are no different than personal relationships.  When there is trust...things…
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Marketers See the Holes in Agencies…and Need Them Plugged!

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It's one thing when agencies recognize their shortcomings and try to address them...but it's a completely different story when marketers see the holes for the agencies.  It's what seems to be happening…
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Responsive Marketing: An Agency Deficiency You Can’t Ignore

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Some agencies have deficiencies in media planning and buying. Some have deficiencies in PR. Others have deficiencies in programmatic buying. All of these things can be reasonably supplemented with outside…
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10 Agency Search Marketer Mistakes

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Marketer mistakes when searching for a new marketing agency isn't something that happens regularly...but it does happen and they can be avoided. Searching for an agency is no easy task. So many to choose…
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Going At It Alone

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Going at it alone can be a good thing under certain sets of circumstances. Going at it alone when looking for a new marketing agency isn't always the best way to go. In our latest survey (to be released…
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Strategic Agency Partnerships – Good When They’re Great

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Establishing strategic agency partnerships can be a great thing... If they're done and presented in the right way. I've seen plenty of RFIs where it looks like the partner is really just an add-on to…
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Hospital Marketing Needs to Change

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Just had the opportunity to sit through a final pitch presentation for a hospital in Florida and experienced first-hand where hospital marketing needs to go. Consumers are grabbing greater and greater…
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When Spec Creative is No Good in an Agency Search

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Recently finished an agency search for two food companies and something very interesting happened in both final pitch presentations. Usually when I run searches for clients, whether it be a hospital search…
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Change is the Name of the Marketing Agency Game – Part I

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The marketing agency game is changing rapidly. And everybody's got an opinion.   Some good, some predictable, and some just operating on not so sound ground. As an example, I recently saw a couple…
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What Wins in a Marketing Agency Search

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What wins in a marketing agency search? Was sitting at a bar last week while on vacation (what a surprise)...and sitting next to me was John Dooner, the former CEO of McCann WorldGroup (another, this…
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“Take 5” – A Marketer’s take on Agency-Client Relationships

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This is the first post in our newest series called: "Take 5 - A Marketer's Take On Agency-Client Relationships". Every month we'll ask a marketer from a different industry to give us their point of view…
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It Shouldn’t Be All or Nothing for Marketers…and It Isn’t

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In our recent Agency New Business 2014 Outlook survey, we asked marketers and agencies to share their thoughts on the importance of specialization. Before we dive into the results, let me share some of…
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The Agency of the Future? Take One Step Forward!

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In our latest 2014 New Year Outlook Survey, we asked marketers and agencies to paint a picture of what the agency of the future looked like 5 years out. What we quickly learned is that in some respects,…
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Is it really good news for Marketers?

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Is it really good news for marketers? After 3 years of declining enthusiasm among Marketers, 2014 is finally looking like a much more positive year for marketing spending. Following the 2008 recession,…
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If time is not on your side

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With plates full as you head into a new year, likelihood is that time is not on your side if you're wanting to look for a new marketing agency. Just had a marketer call me interested in having us help…
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7 Ways to Break a Marketing Agency Search “Tie”

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In our last few searches, we found ourselves in a marketing agency search tie. I personally love when this happens, but it suggests that while we did a good job delivering great agencies to our clients,…
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Gareth Kay: Starbucks Spends More on Training a Barista

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Was at the BOLO digital agency conference in Arizona in October this year and was listening to Gareth Kay, Chief Strategy Officer at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners talk about different difficult issues…
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Leo Burnett Asks: What Do Your Agency’s Apples Stand For?

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Leo Burnett is my idol. In the sense that his philosophy is what has guided me in the development of both our RSW/US Agency business and our RSW/AgencySearch business. In his valediction speech, Burnett…
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Marketing Agency Search Times They are a Changin’

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In a recent article in Ad Age, the author notes that there are many agencies turning their backs on RFIs and RFPs that are simply unrealistic - in terms of fees, time to execute, and ownership of intellectual…
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Your Agency, Your Partner

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Is your agency your partner? At this year's ANA Masters of Marketing conference we had a number of marketers come to us inquiring about our no-cost way to help them find better marketing agencies. Interesting…
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A Sad State of Agency Search Affairs

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Hard to believe that things are so bad in the Agency Search world that the ANA and the 4A's had to issue a refreshed set of guidelines on how to best prepare agencies when they are involved in an agency…
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Social Media is “For Giving”

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Social media is about giving not taking... I have a friend who has a brother-in-law (God bless him) that is "Mr. Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow". Always the short-cut and always looking for the…
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When Free Isn’t Cheap

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This is a story that attempts to dispel the myth that "free" always means "cheap". I spent 10 years in packaged goods marketing and "free" was often something we tried to avoid. It often cheapened or…
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How “Persuasive” is Your Marketing Agency?

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In a Forbes' Magazine article titled "7 Things Really Persuasive People Do" it outlines a great line-up of things that people can do to win the day. I argue that this list isn't only great for the Marketing…
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This Ad Age Columnist Has it All Wrong

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In a post by Ad Age columnist Erika Weinstein, she suggest that traditional media personnel are where digital firms need to turn to put themselves in a position to get ahead of the digital media planning…
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Agency Spotlight Video: The Blurring of Ad Agency Lines

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If they all look alike, how am I going to know which Ad Agency to pick? Click here to watch RSW/AgencySearch Spotlight Video on this topic. Back in early part of the summer I had an opportunity to speak…
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Finding the “Must Have” Marketing Agency – Part I

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Finding the "must have" marketing agency is no easy task. Too many agencies look too much alike. Back in 2007 I asked a group of 20 Agency Principals at a conference in Kansas City to write down their…
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Why Ad Agencies Hate Search Firms

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Seeing we are operating a uniquely modeled Agency Search Firm in addition to representing Agencies as their outsourced full-service business development group, we are talking to Marketers on a more regular…
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Webinar: A Look in the Mirror: Why the Agency-Client Relationship Fails

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On Friday, July 19th, I'll be presenting a webinar on the topic of why agency-client relationships fail. To register for the webinar, click here:  RSW/AgencySearch Webinar In this presentation, I will…
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The Inbound Challenge

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I wrote this post for agencies, but felt that the perspective might be helpful to you if are potentially considering an inbound marketing agency to support your business. In our first annual Mirren-RSW/US…
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Self-Determination Theory: Basic Blocking & Tackling in an Agency-Client Relationship

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This is a story about a Social Psychological theory called the Self-Determination Theory - and how its foundational elements are central to a successful and sustaining agency-client relationship. In my…
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Why Agency-Client Relationships Fail

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Recently presented to a group of ANA (American National Advertiser) members in Los Angeles on the topic of why agency-client relationships fail. The conversation centered on two areas: Understanding…
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Agency of the Future: Discussion with Paul Roetzer of PR 20/20

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Paul Roetzer, Founder and CEO of PR 20/20, an inbound marketing agency kindly agreed to offer his perspective on what the agency of the future looks like as it relates to one of the key agency new business…
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How to Find a Better Agency Without Looking

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Working to find a better marketing agency is no easy task.  It can be time consuming, tiring, and downright confusing at times.  We have seen marketers try it on their own, ask a friend, do a search,…
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Agency New Business Discussion with Omnicom Agencies

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I posted this on our agency new business blog today and thought you might find the perspective (from the agency side) of interest and value. I had the good fortune of speaking with 15 Omnicom agencies…
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Agency Client Relationships: What Makes Them Work, From The Marketer’s Mouth

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Ad Age's Agency Issue came out recently with an interesting piece about Agency Client Relationships called "The Best Agency-Client Marriages." Retention is that sacred cow for agencies and I don't have…
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Score: 5 out of 5

How Not To Fail at an Agency-Client Relationship

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Nothing worse than a failing agency-client relationship. Just like a good marriage, a good agency-client relationship requires time, hard work, and sacrifice. Here are 7 things you can do to insure that…
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Our Agency Search Process

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Had a marketer ask me in an email to outline our agency search process.  It's something I always talk about..but never something I write about, so I thought I'd share. Might help you think about how…
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Can Digital Only Firms Survive?

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Over the past 5-7 years digital firms, mobile firms, SEO firms, and social firms have been springing up like the weeds in my beds during Spring. There are two classes of these agencies that are being birthed…
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Marketer and Agency Outlook for the Balance of 2013

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In our most recent 2013 survey (click here to download: RSW/AgencySearch survey), the marketer and agency outlook for 2013 is somewhat of a mixed bag. Here is a topline of some of the key findings from…
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Digital Marketing: No Surprise, But Are You Ready?

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No surprises that in our latest RSW/AgencySearch survey marketers say that the bulk of the increases in their spending this year will be in digital marketing and media (e.g. social, banner, SEO). 67%…
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Leave the Marketing Agency Ego at the Door

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It amazes me. Over the past 5-6 searches we managed (helping marketers find better marketing agencies at no cost to them) the marketers have all said the same thing: The one thing they don't want is a…
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Agency Specialization – A Video

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In this first of a series of three videos, RSW/AgencySearch discusses the issue of Agency Specialization from its latest National survey among marketers and agencies. Click on the image below to view…
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Agency Search Criteria: Does Cost Really Play a Role?

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What sort of agency search criteria do marketers use when selecting agencies? Agencies think cost plays a much more significant role in the selection process than marketers suggest.What are the implications…
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Agency Specialization: Too Limiting? or The Right Medicine?

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I have to admit, I was somewhat surprised when I read our latest National survey among Agencies and Marketers: 2013 RSW/AgencySearch Agency-Marketer National survey. We always knew that agency specialization…
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Changing Agencies is Easier than it Looks

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Changing agencies can be a major undertaking - if you let it be. You got to move intellectual capital, physical capital, restart relationships...it's like meeting and moving in with a new significant other...a…
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Agency me-too mumbo

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Agencies often think that because they're strategic and hard working that this is something that differentiates them from other agencies on the planet. Agencies believe that because they don't bait and…
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Make the Agency Search as Tough as Possible

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If you decide to use a search firm like RSW/AgencySearch to help you find a new agency, you want to hear the firm tell you: "My job is to make it as difficult as possible for you to make a decision". Anyone…
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One or Many?

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Had a conversation recently with a CMO about the challenges he's facing managing multiple agencies. He has a decent digital firm and a solid full service agency. Problem for him is two-fold: He is finding…
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The Value of a Neutral Agency Search

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Have you ever been watching a focus group with other marketers, your boss, and maybe your agency...and felt like everybody had their own agenda coming into the groups? Does it ever seem like some or many…
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Bust Out of the Agency RFI Rutt

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If you are really serious about finding the best agency you possibly can, do yourself a favor and don't just ask your typical set of questions in an RFI. Break out of the mold. Fine and important to ask…
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How NOT to Find a New Marketing Agency

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All of the marketers that come to RSW/AgencySearch (to help them find a new marketing agency), have tried to look for an agency on their own in the past. While this certainly can prove successful, the…
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Top 10: How to Know When It’s Time to Look for a New Agency

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There are a number of signs that can present themselves suggesting it might be time to look for a new agency.   They include: Your agency has switched key account people more than once in just…
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Adweek Article: Marketing Agencies Getting Squeezed

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Last week Adweek published an article featuring our latest survey. A couple of months ago, Adweek asked us to probe specific questions related to Marketing Agency reviews. They were seeing trends that…
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The Final Pitch Presentation – What to Look for from a Marketing Agency

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In our latest National survey among marketing executives and agency principals, marketers told us a few things that prefer to see from agencies when in pitch or presentation situation - some of which…
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Top 5 Predictors of Agency Success

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Planning on putting out an RFP or a simple request for information to a group of agencies? You may not know it now, but if you push out too many of them or make your "survey" too long, you'll have a heck…
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The Importance of Marketing Agency Due Diligence

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I write a lot about the importance of marketers taking their time and defining the parameters of what THEY want in a new firm. It's important to lay out the specs of what you're searching for, the skill…
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The 20 Tell Tale Signs Your Marketing Agency is Losing Interest – Part II

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Ever had an agency lose interest in you? It's not a pleasant experience. It can happen in many different ways and show its ugly head in many different forms. Posted yesterday on the first of 20 tell tale…
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The 20 Tell Tale Signs Your Marketing Agency is Losing Interest – Part I

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As much as we don't like to see it happen... There are times when agencies come on board and not long after the new agency has won your heart, they get distracted, less interested, more focused on winning…
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To Specialize or Centralize?

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A question that often comes up from Marketers looking for new marketing agencies. Do we look for one firm that can do it all, or should we get firms that specialize in particular areas (like digital) so…
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Tale of Two Marketing Agency Cities

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Just sat through an afternoon of two pitch presentations by two different agencies.  Third one is today. No Advantages Given Prior to the presentation, all three agencies were given very specific requirements…
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How to avoid a marketing agency divorce

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Nobody ever likes switching out marketing agency firms. In our surveys, marketers tell us it's one of their least favorite things to do. Takes up a lot of time, they really don't know where to turn, and…
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“All In-House” Isn’t a Marketing Agency Must

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"I only want an agency that has all their capabilities in-house!" An oft demanded requirement of marketers when looking for a new marketing services firm. Problem is there aren't that many firms out there…
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What Really Makes a Good Marketing Agency GREAT?

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What really makes a good marketing agency GREAT? Is it expertise? Is it their location? Is it category experience? Is it how many awards they've won? Is it how fun the agency principals and staff…
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Local Marketing Agencies Are Best When They Aren’t

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Started my career working for DDB Needham in Chicago in 1985 (oy, that was a long time ago!). The agency had the Sears account. Could have been a great account had they gotten their act together inside…
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The Newest Agency Offering: Hubspot

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I just returned from a speaking engagement at Hubspot's Inbound Marketing Convention where I discussed the importance of marketing agencies putting on their sales hats if they have any chance of winning…
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The RFI Gone Wild

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If an agency submits an RFI response and they don't listen to your instructions, throw them out of the search. Ok...somewhat of a bold, unreasonable statement, but there is some truth to this rather extreme…
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There’s Never an Ideal Time for an Agency Search

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I married my wife 23 years ago. At the time we decided to wait to have kids - believing that there would be a "right time" that would magically appear to us. The bank account would be robust enough,…
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Why you’re not in the business of finding marketing agencies

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I'm surprised to find that few Marketers have ever used a firm to find marketing agencies. Most have picked up marketing agency recommendations from friends or co-workers...which is perfectly fine. Some…
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Making a Marketing Agency Search More Realistic

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It's easy to shoot for the moon, reach for the sky, want more than you really need...but let's be realistic. Especially when you're searching for a new marketing agency. Too often I see marketing firms…
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Marketing Agency Checklist Can Benefit You During an Agency Search

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In a recent post by Tom Martin, he provides a list of "tips for pitching" from the Client's side of the table. These tips, while certainly valuable to the marketing firm, are also a great tool for marketers…
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When Agency Searches Become Irrelevant

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Too often, Agencies present their wares and offer no sense of why they are presenting what they are presenting. Can happen at any stage of the Agency Search process, but the place we see it most is in…
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Procurement is No Home for an Agency Search

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In a recent article in AdAge, traditional search consultants visiting the Mirren Business conference suggested that the business of the agency search has become such a cluster with the growing involvement…
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Agency Search: Will Digital-Only Firms Survive?

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Will Digital-Only Firms Survive? If you believe your peers, the answer is "no". While we are seeing some improvement over the past 3 years in the numbers of Marketers that believe digital-only firms can…
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5 Ways You Stink at LinkedIn

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A little outside the norm of what we typically post, but thought this article offered some good insight and counsel on the use of LinkedIn. We all use LinkedIn and we probably have some Agencies that…
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In an Agency Search, Who Wins?

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Of course the Agency wins...right? They just landed a big 'ole piece of business! Or is it the Marketer that wins because they've just hired a smart Agency that is going to propel them forward!? I think…
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Digital-Only Agencies Still Not Widely Used

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While the numbers are increasing, Marketers are still not convinced that using a digital-only firm is the best way to go. In our most recent RSW/AgencySearch survey, only 27%of Marketers state that they…
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Ask Yourself During an Agency Search: Is their Digital Counsel Worth It?

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In our latest RSW/AgencySearch survey among Marketers and Agencies on the changes in social and digital media since 2009, there were some interesting findings about attitude and behavior changes in this…
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Turn Your RFIs into RFTs (request for thinking)

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It's a case of "doing" versus "thinking". Simply doing without thinking is easy.  Taking the time to think and process and creatively/smartly respond is a heck of a lot harder than simply "answering". The…
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Feedback – It’s Painful – But Beneficial

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During this week's Mirren Agency New Business Development Conference a roundtable of CMOs from Kayak, ESPN, and Time Warner Cable spoke about Agency-Client relationships. One of their discussion points…
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Specialize in Something New and Hot…and You’ll Perish

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Just left the Mirren Business Development Conference in NYC - 300 Agencies from across the country. Great energy, great insights, a lot of great talent. During one of the breakout sessions there was…
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Agency Search: When Apples are Just Apples for Eating

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When Leo Burnett left his Agency, he told employees that in order for the Agency to succeed long-term, they needed to continuously add value to their clients' lives otherwise they would just be like everyone…
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Agency Search Firms Need to Do More than Gather Facts

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The infamous RFI (Request for Information) is often the first step in a search process (after defining scope of search and finding the initial set of agencies). Problem with many RFIs is that they are…
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Agency Search: Specialize or Integrate?

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Recently had a conversation with a VP Marketing about their needs and challenges as it relates to their marketing and agencies. This particular company has been using a lot of agencies, each with their…
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Finding an Agency that Understands the Ecosystem

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It was so much simpler when I was growing up. Three TV Networks, no cell phones, 15% media commissions, agencies driving the client relationships. And it was so much simpler...even just six or seven years…
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Agency Search – Alternative Ways to Find an Agency

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If you're in need of a new agency and don't know where to turn, there are ways to get a quick look at the landscape of the talent that is out there. Here are some to consider: Search convention lists. …
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Agency Searches – A Fresh Look at Project Work

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Do you manage most of your creative and marketing development internally? Did you ever think that there might be a fresher perspective, a better, more objective view of your marketing world outside the…
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You Can’t Hashtag Your Way to Social Change!

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In a recent FastCompany article, Courtney Martin talks about the dangers of relying too heavily on what's hot in social media, the need for integration of traditional platforms, and the need to recognize…
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Agency Search: Should Digital Be Split?

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I've had many Marketers ask if I think it's right to split out a Digital Agency assignment from a more traditional AOR assignment. Depends on your business and how important the digital space is to your…
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Agencies Need to Get Beyond “Likes”

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We are at a cross road in the digital space. There are agencies that know where this world is going and there are those that are playing a game of digital 101 and aren't very effectively taking their…
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How Agencies Need to Operate

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Recently had the privlage to listen to Tim Williams from Ignition Consulting Group tell a group of agencies that if they don't make changes to the way they are structured, and adapt to the demands of…
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An Interesting Agency Search Story

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Managed a search over the past year where two Agencies mightily impressed the client.  Started with the initial Chemistry/Q&A call, worked its way into the RFP, and finally found its way into the…
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An Agency Search Conundrum – Move Fast or Smart

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Having helped many Agencies with their new business development efforts since the start of our business in 2005, I have seen the pain:  Marketer under the gun to make a change and forcing Agencies to…
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Agency Search – It once was fun….it can show

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When you're feeling down, it's sometimes hard to not let others see it.  When you go to a bad party that really is a drag, it's tough to keep a "good face" throughout the entirety of the party - and usually…
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Agency Search: Be Realistic

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Searching for a new agency is no easy task.  With so many out there to choose from, who wouldn't want to see as many as possible to make sure they're getting a full view of all the great possibilities! Problem…
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Agency Search: 1 or Many? Depends on Commitment

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People inherently like to be in control. Particularly marketers.   I was a CPG marketer for 10 years.  Typical "Type A" personality...wanting to make a difference, wanting to control my universe. So…
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Agency Search: Watch me! Watch me!

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My son, who is 18 and a proud first year at UVA, used to always want us to watch him when he was a little boy.  "Watch me, watch me!" he'd always say. It was all about him and rarely about his siblings…
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RSW/AgencySearch

Some Call it the “Silly Season”…

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I've seen advertising publications refer to the end of year/first of the new year referred to as "the silly season". They call it this because they believe that marketers (you) randomly make changes in…
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Agency Search: Keep Your Emotions in Check

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Searching for a new agency is no easy business.  I read a stat recently that said there are over 70,000 agencies (of varying types and sizes) in the U.S.  While there were many that fell off the radar…
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Agency Search: The Digital Train is Chuggin’. You On Board?

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In our most recent RSW/AgencySearch survey among agency principals and marketers, 67% of agencies surveyed stated that most of the new business coming their way (from new and existing clients) is digital…
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Agency Search: The Digital Dabble

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Digitally dabbling is no way to develop a productive online program for your brand.  As this post by Jonathan Houston, online marketing manager at Talooma points out, simply placing Facebook and Twitter…
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Agency Search: It Goes Both Ways

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In a recent post on our RSW/AgencySearch site, we pointed out how marketers believe that "The Future Is Now" for digital agencies.  Results from our most recent survey suggests that digital firms can't…
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Agency Search: SRI & Pile…you have got to be kidding me – a video!?

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I was on the phone with a reporter from Adweek yesterday and he was telling me about a new tactic that the SRI's and Pile's of the world are using during agency searches to help Marketers get a sense of…
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Agency Search: Focus Not on the Creative

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I often tell our advertising agency clients that "all you guys do the same "$#@!*".  I then go on to say...at the end of the day, what really matters is the thinking and ideas and strategy and planning…
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Agency Search: The “Creeper” Agency

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The last thing you want when you bring an agency on board is to have them hunting and pecking for new business opportunities within your four walls - and losing sight of the reason why they were first…
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Agency Search: Watch Out for the Sedentary Incumbent

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We recently managed a search for a large B2B firm looking to find their way more aggressively into the B2C space.  We went through our due diligence of finding about 9 agencies that met the qualifying…
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Agency Search: So Much Talent Lost

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At this year's Mirren Agency New Business Development Conference, I learned that many mid-to-small agencies aren't getting the attention of the "traditional/old school" search consultants. It appears…
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Searching for the Right PR Firm – In an Ad Agency?

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At this year's Cannes, there were more ad agencies winning awards for PR and social work than PR firms. Is this a trend (are ad agencies taking over the world), or is it as Ad Age suggests, a phenomena…
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Steer Clear of the Free Taco

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This post from Social Commerce Today about Taco Bell's recent free taco giveaway on Facebook caught my eye. Per the post: When Taco Bell recently decided to offer its 6 million fans a free taco — no…
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An Agency Search Conundrum: Finding An Agency that Doesn’t Listen

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Social media is all the rage.  Marketers want to be in it.  Agencies say they can do it.  Nobody knows exactly how to charge for it.  And it's harder than heck to keep up with. Many agencies talk…
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How To Get The Most From Your Agency

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Some good perspective (click here for post) from a recent past new business director on how to get the most from your agency.  Key takeaways are: 1. A brief should be clear or project purpose, requirements,…
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Agency Search Advice: Watch It All the Way Till the End

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Watching a marketing agency search all the way till the end is critical to seeing just how engaged a marketing agency really is. I am a big believer in a 360 degree review of agencies when in a pitch/review…
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Full-Service Agencies: Adapt, or It’s Only Going to Get Worse

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For the fifth consecutive year in our RSW survey, senior level marketing executives state the primary reasons they look for new agencies are "lack of proactivity" "not happy with strategy or thinking,"…
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Every Touch Point is a Decision Point

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Many agency search firms use what's commonly called the "cattle call"...no, I'm not referring to the practice of getting a boat load of agencies to submit RFIs early in the process. I'm referring to the…
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Agency Search Firm Limitation: Project Work

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Most agency search firms focus on big assigments - working with large global firms looking for larger domestic or global agencies. So where do you turn if you're a firm that has never used an agency search…
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Agency Search Consideration: Digital or Traditional

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Full service agencies are probably feeling pretty good after reading this week's Adweek article by Andy McMains: "Marketers to Digital Shops: Diversify or Die". In the article, McMains cites results…
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Will Social Media Be The Death of Agency Search Firms

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Posted:  Mark Sneider (www.rswagencysearch.com) What will social media do to agency search firms?  Some believe that social media has so  enabled marketers that the need for agencies to create more…
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Searching for An Agency That Gives Them the Dessert First

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"WIFM" - what's in it for me? Nobody has the time to have to work in order to figure out your story - and nobody wants to hear about you and why you're so great. What they want is the dessert first,…
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The Agency Search: Black & White or Color?

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I was speaking with a principal from a digital firm out West the other day and he provided me with a beautiful analogy on the state of where digital agencies and traditional agencies are going. When there…
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Agency Search Consultant Battle

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In a recent Ad Age article Michael Bush writes about new consultants popping up that claim to be more ethical and less shameful than agency search consultants that exist today. Quite the battle brewing. …
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Keeping It Super Fresh is Never Easy

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Some agencies start out strong and then lose steam as the relationship matures. Great agencies treat each day as if it's the first day of the relationship and keep things super fresh. Keeping it super…
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Agency Search Going Local? Watch Out for the Weeds

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Many marketers like the idea of "going local" when searching for a new agency.  They feel like they need to have their agency next door and feel like they need to have them there whenever they feel the…
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Simple Principle. Consumers Don’t Like to Be Confused

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In a recent Ad Age Post (click here for post), Thomas Stringham speaks of the trend to minimalism as it relates to logos.  Seems all very reasonable and sensible.  With the world growing in number of…
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It’s All a Matter of Perspective

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In our most recent National study, marketers indicate that they are starting to see signs of life in the economy and in their companies. 31% of market executives surveyed expect headcounts to increase…
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Display – A Marketer’s New "TV"

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Display advertising has historically been the whipping child of digital marketing.  With declining click-thru rates, marketers have found it easier to criticize its performance than praise its value. Marketers…
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The Payoff Is No Easy Effort

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I have a brother-in-law (God bless him) that is "Mr. Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow". Always the short-cut and always looking for the next best way to make it big (without having to work too hard…
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Don’t Break the Bank

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Let me start by saying that...yes, this is a little bit of self-promoting in that marketers don't have to break the bank, but I really believe that what we have here can add value to the Marketer's world....ok,…
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Finding the Must Have Agency – Part II

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Last week we talked about what to look for in an Agency if you are running the search process yourself.  The "must have" Agency is not an easy thing to find, so you need to make sure you're asking all…
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Our First Post: 10/13/10

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October 13, 2010.  Our first RSW/AgencySearch post.  Still all rings true today! In our latest study, agencies note all the reasons why they think more Marketers are moving away from using search consultants…
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