The 8 Most Important Steps in Choosing an Advertising Agency

Rick Stanton, Creative Director / Managing Partner, Stanton & Everybody

Anyone who’s known me for longer than five minutes, knows how much I hate RFP bakeoffs. First of all, requests for proposal were established as a way for the government, and particularly the military, to procure commodities. Ad agencies do not deal in commodities. We sell time and intellectual property called ideas.
The lowest price should not determine your choice when looking for a shop.

Here is what I believe to be the right way to go about finding the right fit when looking for a shop.

• Chemistry

Will you cringe or be happy when you see their car pull into your parking lot? Will you and other key people in your organization work well with the group? Is there a good vibe inside the shop? And ask for references.

• Tools & Processes

How does the shop work? Do they have processes that safeguard budgets and deadlines? Do they regard research as a key element in differentiation?

Can the agency do other things besides come up with cool creative?

• Creative

Ask them how they define the word creative. Does the agency have a consistent style or can they show the ability to fit the client versus the other way around? Can you look at the work and tell if they understand the job that creative is supposed to do? How do they arrive at solutions? Back to the process again.

• Strategic Chops

How does the agency define and develop a brand strategy? Do they offer insights into your whole business or just your marketing? How will they learn your situation? Are they candid and frank or will they just tell you what you want to hear?

• Analytics

How does the agency determine effectiveness? Does it match what you need? Be careful here. Expectations need to be very clear upfront and some agreement on how they will be measured.

• Experience vs. Fresh Thinking

You have to decide if you want people with experience in your category. If so, only ask agencies to participate if they can demonstrate that ability.

• Media

Does the agency have biases toward certain media usage? Can they justify them? Do they match your sense of what you need? How do they negotiate and what value does that bring to you? How do they arrive at media recommendations? Does it follow the strategy or, for instance, do they just want to do social media because it’s currently the latest thing?

• Money

How will they make a fair profit on your account? If you want good work and really dedicated partners, you better care about this. Do they have a formal contract? Do they pay their bills on time?

In a nutshell, call their current clients. Ask them some of these questions.

And then, when you do the final review, have them bring three examples that show results, capacity and varying approaches to problem solving.

And whatever you do … Do not ask them to do Spec Work. Would you have the nerve to ask your dentist to put a crown on your tooth, and if you liked the work, then you’d hire him?