THE HIGHLIGHTS

Hunches are all well and good. But proof is better. And it turns out many of our hunches were proven correct when we looked at the results of the specialist agency perceptions study, both in terms of overall trends and marketers’ attitudes to specific agencies. TRA’S Andrew Lewis gives his take on the results. #1 SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS

In a complex business environment, specialists offer peace of mind to marketers who are looking for expertise and quality work. But in a resourceconstrained environment, there is a tension between getting access to those specialists and having to pay more for them. There are also logistic difficulties associated with specialists – especially when clients have to manage a number of different agencies and get them all to work together harmoniously. But, as the old phrase goes, if you think the professional is expensive, wait until you see the amateur.

#2 FILLING THE SKILLS GAP

Direct and digital are the agencies marketers say they will want more from in the future. This seems to correlate with the areas marketers are weakest in, or are having the most trouble dealing with. Digital technologies are evolving rapidly and there is an expectation marketers will be fluent in that space and the use of data is an increasingly important area for marketers, affecting everything from loyalty schemes to lead generation to demand planning to customer satisfaction.

#3 INSIDE OUT

Whether it’s seeking cost savings or a belief that creative capabilities are best when close to the action, the trend of marketers moving agency functions in-house is a major one. And of all the things clients once outsourced to agencies, they are most likely to focus on video/photo production, design,

PR, digital and content marketing. Although, on the plus side for agencies, 19 percent of the marketers surveyed weren’t planning on bringing anything in-house.

#4 GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Marketers don’t know agencies as well as agencies know other agencies. Perhaps it’s the competitive, comparative, talkative nature of agency land, or the fact that marketers are too stretched in their roles to focus on the best work being done in the market, but marketers were much less au fait with the agency landscape than agency respondents were. Humans always over-estimate the importance and impact of their own work, so while you may love your latest piece of work, most potential clients won’t have noticed it. That is a good reminder to keep promoting your skills and create a perception, otherwise they may not know you exist.

#5 SIZE MATTERS (BUT NOT WHEN IT COMES TO MOMENTUM)

The previous agency perceptions research showed that the bigger the agency, the higher the awareness when it came to unprompted questions about which agencies the respondents were hearing most about. That’s not surprising. But, once again, that did not correlate with perceptions of momentum. In many areas of business, the incumbents are seen to be slow and lumbering, whereas the up-and-comers are seen to be nimble, innovative and on the rise. That was true in the up-down/big-small agency matrix.

#6 THE PERENNIAL DEBATE

We know agencies and clients are different. That’s often what makes the relationship work because, like a good marriage, each side looks at things in their own distinct way and an agreement is eventually reached. And that came through clearly in the research. In digital, design and direct, marketers valued value for money/ ROI much more than agencies and agencies valued creativity much more than marketers. Of course, the best ideas – and the best skills – should be expensive, but their expectations need to be set.