Joy of the Client is His Strength
Where one’s happiness depends on the execution of a task to the satisfactory of the beneficiary, the demand to overreach one-self is enduring as exemplified by Yomi Laniwun, an advertising agency client service executive. Nseobong Okon-Ekong reports
Things are not always what they seem. Yomi Olaniwun, Head, Diageo-Guinness account at one of Nigeria’s leading advertising companies, SO&U understands the truth of this statement. As a relationship manager, his job involves getting what his client wants done at the right time. Feeling the pain of his client comes with the job. And he can only be happy when the client is satisfied. This was an understanding that was clearly spelt out when he was hired. Client service at SO&U is about making the client happy.
In his work place, client service is a continuous relationship; one that can make the client vouch for you even when you are not there. This consciousness is driven by the fact that a client will always refer to the agency that managed their brand very well. This constant effort to remain excellent is the cornerstone of the SO&U success story since it began 25 years when three friends with very little income came together.
His two-year service at SO&U has been the most rewarding season since he ventured into advertising. He was worked with several big brands and handled big projects; some with budget of between N150m and N200m. Being assigned these kind of demanding tasks says a lot about his capability, particularly when he is also given the liberty to choose his team.
Before it became his lot to take on the Guinness brand, he had the privilege of working on several brands in his previous engagement at other advertising agencies. It has been a sweet journey so far for Yomi who started his advertising career in the traffic department - a section that studies, monitors and designates the inflow of jobs. He later moved to research and planning department. The cumulative experience has given him a strong foundation in advertising.
Incidentally, his course of study at the University of Ibadan was not anywhere near the social sciences. He studied Electrical Engineering. Although, he has never practiced engineering, it was not for lack of work that made him veer into advertising; rather his marketing communication skill was something he knew he always had and could fall back on.
He began to take more than a passing interest when he succeeded where others failed. “From my first year in the university, I noticed that I had the ability to convince people to come for events from different departments. I also had the ability of turning something everyone would consider dysfunctional into a commercial asset. Since I started seeing those results, I thought there is a side of me that is interested in marketing. I began to research into marketing. I was curious about advertising. Every time I looked for a job, I would ask if I could be a part of the marketing unit.”
Added to his marketing skill, Yomi has a flair for writing, as well. He is quick to spot a bad copy or headline that could have been presented better. But he has not stopped at that. After deciding that advertising was what he wanted to do, he buried himself in
tonnes of books and materials that told the success stories of giants like Ogilvy and the rest in advertising.
But Yomi is happy that he has a background in advertising and it has served him well. He has been able to find a nexus between the two professions. “Engineering is about designing and that requires thinking. I think very deeply before I talk when I am with clients. I end up becoming friends with clients. Most of the time, my clients are also my friends. For some people, when a job comes, it can stay for two to three days on the system but I can’t do that. I just work and sometimes my colleagues complain that we are rushing too much but my aim is to keep my client happy by doing the job on time.”
Lately, Yomi has agonised over the future of client service in the advertising milieu. While he is willing to impart knowledge, he knows that he has to find equally willing protégés.
For this reason, he thinks “client service should be a course in higher institutions. A lot of people in the business do not know what to do. When you are managing human beings, there are emotions that are attached to it. Account management is a lot more professional, we need to compare and analyse people. The way you treat A does not necessarily mean that it is the same way you will treat B. Account management takes a lot of discretion, affinity and discipline to make sure that the client is happy.”
In a job where he is constantly put on a task, the demand to go the extra mile is a frequent request. For instance, it is his lot to get approval from APCON and NAFDAC. Within his organisation, it requires an ability to communicate quickly and effectively so that materials can fly.
He explained how this works. “Time is also a factor. When you work on a material and you need to send it to APCON for approval, sometimes you have to send it there before 4:00pm when most transactions close. You may not bother about APCON. Your chief concern is to create something magical for the client. However, if is not done in time for APCON’s approval, then it is a waste of time.”
This is where the ability to relate with colleagues in other departments and external publics of the agency come in. “We relate with the media too. We have to communicate what the client likes to the other departments. Client service is right there in the middle. The only time you don’t need NAFDAC is when you are doing public service announcement. You need to be able to multitask. At no time do you work alone.”
Yomi agrees that the client service executive in an advertising agency is not often celebrated. Most times the copy writer gets all the accolades, along with the design team. He understands why the critical acclaim goes to these two professionals in the advertising chain. “Headlines are very catchy. Most times people ask, “who wrote that headline? Sometimes, it is the design that arouses people’s interest.”
However, long before it gets to the point where the services of the copy writer and the designer are demanded, the client service personnel has the task of convincing the client. His service is as important as this: “If your client-service person is not a persuasive person, the client will not give you regard.”
It is not always a case of the paymaster dictating the tune. Rather, Yomi paints a picture of mutual reward and mutual respect. “You may have an idea in your head and sometimes your idea may not be right. If you share it with your client service person you can make your decision. If the idea that the client brings is very bad, you will be a very bad client service person if you don’t point it out to your client when and where he is wrong. It is your job to say even though this sounds beautiful but if it won’t solve a problem and if you don’t say it, you have failed as a client service person. Clients are normal persons like you and I; the agencies are the experts. And there is nothing wrong with client service agreeing with a client.”
Yomi’s is one of those 24-hour tasks that are task driven. He is passionate about what he does and that, in a loose context, accommodates whatever is needed to make the brand do well.