You hired an ad agency thinking this was it. After this, your business would take a huge turn and you would never look back. But things don't seem to be going too great in spite of all your expectations from them. You find that not much has changed, and you have been beating around the bush for a while. Do you think it's time to fire your ad agency? How far should you stretch it before you terminate your account with them? Here are some pointers that may help you identify when to fire your ad agency.
Firing Your Ad Agency: When is the Right Time?
There are ups and downs in every professional relationship, and all of them cannot be ended at the drop of a hat. However, when even after choosing an advertising agency after thorough research, over a period of time you find that things have not changed substantially, or that managing this relationship is now getting tougher, it is probably time to snip the cord that binds you together.
When you find that it does not work on your account passionately: Lack of passion is evident from quality of work. If the ad agency is not giving you its best, there is no reason for you to continue with it. You have to understand that every client account is of equal importance in any kind of business. Treating one lesser than another can only lead to loss of goodwill and brand value. The passion has to exude in the manner of work and the final product itself. So if you see that you are not getting the best, but others who have accounts with them are, it's time to move on.
When it hasn't made an attempt to learn entirely about your line of work: Your product or service has to be on top priority for the agency. They need to understand it in and out, and learn about it from various aspects. Ideally, they should use it to see how it benefits them, and then use this knowledge in the process of concept creation. If they don't know enough about your product or service, the resultant work will also be incomplete and not bang on target. What do you do then? A little quiz may help you analyze whether they know enough. Thereafter, how they put this knowledge to the concept is their call. Moreover, the interest shows when they come forward themselves and try to delve into the intricacies of the business to come up with the best concept possible. If this is not happening, you know what to do.
When all proposed ideas are tried and tested: Advertising is a creative field, and when your ad agency isn't pushing you enough to tread on risky paths it is probably not doing enough to make you stand out of the crowd. It is the job of the agency to coax you to try something completely new (say a unique advertising concept), to make you worry about whether or not it will work, and then to prove you wrong. If you don't find yourself in these situations every so often, maybe you can let go. Of course, there may be times when you may just not agree and want the agency to follow a particular pattern; but if you do this too often, you may find that the agency itself loses interest in the outcome.
When it is already managing multiple accounts with similar products/services: You see, the advantage of hiring an ad agency that is familiar with your line of work is that communication and interaction with them may become easier. Moreover, with their experience in that line, they are able to do a better job with your account. However, if it is already managing a competitor's account, how can you be sure that it will still do justice to yours? If the agency takes up more such offers after taking up yours, it may not be the best thing for you to continue with it.
When you are not involved in the advertising process: Whenever an ad agency comes up with a concept and executes it, you have to be involved in each step so as to understand whether the concept was truly effective. If you are not involved and are taken for granted, or when the agency assumes that it knows exactly what it's doing and doesn't need to tell you everything, you ought to give it up. No matter how big or small the account is, advertising is integral to the success of every business, and being involved in the process is the duty and the right of the business holder.
In short, an advertising agency has to understand your vision and probably make an attempt to push it beyond its definition so that it can generate an idea that will definitely be a blockbuster. However, if it fails to understand your vision and your work, assigns a mediocre team for your account, and believes it has the upper hand in this professional relationship, it is perhaps time to fire your ad agency. Even then, do weigh the pros and cons of each step, and if you find yourself in more than one of the aforementioned situations, then consider this decision and move on to someone who respects this relationship better and does true justice to its work.
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