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Transformation “Marketing in Disguise”

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I read with great interest the response to question posed by Brian Braiker at this year’s Cannes Festival to Sir John Hegarty. The question was, “What do you make of consultancies moving into the agency space?” Having worked at both agencies (including working with Sir John at BBH) and consultancies I’m fascinated by the suggestion that there is even a space, called ‘agency space.’ What is done within this space that no one is allowed to do?

Certainly, the clients that we speak with, see ‘the space’ as very different. They see it is as the space they fill with people/companies and external suppliers that aid them in delivering against their ambitions. By the time they reach out to Flock there is usually an undercurrent that those ambitions are not being met, which seemed to be reflected in Sir John’s answer to the question, “The trouble is agencies are their own worst enemies and are not very good at establishing a trusted rapport with clients.” Trust and a question of it is one of the main reasons clients pick up the phone to us, so what can be done to improve these relationships.

“The trouble is agencies are their own worst enemies and are not very good at establishing a trusted rapport with clients.”   Edited Q&A – Sir John Hegarty by Brian Braiker – AdAge.

In our experience a majority of relationships and trust begin to fall apart when the relationship had become stale or there is something that doesn’t seem right. Of, course it’s ok to zone in to the specific issues that you are aware of. For example, media transparency, fresh new agency, new process etc, but in our experience homing in one often agitates another. A new agency from an RFP process is exciting and sometimes necessary, but with the same processes in place, it can sometimes feel like the emperor’s new clothes.

That’s why we at Flock believe it’s really important to have a clear marketing transformation strategy. The strategy at the very least identifies the from > to state and makes all stakeholders aware of what is required to ‘complete’ transformation.

Marketing Transformation typically involves changes to four core areas

  1. People – do you have the right capabilities in place to deliver against the ambition?
  2. Operations – do you have the right processes in place to deliver against the ambition?
  3. Procurement – do you have the right agencies, with the right scopes in place to deliver against the ambition?
  4. Technology – do you have the right martech in place to deliver against the ambition?

Are you ready to be a marketing transformation leader?

You don’t need the word ‘transformation’ in your job description to be a leader for change. Given what you may know about the state of marketing inside your organistation, use this simple five question self-assessment to gauge how well your strategy meets the imperatives we’ve outlined in this paper. What actions can you take to guide your business toward marketing excellence?

  1. Do we work together as a marketing department or are we siloed?
  2. Do we have the right agencies to deliver against our ambitions?
  3. Do we have the right processes in places to be agile and efficient?
  4. Are we and other departments clear as a team what we are delivering?
  5. Does our agency ecosystem match our marketing ambitions?

If the answer in No to any of these questions, then do get in contact with me and lets help you transform.

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