What communications clients (you) are looking for

A new study by US industry magazine BtoB has found that marketers value industry knowledge and chemistry over creativity in choosing a marketing communications partner.

While the study was biased toward companies working with traditional advertising agencies and not marketing communication professional service firms like Image 7 Group, the study is a good insight into what clients seek in an ongoing partnership.

According to the study, B2B companies are looking for marketing communication partners that understand the client's business, have good chemistry and can produce results.

There is clearly a level of dissatisfaction with the traditional agency approach to client needs, as more than one-third (36.5 percent) of B2B marketers plan to conduct an ad agency search in 2007.

Companies considering searching for a new partner cited their top reasons for wanting to change as:

  • current agency is not producing results (29.9 percent)
  • change in strategic direction on the client side (13.9 percent)
  • cost cutting (13.4 percent)

Interestingly, the study also asked marketers to name their number one criterion when selecting a traditional ad agency.

The response was overwhelmingly weighted toward seeking firms who understand the client's business (64.7 percent), a distant second was 'good chemistry' (17.9 percent) and third was outstanding creative (15.0 percent). Just 2.4 percent of marketers rated price as the number one criterion when selecting an agency partner.

"While the skills required to construct an effective message have not changed, the tool kit available to the marketing and communications trade has changed dramatically," says Brad Entwistle, Image 7 Group's Managing Director.

"Image 7 Group have always been different to the traditional agency because we develop such a deep understanding of our client's businesses - some clients have developed with the company for over 17 years."

"Marketing tools and practices may well change but the fundamentals don't. Understanding the client's business and delivering a return on investment will always be - and should always be - the foundation of a good relationship."

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