If you're interviewing marketing agencies, be sure you ask the following questions. It would also be wise to ask them of your current agency. You may be surprised at the answers. And the agency will likely be thrown off guard by the insightful questions!
5. Will the actual creatives that create the work be the ones presenting us the work or will it always be the Creative Boss that presents?
This is a hot button for me. Accountability. It's something that can get lost in the plethora of layers in a creative department. If there's one thing I've learned in my 18+ years as an art director, it's that if the one that creates the work isn't the one that has to present it, there's less drive to really hit it out of the park. Knowing you will be the one standing up in front of the client representing the agency -- and YOUR ideas-- forces you to REALLY understand what the project needs to accomplish and fuels the desire to produce great work. It trains a creative to do what's right for the client, not just what will please the boss.
4. Will the team we see at the initial pitch, still be our team six months later?
Most agencies present their senior team to pitch and close new business. Obviously, you want to present your A team; the ones with the most experience who can put on the best dog and pony show. However, once a client is "sitting back in his chair" and things are going smoothly is about the time when work starts to get handed down to less tenured employees. And that senior team moves on to the next pitch. This less experienced team has a lower hourly rate, but you'll still be charged the higher rate to cover the senior level people that have to approve/train/mentor the project back and forth. Although this is pretty standard procedure at most agencies, asking the question will let them know you are aware of the inner workings of the agency and will keep them on their toes. And if the quality of the work starts to change, you might inquire.
3. Can you explain how a job/project flows through your agency?
I worked at an agency once that created a flow chart to show how a project should flow through the agency. The team assigned to the task must have worked 6 months concocting this map. They printed it out and posted it down the hallway of the front lobby. Probably 20-30 sheets of letter-sized paper, at least, connected like Leggos standing as a testament to how muddied the process had become. The creators of this masterpiece stood before it like proud parents. If you're agency actually provides you something like that, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. Just remember that every step in that kind of process represents many unnecessary hours billed to you.
2. Does the owner of your agency come from a creative background or an account service background?
Naturally, the owner of the agency will influence the aura of the agency, much like the alpha lion in the pride. If the owner comes from a creative background, odds are the emphasis will be on producing award-winning creative and the morale tends to be fun and loose—sometimes at the expense of efficiency. If the owner comes from an account background, odds are it will be focused on the bottom line and squeezing every penny at the expense of compelling creative. The best scenario is when you have both represented at the top working collaboratively.
And the number one question you should ask.....
1. How well do your creatives and account executives get along?
The two key players an any account will be the lead creative and the lead account executive. The stereotypical working style between these two is for them is to butt heads and cause enough friction to light fire upon eye contact. I don't know why, but for some reason, most account service and creatives just don't get along. At most agencies they are even physically separated with workspaces on opposite ends of the office. Admittedly, I have worked with some pretty backbone-less account executives that see their job as the client's gum-chewing order-taker instead of discussing requests strategically and objectively. I have also seen some creative types that stood so high on a pedestal that they needed oxygen tanks to survive. Ask them to try an alternate font or color and you'd think you'd just asked them to run naked through the office. On the other hand, if the account executive and the creative have mutual respect for each other and share in the goal of creating a results-oriented creative product, everyone will benefit. I can't even begin to explain the difference in how it reflects on the end product and the overall morale of your marketing team.
