When marketers choose not to use integrated agencies, they need different
and compatible agencies which are able to handle print, TV, radio, digital,
social media and mobile and it is seldom that a marketer can manage all of
these moving parts without a lead agency.
Given that each of the companies working for a marketer is competing for a share
of the marketer’s budget, complete chaos could ensue without a lead agency,’
said Johanna.
‘The biggest decision that marketers grapple with on this subject is who should
control the process and who should direct it in order to get the best results,’
explained Johanna. ‘This means that the involvement of the client is more
critical than ever before. Collaboration is now not an option, it is an imperative,’
she continued.
No matter how much marketers talk about being ‘committed’ to the collaboration
process, its success rests on total buy-in to the vision, a driver for the process
being identified – and often the help of an intermediary who has the appropriate
tools to tackle complex relationship issues and ensure a fair process.
‘The collaboration between marketers and agencies is essentially a business
partnership with all parties pursing mutual goals – mostly profit targets and brand
awareness. However, it is impossible to achieve these targets if the common goal
of good and clear communication is not achieved,’ said McDowell.
McDowell, whose intermediary company is affiliated to international associate
company AAR Group, maintains there are new international models to achieve
good collaboration. In Australia, for example, some agencies are incentivised and,
if they are successful, receive a bonus. The performance incentives apply to
both agency and client while providing controls on inputs for both sides. It
also explicitly recognises the planning and negotiation facets of compensation
schemes through which the accommodation of each set of organisation goals
can be achieved.
‘But the South African market is not yet ready for this,’ maintained Johanna.
Instead, her company has enhanced the capabilities of its TLC Programme, a
proactive management tool. When leveraged, it clearly demonstrates to the
marketer/client how effectively the collaboration is, or is not, proceeding. It
diagnoses problem areas and identifies which remedial steps are most uniquely
appropriate for both agency and client.
‘Marketers can be assured that a good strategy, clear role definition and some
skilled mediation can quickly establish an award-winning collaboration,’ Johanna
concluded.
About Johanna McDowell
Johanna McDowell is Managing Director of the Independent Agency Search and
Selection Company (IAS) which stands at the forefront of the complex world of
agency selection in South Africa and is one of the few experts driving this
mediation and advisory service in SA and globally.
Johanna is UK educated and has a High National Diploma in Business and
Marketing with emphasis on the European Union from Twickenham College of
Technology. She has a Diploma in Marketing from the Institute of Marketing in
the United Kingdom and is a member of the institute. McDowell also has a Retail
Principals Diploma from the City and Guilds of London Institute (City & Guilds).
She is a Life Time Member and Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a Board
Member of the International Association
of Public Relations and past President,
Member of Women on Boards UK, SA
Non-Executive Director of the Free
Market Association of SA and is on
advisory board of the South African
Institute of Taxation Professionals,
SAIT where she sits on the procurement
board committee. She is also the
Present Chairman of the IPRA 2015
World Congress.
Johanna McDowell
Nex Media •
Vol 3 Issue 2
41
