Avoid These Design Agency Self-Promotion Issues

Avoid These Design Agency Self-Promotion Issues Avoid These Design Agency Self-Promotion Issues Self-promotion is perhaps one of the trickiest projects any advertising, marketing or design agency can undertake. It seems odd to outsiders that this would even be an issue. After all, when youre the client, surely you can do whatever you want, right? Well, sadly perception is much more idealistic than reality. Here then are the reasons why self-promotion is so tough, and a few basic guidelines you can follow to ensure this task is both a fun and creative one and not a monkey on your back. Landmines of Self-Promotion, and How to Navigate Them. There are a lot of issues associated with self-promotion. The top six often hamstring even the biggest and best advertising and design agencies: The Project Isnt Taken SeriouslyIt is by far the biggest problem with self-promotion projects. Someone (or a committee) within the agency decides that its time to do some self-promotion work. An account manager has a quick chat with someone from the senior team in the coffee room. They then drop in on a creative team and mention in passing that some self-promotion ideas would be good. And then everyone just hopes that it will all appear like magic, being exactly what everyone in the agency wants to see, and done with little fuss or effort. It is all wishful thinking. If the job isnt taken seriously, the work wont be seriously good. It wont even be mediocre. And eventually, it will have to be redone, perhaps several times. If the agency is serious about self-promotion work, treat it in the same way that you would treat a paying clients project. The Job Always Takes The Back SeatAnother big problem with self-promotion work is that it is always going to be the job thats put on the back burner because paying jobs always take precedence. Now, thats all well and good, but the reason you get those paying jobs is often through work thats done on the backs of the agencys staff. Its fine to put it off when big jobs hit, like pitches, but if the job is scheduled and in the traffic system, give it the respect it deserves. Theres No Creative  BriefIt cannot be stressed enough - every job needs a creative brief, there are no excuses for bypassing it. Often the cry is one of but everyone knows who we are or its self-promotion, we can do whatever we want. Well, no. There should always be a strategy, a goal, a set of guidelines, some firm direction, and a deadline. Without a brief, you are putting up a big, red flag that says this project doesnt really matter and youll be right. You cant build anything without a foundation. No Budget Has Been Assigned It can be the cause of some major headaches. The creative will ask whats the budget, and the account team will say there isnt one, do what you like. Of course, that all comes crashing down when the ideas are presented, and a senior partner announces that the budget for the job is two nickels and a bag of rice. Attain a budget from the people who control the money. The ask for a little more, just in case. Now give your parameters to the creative team, and always be prepared to go back to the table with an option that will be over-budget but will make a huge splash. Theres No Media PlanIt is something that needs to be hammered out between everyone in the agency, including the creatives, the account team, the production department, traffic, and media buying. What is the purpose of the self-promotion? Is it going to be a guerrilla stunt, an online video, a print piece, posters, PR, or something else? No doubt the creative department will have ideas, but some basic parameters should be in place, and the respective departments should be ready to act. There Are Too Many ClientsOne of the biggest complaints of any agency is that there are too many opinions ruining the creative work. Ironically, this also happens within the agency as well. People are human, they all want to be heard, and they all believe their opinions are valid. For the sanity of everyone involved, and to save time, put one person in charge of the final decision, and leave it that way. It will more than likely be someone on the senior management team or the Creative Director. Letting the owner or partner chime in at the last second will create havoc. How to Side-Step Self-Promotion Altogether Aside from addressing all of those problems above, there is another way to do self-promotion, without actually setting aside any time to do a campaign. The answer lies in the work your agency does on a daily basis: Do Great WorkKiller creative work is its own promotion campaign. If your agency is constantly putting out huge ideas that bring in customers and create buzz, you wont need to do any self-promotion work. Win Recognized Industry  AwardsIsnt this the same as doing great work? No, its not. Scorsese and Spielberg did many great movies long before they ever won an Academy Award. Similarly, some Academy Award winners have had long careers based on one good movie they did 20 years ago. If you win awards, you have clout. Clout brings in clients. Keep Your Clients HappyHappy clients make a thriving agency. That doesnt mean your agency should do everything the client asks. No, it should provide the client with everything his or her business needs, and when the client is successful, everyone is. And that will lead to more billings. Let Word Of Mouth SpreadSome businesses will not advertise in the usual places. Some wont even have a website (although these days, thats verging on suicidal). However, there is a certain cachet in being spread by the good word of clients and colleagues. Dont rely on it for too long though; an invisible agency is not exactly walking the walk.