Fear and flattery from your agency partners will get you both nowhere
Robin BonnHaving conditioned your agencies for deference, they now favour flattery over frankness. This harms your interests as much as it does theirs.
Are you the marketer the industry needs to reset agency relationships?
Robin BonnTo create a more effective and sustainable agency marketplace, marketers must be the ones to accelerate change.
How rethinking ‘value’ can improve effectiveness
Robin BonnThere’s growing momentum around a refocus on outcomes over agency inputs, but by defining ‘value’ too narrowly, marketers risk missing the opportunity.
Why network agencies aren’t dead yet
Robin BonnDespite the demise of network agencies being greatly exaggerated, to thrive in 2021, marketers need to choose their agency partners more carefully than ever.
Stop paying agencies for their time and start paying for their output
Robin BonnArmed with a new perspective on accountability, marketers have an opportunity to be more innovative, get more done faster and help create a healthier industry.
It’s time for marketers to show procurement some love
Robin BonnIt’s not just agencies who hold outdated views on procurement. Marketers would also benefit from a refreshed perspective.
Has marketing lost its bottle?
Robin BonnFrom short-termism and risk aversion to misguidedly exploiting an oversupplied agency market, are marketers harming their chances of success?
Why it’s time to tell agencies the truth about pitching
Robin BonnUntil marketers tell agencies the issues they have during the pitch process, things will never improve, which will damage the long-term effectiveness of relationships and make everyone’s lives harder.
Why it’s time to pay more for your agencies
Robin BonnMarketers have long needed to do more for less but there’s a commercial and moral case for investing more in agencies and improving wellbeing in the industry.
Don’t be seduced by chemistry – it shouldn’t win the pitch
Robin BonnIn challenging times, having different views on the role of ‘chemistry’ means marketers and agencies are both missing what’s important.
Don’t miss out as agencies finally toughen-up
Robin BonnSmart agencies are taking responsibility; rethinking their lemming-like, pitch-for-anything behaviour. Marketers must press the reset button too, says Robin Bonn, founder of Co:definery.
Marketers must empower their agencies to fail
Robin BonnIt’s all very well spouting West Coast mantras about ‘failing fast’, but agencies need encouragement to get things wrong, says Robin Bonn, founder of Co:definery.
Reduce risk by giving your agencies hell
Robin BonnIf brands are going to innovate and win back consumer trust, then marketers need to call their agencies to account, says Robin Bonn, founder of Co:definery.