How to deal with creative agencies if you’re in Marketing & Communications and vice versa.

Recently, we’ve got a new client on board. She’s a marketing and communications manager and we’ve produced a bit of collateral for her department. For the sake of this post, I’m going to call her Bex.

While we’ve worked with lots of people in marketing & comms before, our relationship with Bex has been the smoothest relationship we’ve had to date.

We’re in love with her AND with the artwork we’ve created for her team. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all rose coloured glasses. We’ve been faced with hurdles and we work our way through them.

I thought I’d share a few tips + seedlings on the relationship.

Image via Crdot

FOR THE AGENCY.
Last year I had a lot of conversations with Bernadette Jiwa and I came to one major conclusion.

I want clients to come to Kish+Co. Not vice versa. I don’t want to pursue you. 

Bex came to us. She saw our website, saw our work, liked our style and approached us. 

FOR THOSE OF YOU WORKING IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

When you’re in Marketing & Communications, you have a choice of suppliers.
You don’t have to use someone you don’t like // can’t communicate with // doesn’t match your budget.
There are options.

Image via VFSDigitalDesign

FOR THE AGENCY.

Ask for specifications & visual examples. Provide some if your client is busy. This is the best time to suggest crazy ideas and have them thrown out the window or put into use.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WORKING IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Dimensions. Budget. Look & Feel. Believe it or not, it’s ideal for a designer to have dimensions before they commence a job.

Image via Crdot

FOR THOSE OF YOU WORKING IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Often enough, designers love working on boring stuff. I used to. Don’t feel bad to say, “Right now, what I really need is an annual report which won’t freak out our share holders”.

FOR THE AGENCY

If you feel the shareholders reading an annual report will appreciate some infographics, suggest it. Every time we’ve suggested infographics for particular data, they’ve been introduced to the document.

Image via Crdot

FOR THOSE OF YOU WORKING IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Let go of what you know. Yes, there is a purpose. But that purpose can be solved in a range of ways. There is new research showing large companies that are challenging concepts of the style guide and consistency. Have a read here and here. Your agency should know this. If not, back to slide one. You have choice.

Just like you wouldn’t ask a designer for feedback on your profit & loss sheet, don’t ask every Tom, Dick & Harry for feedback on your designs. If you do need to ask people, give them the context and the background. Ask your target market. Ask them if they’re getting the message.

FOR THE AGENCY

If you’re guiding a brand through change, you need to know your stuff. Do your research. Immense trust is in your hands. Try not to f it up.
I’m saying this while I know I have a meeting on Friday when I’m going to take a client through my suggestions for a brand change.
Gulp. It’s what I’ve always wanted. I’m here and now I want to make sure I nail it.

Image via Jared

FOR THOSE OF YOU WORKING IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Don’t waste your time with the specifics. Worrying about the difference between an 11pt and a 10pt font? Or a shade of salmon?
If it’s the trademark colour or a 10K billboard, then definitely worry.

FOR THE AGENCY

God is in the details. Perfecting the colour. Nailing the call to action. Considering scale and angles. This is our role. While I wouldn’t let it strangle me, I wouldn’t let concepts leave the studio if we don’t consider these things.

Image via Crdot

FOR THOSE OF YOU WORKING IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Just remember, rushing and facebooking while you’re listening is highly inefficient. Give every conversation the presence it needs. 
I had a 2 hour meeting last week. It was an intense discussion and my brain was doing its best to perform at peak. When I felt my concentration was waning, I told the client. He understood.

Be honest. It’s taken me a long time to learn this and I’m still trying, but being honest is the best way forward for a long term relationship.

FOR THE AGENCY

Understand the problem, even if the client is saying “make the logo bigger”. Ask why. Ask, “what will that do to solve the problem?”.
Enough questions are never enough questions.
Sometimes a client will say ASAP. Often, that means, “whenever it’s reasonably possible”. So don’t hit the panic button.
For big stuff, talk. Over the phone. Not via emails.

Image via Crdot

FOR THOSE OF YOU WORKING IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

If you have the budget, pay for a copywriter to oversee this. Or ask your agency to take care of it. 
Funnily enough, bad spelling seems to frustrate people and it’s probably best not to frustrate your potential client.

FOR THE AGENCY

Be concerned with the details as well as the big picture. I’ve seen designers get blamed for bad spelling, not having call to actions on the page and headlines with dirty puns. Sure, it’s not your job to check the spelling. But with that attitude, you’ll never build a relationship with your client. They’ll always see as the person pushing pixels and not someone they can seek advice from. Help. Fix. Perfect. And watch the relationship change.

Image via Crdot

FOR THOSE OF YOU WORKING IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

One point of communication is IDEAL. 
All the edits being checked by one authority and then being funnelled through to your agency is ideal.

FOR THE AGENCY

At Kish+Co we have a “no accounts person” policy. We hire our designers with this in mind. The minimum travel a message has to make before it reaches the maker is most ideal. 
Bex and I recently had an experience where we both finalised an idea. I briefed Rowena (one of our designers) on it and due to time constraints, I didn’t take Rowena’s ideas on board. 
Of course, Rowena’s idea had excellent value and in the end, we biffed the original idea and went with Rowena.

I’m happy, Roe is happy, Bex is happy. Wouldn’t it have been best if Bex and I spoke with Roe in the first place? As your designers grow, trust them more.

Image via Crdot

FOR THOSE OF YOU WORKING IN MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Do a little dance. 
Make a lil love.
Get down tonight.

>> Seriously. There is a reason your agency does what they do – it’s their role to be creative. If they don’t surprise you or give you ideas that you would never have thought of, then it’s time to look outside the box.

FOR THE AGENCY

Have a bit more faith in your client. I learnt this the hard way. I’ve been in this game so long, I’m jaded. I start to think that clients want “safe” all the time. This is a HUGE blunder. I don’t like the word blunder. But it is.

Let loose and take a risk. It’s why we love what we do.

++++++++++++

I surely (truly, madly, deeply) hope this was beneficial to you. 
Take from it what resounds with you and leave the stuff that doesn’t.

++++++++++++

We are Kish+Co and we do a whole lot of stuff. 
If it involves conversations around growing your company and designing to these conversations, then we’re on board.

Kish works with companies to help them get more >> whatever that more may be.