Anonymous Media Blog: Issues with Agencies
This is the first in what we hope will become a series of guest blogs written anonymously (or under a pen name) about the current face of the media industry. It’s a business where there is a lot to be said, a lot of steam to blow off, but not without risking relationships with clients and colleagues. If you want to dish anonymously about your ex or current boss, company, colleagues, or clients and get some conversation started on how to improve the state of affairs, visit the Contact page and let us know!
Partnership: One-Way Street?
It seems today, partnership has become “you do for me, you do for me.” Put another way, the two-way street has been narrowed to a one-way street. Does the agency community understand that media companies, too, have to run a business? A media company can and will do for you only if you at some point do for me. Let me point out several of the conversations that exemplify the “you do for me, you do for me” relationship:
Conversation 1
Agency: “I need to exercise my options.”
Media Co: “I’m sorry, but your firm. Your date passed three weeks ago. The numbers are reported to senior management and pricing and planning decisions have been made accordingly.”
Agency: “We screwed up, and we are good partners. I need to exercise them anyway. Elevate it.”
Media Co: “To help things, is there anything you can bring to the table like incremental scatter from any other brands/accounts; firm up next quarter’s options, etc? Again, difficult based on the financial reporting and the very late nature but I’ll try.”
Agency: “No. And if you can’t get this done I’m exercising next quarter’s options now as well.”
Conversation 2
Agency: “We need to talk about our multi-year deal.”
Media Co: “Sure. What’s your concern? It’s our top property and you have a great deal!”
Agency: “Market is weak and I want to renegotiate the CPM increase for this year and next.”
Media Co: “That’s not possible. You have minimal year over year increases and own a highly coveted position. What else are you thinking?”
Agency: “Nothing – we are good partners and we look exposed to our client.”
Media Co: “Nothing? You have to help me out a little here as the deal on paper beat our marketplace when consummated. How about extending the deal by a year? Add Digital? Mobile?”
Agency: “No.”
Media Co “(chuckling) How about giving back to me on the back end?”
Agency: “No. This is in the spirit of partnership”
Do these two conversations sound like a partnership? Like agency and media company exist on a two-way street?
The opinions expressed by guest bloggers are those of the writer and don’t reflect those of Beverly Weinstein.
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