The, not always easy, selection of a communications agency

Taking advantage of the beginning of the academic year to talk about the always curious panorama of the communication sector in our country is quite opportune, although it is, perhaps, not very original. I don’t want to be heavy-handed, but I think it’s a good time to recall, as we have done on other occasions over the more than 13 years of this communication diary that is the comma blog, the reasons why you should take a little more care in selecting your communication agency. The ADC and DIRCOM manual of good practices makes very clear the fundamental principles in this regard, but I think that, on this occasion, it would be interesting to delve into other aspects that, perhaps, we have left aside in other approaches.

I am going to dare to make a list of what I consider should be taken into account in order not to fail in our selection of a communication agency. to take into account in order not to fail in our selection of a communication agency.

1. A communication agency is not an NGO. Its work must be recognised and remunerated fairly. If you receive an offer that does not ask for fair pay, then your work is not worthwhile. Therefore, be smart and run away from price gougers, be smart and run away from those who throw away prices with the sole purpose of only to add you to their list of customers on their website. The long term is always going to be ruinous. And, by the way, we have to start thinking that corporate communication competitions should also be remunerated. This is overdue.
2. Don’t leave the final selection decision in the hands of those who don’t know about communication. I am talking about authority. If you don’t have it, don’t make the selection yourself. Let the decision-maker’s right-hand man, who usually boasts of having fantastic contacts who always recommend the best (or not, but whatever), take care of it. It’s not worth wasting energy.
3. An agency comes to take work from you, not to give it to you. If you detect that it is going to force you to be behind it all the time, walk away. Proactivity is inherent to the role of a real consultant. But it is true that, until you see it in action, paper holds everything. Trust your instinct too.
4. Run away from those who talk, talk and talk about themselves. We only have one mouth, but two ears. There must be a reason; Pay close attention to their listening skills, it is directly proportional to the attention they will give you on a day-to-day basis.
5. Put your budget first. Don’t think that just because you don’t say what your budget is, you ‘ ll save a little money. Wrong! It’s like going to the market without knowing what you want to buy. Would you buy barnacles for 10€/K? And green beans for 90€/K? Put everything at its fair value. The best thing to do is to say what budget you are talking about and ask them to suggest what to do with it. Creativity is much more sincere and the purchase will be rounded.
6. At comma we believe that presentations should be attended by only the team that will be involved in the account. the team that will be involved in the account. I think it is essential to avoid the temptation of fraudulent use of armies of interns. Again, paper holds everything.
7. Size does matter. Decide if you need a partner, an ally, an expert, an expert in the crowd, one that treats you like a crowd, one that treats you like a crowd, one who treats you like a regular, one with a lot of interns, one with a track record, one with experience, one cheap, one creative, one fast, one with experience, one that ‘s cheap, one that’ s creative, one that’ s fast, one that covers the dossier, one that has a lot of name and saves you from its failures… According to these criteria you will see if it is more convenient for you to be included in the list of those who are lucky to work with x or if you prefer to be treated with the utmost professionalism and care, albeit with less spotlight.
8. Los tiempos, ¡oh, los tiempos! Ya he hablado de esto en varias ocasiones, pero es realmente un infierno. Concursos que convocan a 10 agencias, que se alargan meses, que no se responden, que marean, que desaparecen. Insisto: convoco, analizo y selecciono. Un concurso no puede durar más de un mes. To the point.
9. Unless it is a creative project, corporate communication knows no magic. It is what it is. It’s like trying to do your tax return with a lot of frills. Keep in mind exactly what you need and don’t cheat yourself.
10. Last but not least: be honest, discover your cards. If you have limitations, impediments, obstacles, complications, mandates, infiltrators… If you have to do a mock competition, if you are unable to make a decision, if you ‘ve been tricked into a recommended one, if you haven ‘t been given a sufficient budget, if… Tell us about it! Surely, surely we will find a solution together. And if not, you are giving us the opportunity to say no, which is a luxury.

In the end, it’s not that complicated. It is all about common sense, respect and professionalism. We need, and more and more of it, a bit of self-criticism is needed , because life knows no fixed positions; maybe, in a while, neither of us will be in the same place.