Advertising agencies promote the products and services of their clients in creative and memorable ways as a means of boosting their clients' sales and profits. Understanding what makes people buy, and just as importantly, what makes potential clients choose one product over another and remain loyal to that brand, help advertising agencies profit by giving people what they want.
Be Different
The idea of being different and making your product or service stand out reeks of cliche, but it can't be denied that some truth resides in it. The modern world is awash in advertising, and a promotion that sings the same old song will not be noticed and will quickly disappear. If your agency is going to survive, you will need to develop a distinctive style that stands out from the mass, and that appeals to your clients with pizazz and profit. Many agencies attempt to attain this status by straddling the line between edgy and offensive. This is an effective but risky approach; if you step over the line, you may find yourself losing accounts.
Spend to Earn
Clients spend a lot of money for ad campaigns, and they justifiably expect to get their money's worth. When you work on a campaign, spend what you need to spend to make it amazing. This is the only way that you will get superior results, and superior results are the only thing that will get your agency a reputation as one that people want to hire. Increasing the profit margins of your agency by landing bigger and bigger contracts is a much better dynamic than shrinking your production budget and ending up with an inferior product.
Remember Your Client
As creatives, many advertisers and promoters become attached to their ideas and visions. Feeling passion for your work is necessary, but you can't let it blind you to who's paying the bills. When you are hired by a company to promote their products, you work for them, and you need to put your skills and your vision at their service. This is what they pay you for. Using your creativity within the boundaries of the ad campaign is both admirable and necessary, but you should accept that you can't manifest your amazing idea if it isn't what the client wants.
Reward Your Team
Successful artists, promoters and writers understand their own value, and won't enjoy working for an agency that doesn't treat them well. Reward your staff handsomely both financially and personally, and they will be far more likely to stay with your agency and continue to contribute to its success. Agency owners who mistakenly think that their success is solely due to their individual genius are often disabused of this notion when talented but dissatisfied staff begin abandoning ship. Recognize that talented creatives are the lifeblood of your agency, and you can all move happily up the ladder of success as a team.
