You're reading: Closing the communications gap between agency and client

Ad firms, in addition to creating good advertising, must also deal with clients.

Don't ever tell the client, but that's not always easy. Some clients can't express what they want. Some don't know what they want. Some say they want it one way, then decide they want it another – without telling the ad firm. And others simply have no concept of what an ad agency does – perhaps not surprising in Ukraine, which, like all former Soviet republics, had no advertising before independence.

'Ninety-nine percent of clients do not have a clear-cut idea of the image they would like to project in the eyes of prospective customers,' said Svyatoslav Pelipchuk, the creative director at Art Master, a Kyiv-based ad agency. 'The client should differentiate between marketing and advertising.'

Pelipchuk adds: 'Sometimes a client asks questions like, 'Where do you [the ad agency] suggest selling our product?' In a few instances, we referred the client to a consulting company.'

Client negligence often leads to misunderstandings with the ad agency. One common faux pas is missing deadlines – and then trying to blame the ad agency when that ad doesn't make it to press as early as they'd like.

'The client does not always understand that it is paramount to meet the deadlines for submitting the ad to the newspaper,' said Iryna Kozakova, the chief office manager of Legion 77. 'For example, a client can call on Friday with the intention of having the ad in the press on Monday, heedless of the deadline on Wednesday.'

Often there is misunderstanding over where the ad should be placed. Clients often have no idea what their target audience is and where they would like to see their ad. Ad firms say it is paramount that there is good communication between client and agency regarding the target audience. The age, residence, education level and income of the target audience all must be discussed.

'To build a professional relationship, we arrange a weekly brand meeting and discuss issues about the brand in the form of a chat or following the agenda,' said Martin Alles, operations manager at Ogilvy and Mather. 'Such meetings establish trust.'

Ogilvy and Mather also periodically prepares 'creative briefs' for its clients. The target audience is clearly defined in those briefs, in order to avoid confusion later.

The agency or the client may do the work of defining the target audience. What's more important is that both sides are open about sharing the information they gather – something many Ukrainian companies are loathe to do.

'Having the data available, the client does not see the need for sharing it with the ad agency,' Pelipchuk said.

The way around that snafu is to come out and ask the client if it has any of such information.

'Agencies do not always ask for the previous relevant material about the brand,' said Alles. 'However, such a portfolio from the client can give insight into the ways advertising was done in the past and helps avoid the mistakes in the future.'

'When the client communicates well to us [the ad agency], we communicate well to the customer,' Alles adds.
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The sixth annual Golden Drum Festival, the biggest international advertising festival east of Cannes, will take place Oct. 4-8 in Portoroz, Slovenia. The novelty this year is the advertising-campaign competition. The 12 creative directors of the 12 best campaigns will receive awards. Last year, 1,377 companies participated, including 14 from Ukraine. Visit the Web at www.goldendrum.com for more information.

The third National Fair of Advertising and Marketing Technologies REX'99 is being held Sept. 14-17 in Kyiv's Palace of Sports. Another fair, called Ad Formula, will be held simultaneously as part of REX'99 . Visit the Web at www.rex.com.ua for more information or call 461-93-00.

The Ukrainian Public Relations Association is conducting a seminar on Sept. 17. Prepared by members of the British Public Relations Institute, the seminar will discuss modern PR methods. Call 227-4029 or 227-3332 for details.
Olena Nikolayenko can be reached at [email protected].