{"id":10744,"date":"2023-05-26T15:55:40","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T13:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.observatoryinternational.com\/our-insights\/observatory-international-newsletter-may-2023\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T18:19:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T17:19:36","slug":"observatory-international-newsletter-may-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.observatoryinternational.com\/en-cn\/our-insights\/observatory-international-newsletter-may-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Observatory International Newsletter – May 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 5-Point Guide to Agency Roster Transformation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Agency roster transformation is often needed by many organisations during times of widespread marketing industry change, such as the period we are going through now.\u00a0\u00a0However there is no template or one-size-fits all solution.\u00a0 To help organisations adapt, we’ve compiled 5 key tips to ensure that a roster model transformation is a successful one.<\/p>\n

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  1. Discovery<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 It’s vital to engage stakeholders from across the organisation to unearth all needs and requirements, both current and future.\u00a0This also has the additional benefit of ensuring key stakeholders feel part of the process and are therefore more readily engaged in the solution.<\/li>\n
  2. The Model<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 this should complement the organisation’s own structure and strategy and be set up to help drive forward the business ambitions of the company. \u00a0Never leave it in the hands of a communications agency to tell you the model you need \u2013 it will inevitably reflect their capabilities rather your needs.<\/li>\n
  3. Populating the Model\u00a0<\/strong>– identify the types of agencies that can best populate your model and enhance any skillsets you already have in place. \u00a0You may need specialist help to identify these as agencies are constantly evolving and their talent is always moving.<\/li>\n
  4. Measurement\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 the performance of all agency relationships should be monitored and evaluated on a regular basis\u00a0so problems can be identified early and resolved.\u00a0 A newly formed roster is a great moment in time to take a baseline on performance.<\/li>\n
  5. Consider external help<\/strong> – involving a third-party consultancy to help you identify and develop the agency model will give you objectivity and industry-wide perspective and external benchmarks on the potential needs of your business and stakeholders without bias and any politics, plus their management of the process reduces resource requirements on internal personnel.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"Agency<\/p>\n

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    The pitch process isn’t broken, it just isn’t being done very well (by some)!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    There’s been a vast amount written recently about how the agency pitch process is broken.\u00a0 Most of the coverage seems to have forgotten that the pitch is a means to an end, not the end in itself.\u00a0 The ‘end’, or the objective of the pitch should be to have the very best resources in place to drive your brand growth and transform your business.<\/p>\n

    Most Marketers will only be involved in a\u00a0substantial\u00a0pitch 2 or 3 times in their career\u00a0at most.\u00a0 And quite rightly your focus won’t be\u00a0about\u00a0staying on top of who is ‘hot’ and who isn’t across the agency landscape\u00a0let alone what their\u00a0\u00a0real range of capabilities are.\u00a0Your focus, quite rightly\u00a0will be on your business objectives.<\/p>\n

    And you probably won’t be surprised to know that there are very few agencies out there who\u00a0don’t claim\u00a0to be able to\u00a0do\u00a0everything you could possibly need, to a fantastic standard and at a surprisingly low cost. Until, that is, you appoint them…<\/p>\n

    Savings in running a pitch yourself rather than using expert advice and insider knowledge\u00a0is a drop in the ocean compared with the investment in the winning agency over the years to deliver for your business.\u00a0\u00a0Given\u00a0this potential risk\u00a0versus\u00a0reward you\u00a0should\u00a0ensure that you have the very best\u00a0advice\u00a0in place to help guide you through the pitch process.<\/p>\n

    Otherwise you may find you have to go through the whole experience again which can’t be of benefit to you, your team, and more importantly, your business goals.<\/p>\n

    To see how we could support your next agency pitch please take a look at our Agency Search and Selection and Onboarding methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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    The Convergence of Media, Creative and Production<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    On Wednesday 17th May we joined colleagues from MediaSense<\/a> and APR<\/a> in a virtual roundtable to discuss the convergence of Media, Creative and Production in operating models. \u00a0Key takeouts from the session included:<\/p>\n

    The key drivers for change in operating models amongst those attending the roundtable were:<\/p>\n