Online Advertising... Why is it such a fight?

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Permalink Reply by Deanna on September 27, 2007 at 8:31am

I think the argument "get better clients", while likely true in some instances, is lazy. When clients are skeptical that online advertising will be effective, I find that this reveals they probably don't have a comprehensive marketing strategy in place. I rarely hear an interactive agency tell a client, yes, you are right. There is little benefit to online advertising for you unless you tie that into a bigger, well thought out strategy/campaign.

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Permalink Reply by Nate White on September 27, 2007 at 11:03am

I don't know if I like the phrase "get better clients" for what I said. "Better" is a relative term. If you define a "better client" as one that lets you do whatever you want for the sake of advertising online, then yes that's the lazy way out if you're looking to get more. But if you mean a client that works with you instead of against you to meet shared goals, I don't see how it's lazy to try and attract more clients like that.

What I see as a better client is one that understands they have as much to learn about what we do as we have to learn about what they do. Once you both pass that learning curve is where the best collaborative work begins.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Green on September 27, 2007 at 11:38am

"I find that this reveals they probably don't have a comprehensive marketing strategy in place.“

I find it’s because they’re stuck in their old ways and will always find ways to talk themselves out of their comfort zone. Now that’s lazy. Really good work comes from clients with a little vision. BK and subservient chicken. BMW and all the Mini work. Not just, "I’m not sure about this internet thing.”

Get better clients. What’s stopping anyone, any agency from going after the ones they really want to work for? Think Crispin is doing banner ads for the local muffler shop? If you’re dealing with so many clients that are skeptical over even a banner ad, maybe you need to look at why you work with people like that.

Nate’s response below is what I mean: clients working with you, not against. The old saying that agencies get the clients they deserve is true for a reason. Hey look, if people want to bang their head against the wall when dealing with their clients that don’t 'get it,’ have at it.

Wouldn’t you rather work with someone though who is part of the solution rather than part of the problem?

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Permalink Reply by Deanna on September 27, 2007 at 5:13pm

I see your point but I think you are oversimplifying the issues. Of course, there are clients we should turn away. Yes, it would be fabulous to have clients who always see the bright horizon, acquiesce to everything we ever say, and hand us the keys to their kingdom. What a wonderful world!

However, here in the real world, most clients...even the decent ones...sometimes get tangled up in the old, safe ways of seeing the world and their business. They might make fear-based decisions for a variety of reasons. My point is, and Randy says it very eloquently below, unless you are a hot shot agency with clients knocking down your door, you will at some point be called upon to convince, coerce, angle your client out into the unknown. You may or you may not be successful. Knowing when to walk away from a bad relationship is a good skill to possess.

As I said earlier, I've often seen interactive agencies blowing it with clients...they are not effectively selling their big vision. They are not educating their clients on online advertising and how to tie that in to a powerful campaign. And don't think that Crispin never fights tooth and nail for their eclectic ideas and vision...and definitely don't believe they always win.

I'm just saying look inward before deciding that all your clients just suck and don't get it. No client ever wants to be a part of the problem, that's probably why they are seeking help from you.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Green on September 27, 2007 at 8:59pm

I see your point as well, but why overcomplicate things? I don't buy the defeatist attitude that says, “I have no control over the situation, and oh well, that's the way it is and there's nothing I can do about.” It must be happening enough that Lori had to post about it. And if she's having trouble in an interactive shop when it comes to explaining that, then what else is she having issues with on those same clients. Seems like a red flag to me .

So, do something about it beyond falling back on the typical "Oh, well, it must be because creatives and creative agencies don't know how to sell.” Nowhere in that thinking is the client a factor. I don't agree with that mindset. Why not instead, change the problem or change the question. Those shops like akqa, 72andsunny, etc., get that way by not settling for lousy and difficult clients. Crispin got where they are by looking for better work and not settling, as a few creatives there have told to me.

Nowhere did I say all clients suck or that you wouldn't run into issues with them and everything’s perfect either. There are the standard problems that arise for lousy brands as they do for good ones–time crunchs, insane deadlines, copy changes, etc.. Where there's a problem is when the very need for creative is questioned. Two different things. At the end of the day though I’ll still take the well-known brands, because, well, they're still well-known and their name will help you get better work in the long run. I've found they just understand the value of creative better.

But you have to be willing to go after better brands to make that happen. As I've said, interactive agencies are often handicapped by what they can and can't do regarding strategy. And no shop worth its creative salt wants to work from the creative and strategy given to them by the brand's offline agency. I wouldn't. Interactive wants to develop their own work. Hard to have a big vision though when the client won't let you have one.

So, you move on to find one who will. You have to stretch or your agency stays where it is.

But, really, since Lori started this topic, I'd like to get her thoughts.

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Permalink Reply by Deanna on September 27, 2007 at 11:39pm

This is a little amusing because I mostly agree with you. And then I get to the sentence "And no shop worth its creative salt wants to work from the creative and strategy given to them by the brand's offline agency." and I have to say, wait a minute.

Being an interactive designer who has had my hands tied by a brand's offline agency, I totally get where you are coming from...but...come on!!! Are you kidding me? If you are an online agency working with a well known brand, you are working with another agency. Adidas, Nike, Sony...all brands you would praise according to your description of worthy, well known brands. I've worked with all of them and coincidentally, I have had to work with (or around) their offline agencies. It's all a part of the brand big picture.

I feel like you are speaking to something beyond the realm of the issue Lori brought up. Big brands, the worthy brands, are not the brands who will question the value of online advertising. They have spent millions of dollars understanding marketing.

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Permalink Reply by Randy on September 27, 2007 at 9:29am

Many agencies do a poor job of selling. While they do a fine job of selling themselves and their past work, many are not good at understanding the business of their potential clients and communicating how their service (online advertising for example) can benefit that business. So, the only new clients they get are the ones who already understand the benefits of advertising and are only looking for a facilitator.

If you're in front of someone selling your service, you better be selling the value of your service and how it benefits that particular business. If you are spending half your time or more doing a show-and-tell presentation of design work, talking technology, or disgorging yourself of industry acronyms (SMS, SEO, SEM, PPC, PPL, PPS, CAC PCP, CPA), you are doing a poor job of selling. If you want your potential clients to see the value of advertising online, you must communicate that value and its business impact, relative to the person sitting across from you, clearly and concisely .

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Permalink Reply by Chad Bishop on April 30, 2008 at 2:33pm

I completely agree. I work for a Custom web development firm who somewhat specializes in high end real estate sites. I just sent out my newsletter with an article on high percentages of people who look for a home on the internet vs. the stubborn developers who have a "if we build it they will come" attitude. The bottom line is the ones who do it and do it right will be making the cash.

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Permalink Reply by Sharon Hill on May 4, 2008 at 10:02pm

Lori, as sales and marketing manager for a newspaper trade association I sometimes struggle trying to make newspaper ad managers understand it as well. I don't think it's always that they don't get it. I think it's that they fear looking stupid. It's kind of like not wanting to be the only kid in school to raise your hand and ask the dumb question. I've come to the conclusion that whether it's the advertiser or the newspaper you're trying to convince, the best approach is the educational one. Maybe a very simplistic "online advertising 101" white paper as the first approach? If your clients are primarly local bring them to a breakfast where two or three experts teach them about widgets and SEO and SEM - let them do some hands on creating their own Ning or Wordpress blog. If they're not local host a Webinar. Let them get comfortable with online, and with the fact that it's okay not to know. And once they realize the others don't know they may open up their minds to it, and enjoy the learning curve. And, most importantly, say "yes, I'll advertise online."

I'd really like to talk with you further, perhaps offline? I think we'd have a lot to brainstorm about. If you'd like to reach out I'm at Sharon.Hill@suburban-news.org .

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Permalink Reply by Leah McChesney on May 15, 2008 at 7:45pm

YES! I just blogged about this yesterday...marketing for aliens, not advertising to you but www.mediameme.wordpress.com

It is that way with anything new, people do not like change!

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Permalink Reply by Leah McChesney on May 15, 2008 at 7:46pm

Ask people in any company how often they revisit a website? For what?

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Permalink Reply by Ken Swanson on May 21, 2008 at 6:47pm

Try the building industry. I'm at the entrance of the cave shining the flashlight in and saying " Hey all you contractors, you can come out now". Honestly, a lot of these guys are living in the dark ages while the home improvement industry is going off the hook. The corporate guys at the fast food building stores are laughing all the way to the bank. Wake up, builders!

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