Agencies and clients are peas in a pod. Right? Uh, not always.
Jennifer Modarelli, president of White Horse in Portland, writing on Ad Age says the request for proposal process is messed up.
Even though RFPs precede an actual business relationship, they contain an implied transaction: We’ll invest heavily in time, brainpower and, yes, emotion to demonstrate how we can move your business forward. Your end of the bargain is to acknowledge that contribution at each step of the process.
In related news, Belgian ad agencies are on “virtual strike” this week to protest the high number of shops invited to pitch by overly eager clients. The agencies have taken their sites down this week and replaced them with an interlinked story about their sad plight. It begins like this:
For more on the strike, see Some Minor Issues by Belgian marketing professional, Steven Verbruggen.