Interesting take on the RFI/RFP process in which the tables are turned by Wexley School for Girls from Agency Spy.
Seattle
full-service agency Wexley School for Girls is turning the RFI and RFP
process on its head, or, in their words, “reversing the traditional RFI
and RFP process in which brands look for agencies to handle their
advertising via a complex and costly rigmarole of vetting, chemistry
checks and basically pitting agencies against one another to compete for
an account.” Today the agency has issued the first-ever Reverse Request
for Information or RRFI, calling on brands to become the agency’s next
client, tapping New York search consultancy Madam to help in the
process.
“We believe it’s as important for the agency to choose its next
clients as carefully and rigorously as a client chooses its next
agency,” reads the RRFI. “We are looking for a client that is
respectful, fun to be around and one that enjoys partnering with their
agency not dictating to them… We see ourselves as an asset not a vendor.
And we see clients as partners not clients,” the Wexley’s RRFI goes on.
Applicants are asked to define their brand and where they want to take
it in 2-3 years, what brands they admire, their marketing budget, their
true “risk tolerance” for creativity, their proudest moment, a
definition of their ideal relationship with an advertising agency, and
“Would you rather ride 1 horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?” —
you know, all the tough questions.
“Today’s more interactive and collaborative way of working
between agency and client makes it more critical than ever to get the
chemistry right,” explains Michael Lee,
founder of Madam. “The agency has to feel good about the relationship
beyond an annual fee. It has every right to only want to work
with clients it wants to work with. Wexley and Madam both believe there
is a better, more innovative, more creative approach to agency client
relationships, because the way both now work together demands it.”
Traditionally,
a finalist in a creative review has had to beat just a couple of other
shops to get the business. Recently, though, the odds of winning have
gotten much longer.
The finalists that emerged in reviews for CVS, the Legacy anti-tobacco campaign and TripAdvisor
faced four or five competitors. “That’s frustrating,” said a leader at
one of six shops that pitched TripAdvisor, adding, “It’s hard to stay
motivated.”
With as little as a 17 percent chance of winning, some may wonder why
agencies in those reviews even bothered with the long and expensive
pitch process. Then again, the market isn’t exactly awash with
opportunities right now, and those three brands collectively spend about
$200 million in media each year.
What’s making these shortlists so long? Agency leaders, search
consultants and a marketing chief point to three factors: market
conditions, the number of decision makers involved and when the brand
last searched for a new agency.
First and foremost, it’s a buyer’s market. For agencies under pressure
to grow, the prospects, again, are few. And if you’re a marketer, why
not seek more ideas, even if it means a longer process? After all, the
agencies foot the bill.
“The calculation is that the agency business is hurting, so they’ll get more participation,” explained Robert Birge, CMO at Kayak.com. “Clients often want to get a range of perspective,” added Ken Robinson of Ark Advisors in New York.
Of course, more ideas don’t necessarily yield better results,
particularly with finalists working off the same brief. Meanwhile, a key
goal of any review is to get a sense of what it’s like to work with an
agency, which, naturally, is harder with a longer roster of finalists.
“I would imagine, for a client, it becomes very difficult to
distinguish some of the agencies,” said Matt Weiss, CMO at Havas
Worldwide.
Then, there’s the factor of how many decision makers. Generally, more
“cooks” lead to more shops, as each marketing leader puts forth his or
her individual preferences.
At TripAdvisor, for example, CMO Barbara Messing and vp of brand
strategy Anne Bologna collectively have spent decades in advertising,
and Bologna is a former agency exec. The point is, they know a lot of
players, and in that context, a sextet of finalists doesn’t seem so
outrageous.
Finally, those marketers that haven’t done a search in a while may want
to meet with more shops to get a feel for the current environment.
Before hiring 72andSunny
in February, Legacy had worked with Arnold for 13 years. Four other
agencies pitched that business. Likewise, BBDO beat four other agencies
to land CVS last month.
TripAdvisor appears headed to Johannes Leonardo, though a company rep said the search was still ongoing.
Whether the trend of longer shortlists will continue is debatable. What
is clear is that as long as agencies outnumber marketers, marketers
will have the leverage to ask for more.
