Coffee

From the Desk of… Doug Mancini – Executive Vice President

What is an “Agency”?

Agencies change, merge, partner and enter each other’s space. A turf war continues to mount and the lines have become blurred.

Brands are challenged with many decisions on how to best attract their target audience(s). One of these decisions is simply what type of company to partner with.

What’s Yours is Mine

PR Firms, Ad Agencies, Marketing Companies, Branding Agencies, Technology Firms . . . the list goes on and on. Twenty years in and I continue to see our industry become more complex. What agency does what? Doesn’t my web development company do my SEO? Doesn’t my PR Firm do my content strategy?

I can only imagine how confusing this must be for a marketing director tasked with hiring and managing these agencies. Agencies are fighting for each other’s business more than ever. It has morphed into a land grab where everyone is battling for a bigger piece of the pie.

Get the Message Out

With the increased demand for quality content and the never-ending quest for the best way to deliver it, it is obvious why this is occurring. We live in a complex world full of a myriad of devices, social channels and traditional outlets – and now even virtual environments and augmented reality are gaining traction.

Way too often I witness money being spent for the wrong reasons. Investing in the wrong channels simply because it’s the newest form of communication or, on the other hand, not trying something new because you have “always done it this way.” Both can be big mistakes.

Let’s not forget, it is our duty as marketing professionals to connect people to brands and do it effectively. To create lasting impressions that truly mean something to end users. We must be innovative in our approach and honest with our customers. And now, it’s us, your agency, on the hot seat because there are ways to measure almost everything we do. I welcome this with open arms.

Does Your Agency Measure Up?

Marketing and technology professionals now have the tools available to determine what works, how well it works and when. We can gather data around the effectiveness of your marketing mix and make fact based decisions, in turn, allowing our customers to get the most out of their marketing spend and hold us accountable.

At Liquid, we are committed to establishing intimate relationships with our customers in order to truly understand their goals, protect their investments, have their backs and provide quality results.

Whether we’re connecting dealers to manufacturers or going direct to consumer, we find the approach that works best and we execute to the fullest extent. Goals must be set and success metrics established. Never is it acceptable in this day and age to “set it and forget it”. Changes and campaign optimization are an ongoing and endless task regardless of the selected mediums.

Let the Results Speak for Themselves

Spending (wasting) our customer marketing dollars simply to create “activity” is something we do not do. Activity is good . . . but only if it gets results.

So, please, do yourself a favor the next time you trust an “agency” with your budget. Look beyond the label they apply to themselves and rise above the confusing new buzz words.

Call these companies whatever you want. Demand results. Make them prove it.