Who is the custodian of your brand? Who determines its direction? Who has created the strongest ties for customer acquisition and engagement?

For many brand owners their advertising agency is as close to their brand as they are themselves. The relationship is predicated on the detailed understanding, knowledge and development that these creative providers will deliver. It requires a great deal of investment of time and an inordinate amount of trust to really make the relationship work, but then, bingo, it delivers. In terms of creativity and in terms of results.

The trust increases, the relationship becomes stronger and then?

You remember that your creative provider, close as it is to your brand, isn’t your brand. It’s an external agency. With its own business pressures and demands. Those demands can mean that your account doesn’t always work for them. It’s not personal. It’s just circumstance.

• The regional branch of the international network that has worked closely with a local car manufacturer for years, but has to resign the account as its parent company, continents away, has won the global business for  a competitor.
• The agency that has done so well on your account it’s attracted attention from a bigger player in your market. Paying more. The allure is too great.
• The network that acquires another provider, with a high-revenue client in your space. One of you is going to be disappointed as the conflict is resolved.
• The reverse – when the provider you’ve been working with is acquired by someone who doesn’t want to specialize in your sector, or already has a client in it.
• The agency losing its large client and so having to strip down its creative team, which had been working so well for you.

It doesn’t matter what the why is, the overwhelming feeling is of betrayal. The long time to get to that position of excellence and trust and now, it’s all just gone south. When you weren’t even contemplating a repitch, you have to start that process again. An activity you hadn’t budgeted for, in terms of expense or time.

So rather than sinking into despair over what might have been, get on with your efforts and take immediate action. Brief the Exchange now!