Agency - Your Partner or Whipping post

When I think of any relationship, I always believe that it is meant to last. Otherwise it should not have begun. While the initial phase of any relationship is certainly a testing time (as for human being involved, equally so for partnerships) but you need to have realistic benchmark to judge efficacy of a relation.

My views are in specific context of client agency relationship which can be a beautiful partnership, or can be a failed relationship. A lot depends on deliverables from both the partner in any relationship.

As a client one is expected to deliver very critical component of the deal - and no it is NOT BUDGETS. Need for the communication and objectives to be achieved from the communication according to me are the most important deliverables from the client.

Agency has to gear up to deliver this to the client, which becomes a second important step towards a succesful partnership. Invariably problems start at this stage.

As a media practitioner I often wonder about my deliverables to the client. Being in a service Industry, beyond the concrete deliverables, I think the key differentiator is deliverables on time.

As a service provider it is very important to respect deadlines,and commit to the job taken in hand. Afterall a lot depends on your commitment to a client. Client makes his assesments/deadline setting post you committing to him.

This however starts a new debate in my mind.

What if the agency is expected to deliver quality service, at impossible pricing, and at break neck speed.

And if that becomes your benchmarking tool against a not so worthy competitor.

This however is the way few clients perceive at agency business. And I dont blame clients for that. Onus is on us agency guys to understand what we stand for. We certainly are not factories delivering a batch of media deliverables at 24 x 7 x 365 pace.

If I step back and look at my deliverables as an OOH Media professional, it is impactful, meaningful and competitive media deliverables. I think the deliverables are strictly in that order. Any change in priority of deliverables is not an agency working, it is a production unit with low cost inputs to deliver a sub standard product.

While I subscribe to the views that budgets may vary from campaign to campaign, but the basic premise should remain the same. Because being competitive does not neseccarily mean being "Cheap" or "Lesser Priced".

Today I lost one of my very close friend. Abhijit vakil in many ways was a special friend. Talented, multifaceted, and very solution oriented person. Struggler throughout his life, he has been a friend I would miss throughout my life. I am a bit sad today, coz I remember small moments I shared with him. I am particularly hurt about the way life behaved with him, and future of his wife, son and daughter. 34 years is no age to die. I am also at loss as to why a battery of doctors have not been able to help him on cancer. Doctors literally played with his money and his hopes. After spending so much of time and money in hospitals like breach candy, all he got was a early death. Post this incident I have realised how life can be cruel at times and can snatch away your friends from you.

Critics

Iam eager to explore opinions, opinions about me, my work, my approach to... Work, life, friendship. I often wonder that how does one improve upon self. Friends, colleagues do give you opinion. Is there someone who is reading this blog and bother to key in some real bad things, with a dash of some goodness which I demonstrated during working/ interacting with them$ feedbacks awaited.

Is there something wrong with your workplace......

How often do we leave our office space with lots of thoughts, and complains about the way things are moving. Complains about how client(s) are creating problem(s), complains about how the whole process is fucked up. Lack of infrastructure, Lack of discipline, Lack of sincerity, Lack of quality manpower etc etc...

I dont think there is an end to this, but yes there is a supposedly (we will come back to this later..) solution to this. Just change the job. Bosses are not listening, colleagues dont pay a damn, pay scale is not right, will get a 30 % jump if I shift, these and many similar reasons work towards you taking the plunge.

Things are pretty well for a period of 2-3 years, and then .. bingo you get the same familiar feeling. Isnt that jobs becoming too predictable.

Not really.

I guess answer lies somewhere else. How often have I tried to change the way things are moving. How often do I believe that if things have to change, I have to drive it.

In my experience of over 10 year, I have worked across 4 organisations, and have found faults at every place. But have I tried to change them, or have I changed the place of work itself. I think I too choose the easy way out.

Going back to the supposedly phrase.... we think this is a better choice and hence go for it. But I think in this hurry to choose, we miss out on a major opportunity. Opportunity to change the things, and hence craft a organisation as per your and like minded colleagues.

Collective leadership is perhaps about finding such opportunities, finding such a team who think like you, and wre willing to work towards a common goal, and hence are partners in progress. Results when you find such a team are always bound to be favourable. Afterall you have not gone for an easy option, but dared to change things.