Building Priceless Relationships in a Time of Turbulence

 

Independent Agency Selection

Johannesburg, South Africa

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Johanna McDowell

Founder and CEO — IAS Agency Selection

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“Intermediaries should be the providers of valuable business insights and guidance, even while some may think ‘marital-guidance type mediators’ or ‘comparison shopping merchants’ when they hear the term.” 

This is the word from Johanna McDowell, CEO of the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) and SCOPEN partner, who notes that in the advertising and marketing eco-system, intermediaries play a role that can actually be seen and valued in the work that their marketing clients produce.

“When we seek out a perfect-fit relationship between a marketer and an agency the results are visible from the first campaign. Intermediaries in our business have to get to know the intricacies of our client’s operations, as well as those who could best serve them,” McDowell says.

Even though the pandemic saw an understandable drop off in pitches, the IAS has noted a huge increase since April. “It makes perfect sense that marketers did not want to change agencies amid the Covid turbulence,” McDowell says. “However, even in the absence of pitches, our relationships with clients shifted fairly sturdily into other key operational areas.”

Opinion plus research speaks volumes

Citing webinars hosted or attended by the IAS and an ongoing focus on client communications throughout lockdown as the agent of this change, McDowell says: “Our role has broadened into areas like onboarding during agency handovers and contractual and financial due diligence.

“In all, clients have placed greater reliance on our knowledge of the industry and our engagement with industry personnel, from CMOs to creative teams.”

When called on to play an advisory role, the IAS is also asked to offer opinion alongside facts. “Opinion is valuable to clients, especially as they know that through the shareholder relationship the IAS has with SCOPEN and AGENCY SCOPE our opinions are underpinned by verifiable data,” she says.

“As intermediaries, the value we provide lies in the robustness of our research and opinion gleaned from engagement throughout the industry. For us to make an impact on decision making that proves valuable to all stakeholders, we must be able to present a holistic view and not just a snapshot.”