At the ProcureCon Marketing EU Conference held June 15 in London, Havas presented its “Special Report on Significant Brands: The Customer-Agency Relationship Barometer”, a research report, first of this type, which examines how agencies can become more meaningful long-term partners amid ongoing disruptions brought on by the global pandemic, supply chain issues, and changes in technology and data.
“The Client-Agency Relationship Barometer Report” is a special report within the Havas Group Significant Brands study, a major survey conducted twice a year since 2009 on brand equity. Conducted in partnership with YouGov and Perscient, the survey is the first of its magnitude, comprised of in-depth interviews and an extensive quantitative study among more than 100 purchasing decision makers in the US and UK. The survey assesses your current organizational priorities and how agencies are responding to these newexpectations.
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Havas research suggests that purchasing professionals increasingly view their roles as focused on the future beyond the immediate imperative of driving business and sales performance, with one in four respondents seeing transformation as their top priority. Agencies have room for improvement in helping their clients drive transformation. Among respondents, 46% indicated that their agencies were only offering traditional solutions to their problems and one in five of them believe their agencies present “new and bright” innovation rather than what is integral to their business needs.
“A dynamic new agenda is emerging across all businesses as organizations adapt to changing consumer behavior, and the client-agency exchange of values has never received so much attention,” said Tracey Barber, director of communications for Havas Creative Group. “The findings of our ‘Client-Agency Relationship Barometer’ report are a wake-up call for agencies: it’s time to develop strategies that close the customer expectation gap and establish meaningful relationships that can overcome inevitable challenges and tests in the future.”
Agencies are under newfound scrutiny in the midst of a systematic disruption, with 50% of purchasing leaders seeing a disconnect between their needs and what agencies are providing. Based on this groundbreaking study, Havas developed seven guiding pillars for agencies to accelerate the development of more meaningful and lasting relationships, including:
- Everything must be driven by its relevance to the business, so develop a way to understand the impact of your actions.
- Create forums for new experts and talent to participate (ESG/Sustainability/Purpose).
- Connect everything to deliver tangible value and real return on investment. If your customers feel they are getting excellent value, they probably are.
“In our increasingly complex world, a successful client-agency relationship must take the form of a valued partnership. Agencies must become trusted advisors, helping their clients navigate uncertainty and create meaningful connections with consumers,” said Erin Flaxman, director of global growth at Havas Media Group. “These pillars are a guide to understanding the key issues that customers face and strengthen the foresight skills and expertise that today’s procurement professionals are looking for.”
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