Which advertising agency to choose for my business

Using an advertising agency

It stands to reason that those who are designing ads every day of the week should be able to come up with better ideas and layouts than raw small firms. Advertising can run away with your money, often to little effect. To understand the nature of the industry, thumb through Advertiser's Annual or Campaign, the trade gossip magazine. Accredited agencies earn commission on their 'billings', the space they buy, which varies depending on the medium used. It averages 10 to 15 per cent. Local papers pay less than nationals. The commission should part offset the cost of using an agency, but nevertheless, don't be upset at the costs of employing the professionals.

How to choose the right advertising agency

Steer away from the big boys. They'll have no interest in small budgets. Find a small partnership, perhaps freshly set up, that is as hungry as you are: not too new or you may know more than they do. Ask for samples of their past work. Look at their roughs and try to get them to explain why they chose that particular theme. You want to tap into their creative abilities. The advertising jargon and printing terminology can be learnt, given time - it's creative talent that you need and should be willing to pay for. A good agency will be able to advise you on:

1. An objective campaign balancing your various products and resources.

2. Market research: if not within their own partnership, where to find it.

3. Producing the material, booking the space in the most cost-effective manner and evaluating the results.

Some agencies will also do PR work and exhibitions here and abroad. An agency should know a string of reliable printers for brochures and your packaging needs, and also arrange professional photography.

Go to see three or four agencies. Take along your product, if you can, with samples of any literature or ads you may have run. Let them do most of the talking. Gauge from their questions how interested they are in you. You're looking for empathy and an understanding of your product and market. A technical product does really demand some knowledge of the habits of engineering specifiers. While it is asking a lot for ad-men to have a complete grasp of the technicalities of your product, there must be some meeting of minds.

Increasingly agencies are specialising. The glamour end has always been fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), with industrial accounts looked down on. Be very wary of agencies that have not handled direct mail if that is your direction. That really is one field for the experts. Give them time to think and ask them to produce some roughs on ads they would run. Don't expect finished designs unless you're prepared to pay well for the service. At this stage you are simply looking at how well they have grasped your company and what ideas they can come up with.

And then talk about budgets. In my experience very few small firms can afford to use agencies. For those with limited budgets it can still be useful to use them just to buy space. They can frequently get a better deal. With the rapid growth in online advertising it may pay to go to one of the newer specialist online agencies.

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