It’s interesting to see the Prudential finally coming clean this week,
after stringing Mustoe Merriman Herring Levy along for so long (cf
FirstDirect and the former Chiat Day), insisting it wasn’t reviewing
when it was and, what’s more, accusing our good selves of being
economical with the truth. It really makes you wonder about client
relationships, though. Especially as the belated bout of honesty came in
the week of the most depressing conversation I’ve had with an agency in
a long time.
For once, we’ll spare the names because this really is about what it
reveals. I called the creative director of one of the larger agencies in
town, hoping to chat to someone about how an ad was made for a piece in
one of the nationals. Pretty uncontroversial stuff, you’d think - unless
it was British Airways or Guinness, which it wasn’t. No brain surgery or
state secrets involved (although state secrets are usually easier to
obtain), just a word or two about the location, the tricks, the actors,
etc.
Result at the other end? Panic. A turbo-powered intake of breath and a
call back from the concerned account director. I’d have to go through
him first, then fax the client’s global headquarters for permission to
speak. True, the client has had a little bad press this year, but who
doesn’t over the course of 12 months? However, it appeared that a quick
chat about how the agency made its ad was a sackable offence.
That it should come to this, that agencies can’t even be seen to be
associated with their product. How did client-agency relationships ever
get so bad? What dastardly deeds did agencies inflict upon their clients
in the 70s and 80s to merit such revenge today?
To someone like me, who has only known the industry in recession, it
appears that many of the seeds of mistrust were sown in the area of
production remuneration. This week’s feature on cost controllers (page
38) highlights the fundamental schism between the two sides. Raoul
Pinnell, NatWest’s director of marketing, while stressing that the use
of cost consultants was not adversarial, said: ‘We all recognise that
there is the possibility of an inherent conflict of interests due to the
way agencies seek remuneration as a percentage of media or production
spend. Cost consultants help to balance the potential conflict.’
However, in truth, not all agencies do recognise this potential conflict
- one which seems obvious to anyone coming fresh to the business. Many
agencies still believe in the commission system, be it media- or
production-related or both. While it continues, so will the lingering
suspicion that an element of rip-off persists.
Usually the ‘things ain’t what they used to be’ line drives me to
despair, but in the area of trust it appears an incontrovertible truth.
Improving that relationship must be the ad industry’s greatest priority
in 1996.
