Choosing a marketing and advertising agency: what are the most common mistakes in decision-making?

The reality is that this is based on an exaggeration in the market between 2016 and 2021 where the boom of online marketing made everything focus on one area of communication, one medium, and one part of marketing, which is digital marketing. The most important skill a marketing and communication provider has today is their multi competencies to listen, organize, coordinate, plan, and co-create cross-actions (on-off-experience) with diverse teams.

It is understandable that companies want to hire an advertising agency that specializes in the area where they need the most notable help. For example, if a company needs help with online advertising, they may look for a specialized agency in digital advertising. However, this can lead to a limited focus on the advertising campaign, a short-sighted marketing view, and a neglect of other important aspects of advertising and marketing, especially a company's strategy.

Comprehensive and broader advertising and marketing agencies have the ability to offer services in a variety of advertising areas, such as online advertising, print advertising, television advertising, cross-media planning, public relations, and digital marketing content, spacing, promotions, activations, product placement, trade marketing, sponsoring, live shopping, etc. This allows the company to have a more complete view of their advertising campaign and to create a more effective and real marketing and media strategy.

In addition, comprehensive and broader advertising agencies usually have a larger team of marketing and advertising professionals with more competencies for interaction and coordination, which allows them to offer services in different areas of specialization. This means that there is a higher level of collaboration and experience, which can result in a more successful advertising campaign.

Another benefit of hiring a comprehensive and broader advertising agency is that they can offer customized solutions for the specific needs of the company. Instead of focusing on a single area, they can create an advertising strategy that takes into account all aspects of the company, such as its brand, target audience, and budget.

Here are some other common mistakes when choosing a company to co-create marketing and communication that can have a negative impact on their marketing results. Below are some of the most common mistakes that companies make when choosing an advertising agency and how to avoid them.

• Not doing extensive research on the work process beforehand

One of the biggest mistakes companies make when choosing an advertising agency is not doing proper research on the work system beforehand. Before hiring an advertising agency, it is important to research their background, experience, and reputation. But fundamentally, how are their competencies for coordinating and co-creating. 

The best agency is the one that has teams capable of conversing, listening, and planning their client's actions. This may include reviewing their portfolio of previous work, reading reviews and testimonials from previous clients, and verifying their credentials.

Marketing and advertising are processes that take time, and companies often make the mistake of expecting immediate results. It's important to remember that the success of an advertising campaign cannot be measured in a short period of time. Companies should give enough time to the advertising agency to implement and execute the advertising campaign and measure its results.

• Not measuring results or only having digital "metrics"

Measuring results is fundamental for any advertising campaign. Companies should measure the results of the advertising campaign to determine its effectiveness and make necessary adjustments in the future. This includes measuring ROI, sales growth, brand recognition, but also being mindful of how happy your team is, how satisfied your customers are, what the weighted distribution of your product looks like, the product return rate, the percentage of repeat customers, how many customers come from the shopping experience, how many are referred by another customer; these are much more important indicators than Instagram likes.