About two weeks ago I made the leap from the universe of online marketing, content syndication, and lead generation to the interactive space, which in time, I’m sure will prove to have been the right move. It’s actually very similar to my first home purchase a few months ago and the feelings I had immediately after settling in to a new house - some questions about whether you’ve made the right decision, tons of time spent perusing the area to understand exactly where you now live, and a perpetual struggle to refer to it all as “home”.

With any new job comes an essential first step – getting acclimated to the market landscape, the culture and character of the new company, along with the necessary processes and workflow requirements. What’s been great about it all is that I’ve actually had some time to read! I can’t remember the last time I didn’t feel the pressures of constant projects, deadlines, meetings, e-mails, and contracts. Believe me – before you roll your eyes at this article as if I can somehow see you – I know that everything above is on its way to my plate; however, I can’t help but enjoy the time that I have now. So much so, that I’ve run across some great articles in the 8+ days I’ve been here, including a good read from AdvertisingAge by Mat Zucker titled, “Setting the Bar for Digital Creative: A Guide for Marketers.” Before reading further, take a quick look at the article and the eight questions every marketer should be talking with their agency about.

Zucker, has chosen to step out of his agency shoes for a brief moment and into those of the online marketer, who is responsible for getting the most out of their work with advertising and digital agencies. He offers eight discussion points that marketers should be having with their agency. Some of these appear to be common sense, but I think that’s part of his goal – to create the “new common sense” for the marketer in the marketer/agency interaction. And if we’re referring to this as a good bare minimum for marketers to adhere to, I think we can make certain assumptions about what the agency version of such a list would look like. So, two weeks onto the job, I offer my first Spunlogic blog post - what I feel is a good agency interpretation of each of the eight principles. Essentially, my take on what I aspire to bring to the table in my interaction with the marketers I will be working with. So let’s dive right in…

1.) Marketer – “Ask the agency what the idea is”
Agency – Don’t assume that the marketer knows what the idea is
Certain “feelers” should go out to get a gauge for what the client’s perception of the big picture is.

2.) Marketer – “Tell us how you need to see ideas”
Agency – Ask how the ideas need to be presented
Standard methods for communicating concepts to the stakeholders should be in place; however, it is important to evaluate whether more detailed illustrations are needed. Not educating your marketer on how ideas can be presented could prove to stunt the growth of your partnership and revenue opportunities.

3.) Marketer – “Be clear about your priorities”
Agency – Make sure you have an understanding of the priorities
Remain curious and channel that curiosity into penetrating questions that clarify what is most important to your marketing contact in addition to the pecking order of these priorities.

4.) Marketer – “Help us get inside the material”
Agency – Dig deep inside the material
Prove that you really do want to understand more about your customer’s products/services, target market, and brand guidelines. Marketers, in return, should be more willing to help you get “inside the material.”

5.) Marketer – “Believe in brand expression”
Agency – Develop an infrastructure for user testing and behavioral research
Let me bridge the gap between what seem to be somewhat disparate concepts. Brand expression, or as Zucker defines it, “how a brand behaves,” must tie in with brand integrity – giving your customers the experiences they expected. And how do we know what the customer expects? Bingo – user experience testing and behavioral research.

6.) Marketer - “Don’t assume advertising equals brand”
Agency – Customers need serious hand-holding through any brand evolution
If what Zucker says is true – that “it’s the advertising agency whose legacy includes brand planning,” but that advertising doesn’t equal brand – then marketers will be leaning more heavily on digital agencies to drive the brand(s). Any decision by the marketer to step into uncharted water should spark the agency to respond with significant guidance.

7.) Marketer – “Fund production”
Agency – Make it easier for marketers to go to bat for you
If the average digital budget is significantly less than the average TV budget then it will take some evangelism amongst the marketing community to influence future digital spend. And in order for this to happen the digital agency must make it easy for marketers to go to bat for us. With TV having led the way for over 40 years now it is much easier for marketers to go with a method that is “tried and true.” It’s up to us to share why digital is more proven – through clear metrics and a consistent story.

8.) Marketer – “Beef up internal infrastructure”
Agency – Remind your client of the capabilities you have
As organizations are challenged to beef up their marketing and legal departments in order to keep up with new responsibilities spawned by the rise of the interactive age, it is important that agencies stay close to their customers in order to identify areas where resources may be stretched. Then, just remind them of what you can do to help.

When it’s the business of the agency that’s ultimately at stake we can’t afford to fall back on the assumption that our clients will be behaving the way they “should be.” WE must be responsible for making the most of every interaction by meeting the marketer where they are in order to satisfy the customer and grow the relationship.

So, at least for me this will serve as a good “common sense” guide and essentially a “bare minimum” of where my conversations with marketers should be going. I’m excited about the opportunity that is in front of me – to work for what seems to be a fun, energetic, growing company - and I look forward to putting these principles into practice!