Here's why every CMO needs a specialist services ad agency

A recent masterclass from Cesar Vacchiano, CEO and co-founder of Scopen, on Agency Scope’s global trends, highlighted the need to find a solution to chief marketing officers juggling 12 or more agency partners — which seems to be the norm in SA.  

These are too many partners, people and tasks inside each partnership to manage, control, measure, track and finance.

The solution touted is to have a lead agency to establish which agencies are responsible for which space and to keep them in their own lanes. The potential for discord and disaster seems immense.

A simpler solution is to have specialist agencies under one roof, a trend which is on the rise in the industry. It's a new take on the integrated, full-service agency, but rather than integrated, the specialist services act as unique service lines under one agency umbrella.

This approach of aligning primary specialist services supported by outside specialists under one banner, is a less complex way of assisting the CMO with the majority, if not all, the advertising services required.

One captain with a strong hand at the helm steering one ship with all hands on deck seems more plausible than one captain trying to direct and steer a number of ships — each belonging to a different fleet with a multitude of hands. 

Here are the values of having a single, specialist services advertising agency to a CMO: 

1. A specialist services advertising agency provides expertise in all aspects of advertising.

This includes strategy, creative, media planning and buying, research and analytics, production, social and digital, implementation and tracking.

Having all these services under one agency allows for a co-ordinated and cohesive approach to campaigns — which is essential for success. This agency can work with the CMO to develop a comprehensive advertising strategy that aligns with the organisation’s business goals and ensure seamless and co-ordinated delivery of that strategy.

2. A specialist services advertising agency can save time, money and resources.

Advertising campaigns require a significant investment of time and money, especially when managing multiple campaigns across various media channels. A specialist services agency can manage all aspects of the campaign — from concept to execution — freeing up the CMO's time to focus on other critical marketing activities.

The agency's expertise and experience can often lead to cost savings through more effective media buying, production processes and digital dissemination.

3. A specialist services advertising agency provides access to the latest industry trends and technology.

Advertising is a constantly evolving field, with new channels and technologies emerging regularly.

Keeping up with these trends can be challenging when trying to co-ordinate this across different agencies to understand the impact, value and implications.

A specialist services agency is dedicated to staying up to date with the latest developments and to understand and implement them across the value chain. This means the CMO can benefit from the agency's expertise and access to the latest tools and technologies to ensure their advertising campaigns are as effective as possible.

4. A specialist services advertising agency provides valuable insights through data analytics.

In today's digital age, data analytics are critical to measuring the success of advertising campaigns. A specialist services advertising agency can provide detailed analysis and reporting on the performance of advertising campaigns, including metrics such as engagement, click-through rates and conversion rates because the data is held under the umbrella of the single agency. This data can be used to optimise campaigns and improve their effectiveness.

5. A specialist services advertising agency provides a fresh perspective when looking at the full picture, instead of only a small part of it.

Siloed teams can become entrenched in their thinking and may miss opportunities for innovation and creativity because they are not integrated into the end­-to-end process. A specialist services agency can deliver on ideas, delivery and tracking that can help differentiate the brand and increase its appeal to customers.

With expertise in all aspects of advertising, access to the latest trends and technology, and valuable insights through data analytics, a specialist services agency can help optimise advertising campaigns, save time, money and resources and drive revenue growth.

For all your advertising needs, email: paul@ebonyivory.co.za.

About the author: Paul Middleton is MD of Ebony + Ivory. 

This article was sponsored by Ebony + Ivory, the proud sponsor of the MOST Awards 2023.