A Comparison of Advertising Agency Selection Factors: Advertiser and Agency Perceptions

The advertising agency selection process can be risky and expensive. Little published information exists to benefit agencies concerning factors that prospective clients might find important, and though some works exist to assist the advertiser in selecting an agency, the situation is only a little better. Thus, a climate of misunderstanding often exists. A study was conducted to determine factors that advertisers use in assessing agencies. These were then compared to those factors that the agencies perceived to be important. Advertisers and agency respondents agreed on a majority of the 25 attributes in agency selection. Quality of people assigned to the account was of top importance for both agencies and advertisers. Agency people ranked involvement at all levels of the relationship more important than did advertisers, and advertisers ranked agency creativity higher than agencies did.