Historically, clients have struggled to create the appearance that they knew precisely what they wanted and in what form. To do so, they cannibalized and adopted the fairly common RFP (Request for Proposal), used for years by purchasing agents when seeking bids on commodity items. RFP's were sent to long and large lists of ill-assembled "agencies" - often pulled from name-only listings in telephone Yellow Pages, or from mentions by business colleagues and media reps.
Such RFP invitations meant tremendous labor for the client, and resulted in relatively low rates of response, coupled with a mixture of some qualified but many unqualified respondents creating a significant burden for the client. Dissimilar agency materials had to be sifted through for common information, and that information was then posted to a client-created spreadsheet. The challenge was to find qualified candidates and some basis (apples-and-apples) for comparison and subsequent evaluation. Finally, in evaluating "creative" candidates (i.e. - marketing partners, vendors, etc.) it is virtually impossible to bid or place monetary value on something that is of such esoteric value and subject to a myriad of interpretations. With few exceptions, the creative services of an advertising agency can not currently be evaluated on a "price comparison" basis.
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With the availability of the Internet and specific services designed precisely for this task, there is no excuse for ever using an RFP again to find an advertising agency. Alternatively, what is known as the RFI (Request for Information) makes sense, for your search for an advertising agency (ad agency) should be based on your evaluation of information - an apples-and-apples examination of attributes; then of work product, then of relationships (chemistry) and then of specific suitability. With a list of carefully defined advertising agency candidates in hand, it now makes sense to extend an invitation to those candidates, requesting just that information not already known to the searcher.
It may seem that defining the candidates' list is the biggest challenge. Many clients are surprised to discover that what they thought might be a sought after invitation is summarily dismissed by many who receive it. The preparation and execution of "invitations" is of itself a critical component, and often best left to third-parties that have established agency contacts and have identified the most senior agency executives responsible for new business development.
If and as the invitations are accepted and responded to, the client is advised to hold telephone interviews as a first step. Successful
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UK & Europe 
Other
