Agency Newsletters

This topic and particularly this issue is open for debate at the moment. Let's see if we can map a strategy and assemble some acceptable alternatives fair to all. Your input please...

THE 4A's BURTCH DRAKE HAD QUESTIONS; SO DO WE.

AdAge ran a story July 22nd following O. Burtch Drake's appearance at the ANA Agency- Client Relations Forum. As President-CEO of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, it was reported that Burtch had lots of questions, but few answers. I was impressed however by some of his rather "pithy" comments; one in particular "Why did those damned journalists fail to point out that the same search consultant that had originally organized the ill-fated Wal-Mart review was allowed to preside over the re-run?"

In a similar fashion, we have a few pithy QUESTIONS for Burtch - (our thoughts are posted below)

1. What's the 4A's definition of a Agency Search Consultant?

3. Have you examined the business models of all your listed and presumably compliant Agency Search Consultants?

4. Why is it that every listed Agency Search Consultant (save one) is marked with an asterisk * as if "compliant" when that's not so? http://www.aaaagencysearch.com/info/selection.asp

5. Is there any compensation or "offset" for a member-agency that chooses to decline to "participate" because a review is not being run according to 4A rules?

1. It's time the 4A's clarify and amend their Rules of the Road to state that an Agency Search Consultant is an independent third-party hired and COMPENSATED by the CLIENT to conduct a search for the CLIENT. Any consultant business model that derives revenue (under any circumstance, not just at the same time) from both Clients and Agencies is ethically compromised and in violation of your 4A rules.

2. If Burtch has read them, maybe not quite carefully enough. Take a look at their "approved" list of Agency Search Consultants. Every listed Agency Search Consultant is compensated by the client, but more than one (count them yourself) assertively