Are you in Love with your Client?

The relationship between an advertising agency, and a client cannot be generalized  categorized and summarized in simple words.

The win of an account, as I have learnt, doesn't depend always on the creative strategy and innovation in thoughts, but on various other factors.

Chemistry, being one of the most important one.

In my opinion, a relationship between the two is no different from any regular relationship we would have, and identifying the key to making things work can be as simple as comparing them to what kind of relationship one has.

The most important thing in a fruitful relationship is trust.

In this scenario it is difficult to categorize something that takes years to build, because many a times we begin a relationship in the first interaction itself.

That’s why I feel that this relationship can be compared more universal - LOVE

Falling in love with your client can be a beautiful process. It can be instant, or can take its own sweet time. It can be conditional, and sometimes unconditional. It can be paternal, maternal and brotherly. It can be a fling, a one night stand, or a commitment for a life.

Like any relationship, its needs time, patience, understanding, and it also needs sympathy and empathy to overcome the ups and downs that life’s situations may bring.

In my professional career, I have built relationships with various kinds of clients, and it’s difficult to categorize them all together, because some are complicated, but there are a few categories I have managed to slot.

Here goes:

Infatuation

Infatuation is a feeling that’s based on fantasy, and not on experience.

It’s the feeling a when you are given a foot in the door of a client who was beyond your reach till today.

Until now, you have read about the great client in the news and admired their brands. Suddenly you are shaking hands with the guys behind the magic and exchanging visiting cards. You are mesmerised by their credentials, amazed at their strategy and the brief completely floors you.

The agency visualises that someday they will sign a big contract and this is their claim to fame.

This is a beautiful moment but many a times, when they really get to know each other, the feelings diminish, because either the client has called you for an extremely small brief or your expectations have been too high. Your hopes of bagging the big brands fade away over time. Financially it doesn't make sense and it’s nothing more than a talking point among your peers or a logo in your credentials. Alas!

Puppy Love

This is that same childish feeling, only difference is that it is between adults.

Mostly experiences in an agency’s start up days.

In this stage, the agency spends a lot of time on the projects. They admire the small briefs, and believe something great is going to come out of this. They almost become partners in the venture and share the tiny successes and moan the failures, against the big bad world.

Most people believe that things won’t work out between these two, and more understanding and stability is required. Eventually a rocky patch blows the ground off their feet and things don’t turn out the way one would want it. But since involvement is at its max in this stages of an agency, the attachment to the ideas is more.

One feels that this is the peak of their creative thinking.

If only the agency knew that the future has much better to offer after the heartbreak. Like life, after a teenage crush.

Unrequited Love

Ouch! This one is about the ballads and sad songs.

Unrequited love is a love filled with heartbreaks and one that almost all of us have experienced sometime in our life. It’s the dreaded one sided love. The agency had dream of working with the client. Tried hard. Pitched harder. Put in the late nights. But things didn’t work out. They never would. Something was unbalanced. It just wasn’t mean to be. 

It would be wrong and useless to be spiteful. The best thing is to move on, because you never know...life will always give you another chance, and no effort goes waste.

Platonic Love

This is Vanilla flavored love. No chocolate chips. No fruity bites.

No deep feelings but, there is respect and understanding.

Platonic love is the simplest of all types. There are no strings attached. It’s pure and friendly. The kind of relationship you have with close childhood friends.

Its starts of with the initial excitement and fun.

Over time this gets stagnant but yet both sides are committed.

The agency is to the point. The client is upfront. No great out of the box thinking. A retainer is signed and it’s been going on and on. No tiffs and if there are any, they are sorted on email and agreed mutually.

It’s good for both, because both benefit in some way or the else.

The agency is proud that they have a client for so long (shows trust) and the client is happy that they don’t need to spend time scouting for someone who they will need to explain their business all over again.

Why fix it if it’s not broken?

Maternal Love

This term usually connotes love that is fostering, tolerant and caring. The agency has a past here. The agency understands the client’s roots. They know their strong and weak points, sometimes better than the client knows itself. This could be because of the attrition at the client end, and the agency being the only constant.

The agency cares and nurtures the brands, to get the best out of it. They sit and spend time with middle management before they present to the top bosses in the final presentation.

These relationships are precious. Having a client who believes in you to that level is an important guiding light in an agencies lifetime, and leaves a lasting impact on the learning curve.

Trying and meeting expectations is a constant endeavor.

Agencies love working with such clients because sometimes they are judged by passion and experience not only outcome.

Paternal Love

Much like maternal love, but this one comes with a twist - A good chance of being misunderstood.

Love that involves control and some power. Paternal love is the one a parent gives when they are preparing a child to be ready for the outside world. They will put in the long hours and in the end won’t give up easily. The agency stays in the power seat in their domain and won’t take no from the client, for an answer.

If you are a client, and if you have ever encountered such an agency in your life, I can just hope you haven’t misunderstood your agency. Somewhere they still brood over what they must have said to you to hurt you.

Pick up the phone and call them right away with a big Hi!! And I guarantee you will get a bigger Hiii! back!

Romantic Love

Finally!

Butterflies, bliss and love songs, is all you need to think of when you experience romantic love. It’s beautiful, and just what Cupid ordered. It’s got passion, attraction, caring and respect.

You feel the tickle in your tummy, the world looks so much more beautiful and you can’t hold that grin back, no matter what happens. The agency loves going to the client’s office, and the clients are invited to the agency’s parties.

Agency happy. Client happy.

The world’s is a happier place.

Everyone’s having the time of their life!

Agency wins awards.

Client wins promotions.

The world is in envy.

Some gossip that this will never work out, and is going to break soon.

But who cares?

This one relationship... is for keeps! Wedding bells someone?

Companion Love

Best Friends feel this kind of love.

It’s about those times when you feel you can go for a drink with your client, without the awkwardness after you are a few drinks down and slur that follows.

There is warmth, understanding and a bond that goes deeper than just work.

Personally this is my personal favorite.

It’s unconditional, to a level. It’s the one client, you feel obliged to give good work to, and the client reciprocates by clearing the payments as soon as possible.

It’s fair, just and long lasting.

The kind that if things go wrong, you are ready to talk it out and move ahead, together.

  

Soul-mate Love

Many a times you walk into the office for a regular credential presentation.

Something clicks and the next minute you have a project on hand.

The timing is so perfect that it’s almost God sent. It happens. Right place. Right time.

It goes beyond math, physics, chemistry and biology.

In the second meeting your strategy and creative clicks and you have a client to bank on. If you look back and think, this may have something to do with good karma! Trust me, its happened more than once to me.

Unconditional Love

There are three F’s why a agency works with a client.

1.    Fame. 2. Fun. 3. Finance.

Most of the time its only one of F’s that are a reason to sign on the dotted line.

If the work is fun, then you might not get fame and finances.

If it’s for fame, chances are you've hardly been paid, and it’s not really been fun.

If it’s for finance, there are chances, you are neither having fun, or anyone is going to care what you did.

When it’s for neither of the above it’s just because you want to.

It’s not great fun, it’s not going to make you famous. It’s not going to give you great monies.

It’s just because you want to. You feel good about doing it.

When an agency does a project for free. Maybe for an NGO, or a charitable cause, or a friend in need.

Just to see a smile.

Not to win an award for Social Service campaign.

A client sometimes reciprocates by referring your name to another client.

Not because he has a motive, or it was a prior condition, but just because he likes you, and wants to see you grow. God bless them!

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So as you see its many categories, and types. Many a times its not just one and can be a combination of more than one type.

The Big Question is, “Do you love your client?” and if yes, “What kind of love is it?”

If you are on the other side of the table, maybe you asked yourself,

“Does my agency love me?”

If the agency in question is Synapse, just call me to help me clear your doubts (if any)

I’d like to take you for a dinner.

It’s on me!