How to Choose a Media Agency in 2019...
To start a digital media agency in 2019 all you need is a credit card and a website. There are literally hundreds of digital media agencies across New Zealand that will buy Facebook and Google Ads on a client’s behalf,. And according to the Comms Council of NZ there are more than 50 media agencies in Auckland alone. Most of these are brands owned by the big four (Group M, Omnicom, Publicis and Dentsu), so although the names might be different the output overall is the same. So, when we started D3, the media agency owned and managed by Richard Thompson and me, we knew that we wanted to and continue to strive to be the best of the best. This has become a manta that is at the heart of every decision we make.
So, we decided to go back to basics, and strip back the essence of being a media agency to its core. And we started with the truth that we didn’t have to appeal to every client. In fact, we have purposefully created D3 to only appeal to a certain type of business. More on that later. We talked to a whole bunch of clients, media owners and combined that with our own knowledge and experience.
What became obvious was that clients’ want an agency that;
- Makes things easier, not harder
- Leads with strategy and thinking
- Can tie media strategy to business objectives
- Thinks like a partner, acts like part of the business
- Can be trusted, and behaves ethically
- Understand that technology is vital, but its people that change the game
To organise ourselves in a way that would meet the above objectives we would need;
- Brilliant people across client service and media specialisms
- Time to focus on strategy
- Deep understanding of client business
- Documented processes, and ways of working both internally and with clients
- Transparency and ethical business practices built into the DNA of the business
- Technology as an enabler but insights and recommendations from specialists.
And then, just six months ago, we got to work. With two foundation clients on board, so alongside tackling aggressive competition for one, and a complete re-branding for another we built a team, tested tech platforms, white boarded processes, honed strategies and developed ways of working with the aim of removing complexities and focused on improving performance. We made mistakes for sure, and we’re certainly not perfect (yet), but for the right client we believe that we have created a digital first media business that is unassailable in the New Zealand market. And proudly independent.
We also purposefully developed D3 for a very particular type of client; ambitious, digitally centric and open to change. We know that media in 2019 and beyond is more about a growth framework, built on data and audiences, and much less about campaigns and reach.
So, if you are looking for an agency to spend significant time and effort using data, strategy, research and thinking to develop a solution then we’d love to show you how…