Preparing For Your Marketing Project

Fail to Plan...plan to fail.

“Project Preparation” is often considered the most important factor for a successful project. Ask any software developer and his/her accompanying project manager and they’ll tell you that creating software and applications is 70% planning & specifications and 30% execution. While this example may not be directly comparable with marketing related projects, the principal of preparation and planning still applies. Many common pitfalls can be avoided if the client has a clear understanding of the following elements:

1. An intimate understanding of the project and its direction.
2. What exactly are the deliverables for the project?
3. For what specific services is the client hiring an agency?

And some less tangible aspects such as:


4. Who will provide the creative direction?
5. How many, and who are the decision makers for the project?
6. Is the timeline realistic or wishful thinking?

Every project being unique, each client may have its own style of putting their thoughts down on paper. Though agencies prefer to have a detailed project overview/definition, project brief, or even an RFP sent along with a project, this is not always the case. The project must have a detailed document attached to it to ensure that both parties understand what is to be done. Regardless of whether the project involves application development, creative design, marketing, online marketing or publicity tasks, each encompass a variable set of goals.

1. An intimate understanding of the project and its direction.

There are many benefits from hiring an agency. Agencies can provide brainstorming, creative direction, information architecture, planning, project management and other specific project oriented tasks. In order to get the most from an agency though, it is important that the client is very intimate with the project, what the project consists of and its overall goals.

In too many instances, clients lose focus and responsiveness during a project, sometimes disappearing for weeks or months at a time. Clients must remember that a project involves a creative process where creative direction and momentum of thought come together to refine and unite the various goals of the initiative. Not understanding this evolution, breaking the timeline, or disturbing the ‘momentum of creative thought’ can damage the project. The client is required to be available throughout the project and provide feedback and direction when needed. It is also important for the client to know when to let the agency lead the way.

2. What exactly are the deliverables for the project?

The more information about the project that is put down on paper the better. This may seem like an over-obvious point, but it is very important for a client to understand what they are really trying to do, and what the project really consists of and what is not involved.

Most clients come to agencies with ideas in mind but not on paper. The more information that is articulated in writing, the better. This preferably comes in the form of a creative brief or project overview. The bottom line is that the agency needs some information, not, "I'll know it when I see it." or, "I have it all in my head".

Agencies embrace clients that have a thorough understanding regarding the deliverables for the project. Agencies understand that very few clients will be experts in the field of marketing or technology, but this does not eliminate the need for a detailed explanation. Having a project overview in hand when approaching an agency will save a lot of time and effort.

3. For what specific services is the client hiring an agency?

Most agencies can provide different services that cater to a client’s needs. Creative professionals like to know, at the very least, that the prospective client has a good understanding of how an agency should be utilized. So how should agencies integrate into a client’s marketing initiative?

Creative agencies are there to design, provide ideas, direction and be able execute the client’s goals based on the agency’s experience and industry savvy. Agencies can assist clients in a variety of ways: providing creative direction, consulting, graphic design, motion design, production, online marketing, copywriting and more. Yet, companies must think carefully about the services that they really need and whether their budget supports the services they are requesting.

A simple analogy for this would be that if a person were looking to design a custom home, they would hire a designer (architect). When the style, feel and design of the house are completed, the homeowner then hires a builder (producer) to build the home. There are other pieces involved i.e. electrical, plumbing, cabinets, custom kitchen, flooring specialist. In many cases an agency can perform the various functions needed to complete a project, yet the question remains, is the company looking to only ‘design’ your home, or ‘produce’ it…or more? So, the client must understand exactly what they are hiring the agency for first and foremost.

4. Who will provide the creative direction?

Please listen very carefully to this one. The agency should be the creative force behind the project unless the company that is hiring the agency is unique in this regard. The creative service provider should be hired based on their experience, vision, portfolio, reputation and philosophy.

It is important for the client to recognize the role in which the agency will be playing. It may be the case that the client has a good idea in place that needs to be executed - and then utilizes the creative (direction) talents that the agency brings to the table. On the other hand, maybe agency is expected to produce exactly what the client is requesting with no creative input. This is production, not creative direction. It's not a bad thing, but addressing elements like this from the start can really help the overall proces. The situation agencies are looking to avoid is where a client hires an agency for its creative expertise and then inadvertently forces the agency into a production role.

This is one of the more difficult points to get across to clients as everyone who enters into a creative project is mysteriously drawn in trying to become their own creative genius. Some people are able to assume this role while many are not. Listen to your agency; they are there to guide you through your project!

5. How many, and who are the decision makers that will be involved in the project?

Establishing all participants and their roles in the effort is a great way to begin the introduction process. Building the idea of a “project team” will smooth the communication process and establish a camaraderie which prevents discrepancies or petty politics. It is very important for both parties to understand who will be the decision makers for the company that is hiring the agency. There are few things that are more detrimental to a project than having too many decision makers on the part of the client. As mentioned before there is a ‘momentum of creative thought’ that takes place in the project. Introducing a new decision maker mid-way through the project that has had no involvement in its evolution is, in many cases, a costly and frustrating occurrence for both sides.

6. Is the timeline realistic or wishful thinking?

With any responsible agency, the client accounts for 90% or more of project delays. Why is this? In many cases, clients are often concerned when entering a project about whether the agency can fulfill their obligations to the timeline. What the client often forgets is that agencies are very used to delivering things on time, whereas the company tackling the marketing project is not accustomed to dealing with the requirements of properly managing a project on their end.

One of the greatest contributors to this problem is the mindset that a company, once hiring an agency, can kick their feet up, get back to other responsibilities and expect a completed project to be sitting on their table at the end of a deadline with little or no involvement. Most often, client delays are the result of not getting required feedback to the agency in a timely manner including specific and necessary items, content, permissions and key decisions.

Delving into each of these six topics allows client-agency partnerships to circumvent misunderstanding by exposing the details, revealing the full scope and familiarizing everyone with the nuances of the project. Sometimes clients may find it disconcerting when they enlist an agency (ostensibly to save time and resources internally) only to be immediately tasked with completing lengthy “preparatory” documents. But embarking on a project without these steps promises frustration and miscommunication with little meaningful advancement. As for team dynamic, this process also promotes collaboration among all members since task requirements and limitations can be established early.

Devoting more time to the pre-project tasks is the surest way to a well executed project.