I’ve seen advertising publications refer to the end of year/first of the new year referred to as

“the silly season”.

They call it this because they believe that marketers (you) randomly make changes in your agencies because it’s the “thing to do”…or it’s the “easy thing to do” if business isn’t where you need it to be.

While I’m sure there are some that make changes for the sake of making changes, which is unfortunate, I do believe that given agencies must be an integral part of any marketer’s management of their business, if the business isn’t moving in a solid direction, it’s completely reasonable to look to your agency (among other variables) to see if they are making the grade.

Your agency partner should be just that…

a partner.

They should be smart, strategic people that don’t just produce pretty ads, but should also be there to help guide you and offer counsel on how to improve your business.  They need to be proactive and shouldn’t just be order takers.

With the economy slowly chugging its way back into some measure of consistent health,

you need to make sure you’re in a position such that your partnerships are well oiled and well prepared (from a resource standpoint) to take your business and your brand where you need it to be.

We see 1000’s of agencies every week and know that there are many that are struggling to keep up with the changing times given the pressures economically.  Take a peek under the hood and make sure the engine is running and ready to carry you forward.