So, it has been decided that your company needs an advertising (ad) agency to help in the marketing and promotions campaigns. You have the budget, but you are not the expert in spending it on advertising. Hence, the most logical thing to do is to get the specialists to do it.
How to choose?
There are hundreds of ad agencies in Malaysia, all of which come in different shapes and sizes, offering all types of different services. In choosing a suitable ad agency for your company, you will first need to know what you are offering.
If you have a large budget (as in millions of ringgit), then you do have a strong case to select just about any agency you wish. But if you have a limited budget, then it is best to start with the smaller firms. It is only logical to do so.
The Criteria to choose
No matter what your budget is, you can base your selection criteria as follow:
- Local, international or integrated agency
- Services offered
- Portfolio and track record Agency status
Foreign or local, what’s the difference?
Malaysia’s advertising agencies can be international, local or a combination of both. The most common pre-conception is that international agencies are more capable and specialized. After all, they are supposed to be ‘international’.
However, the local agencies have now become equally as capable because they are from the roots and position themselves as knowing what the local market wants.
Most ad agencies offer similar services. In choosing the agency for you, you need to determine if you are looking for a one-stop solution agency that offers everything under the advertising segment or only a portion of it.
Specialized services offered
If you only need the agency to plan and buy your media space, then look for an agency that specializes in that. An ad agency’s effectiveness is judged through its portfolio and the success rate of their track records.
This can be proven through statistics, impressions and other research reports. Regardless of the size of the agency, if they have carried out successful campaigns in the past, they will be able to show it to you because these campaigns are seen in the public realms.
Furthermore, their portfolio of current clients will give you a clear picture of how good they are servicing them to maintain the accounts.
Ultimately, you need an ad agency that you are comfortable with. Your first meeting will give you the best impression of the people you are going to work within the near future.
Digital media agencies
The current environment for advertising agencies has changed considerably much in the last few years. With consumers moving from traditional media to social media and digital platforms, the demand is rising for more exposure on these platforms.
Traditional full-service agencies have since moved on to either expand into offering digital advertising services either as an additional department or through a subsidiary. Meanwhile, new names are also emerging in these areas. Therefore, it is imperative that you have to start considering an agency that can provide you with a good combination of services that covers digital. Among the factors that you should weigh in includes:
- Reputation – Is the agency part of a larger company or from a reputable agency?
- Track Record – How long has the agency been involved in digital advertising? What are the projects that they have undertaken and their measurement of success?
- Years in the market – How long has the agency been in the market and how far are they involved in digital advertising on the likes of Facebook, WhatsApp, and others?
- Partnership – Who and how are they connected to media owners both locally and regionally?
How does it add up?
Ultimately, it becomes necessary to ‘shop around’ for the right agency especially since every possible firm today claims to be an expert. This is more evident with the current scenario with agencies all stating that they are digital marketing experts.
There is a huge difference between using digital social media and knowing how to use it for advertising. Talk and consult with the agencies and discover what they can do for you. Then, decide!
