Author Archives: Enth Degree

At a recent industry conference, the Global Head of a Media Agency called for the end of “pitching”. The hashtag #ditchthepitch” was launched amid much fanfare. A great use of rhyme to get your point across. And funnily enough the hashtag shares the same title with the 2014 book from Steve Yastrow that “asks us to throw out everything we’ve been taught about pitching to customers.” In an industry that seeks to differentiate itself through creativity, it is somewhat ironic. However, that aside, without wishing to sound self-serving, let’s look at the speaker’s case for change: “There is a concern in our industry, and I’m talking for both…

Enth Degree has managed many media pitches over the last few months across a broad range of marketers and product categories. We have compiled the following observations, to hopefully assist Media Agencies provide their best opportunity to leave a positive impact during the pitch process. This is not intended to be an article on “how to get the most out of the pitch process” but to provide some very simple observations for Agencies. By sharing these observations with Agencies, we hope that our clients will benefit through more focussed and insightful proposals from contenders. Don’t pitch if you don’t have time There are many occasions where it is…

A successful pitch is not the sole responsibility of the submitting Agencies. Marketers play a key role in the calibre of Agency output. Below we have compiled a list of observations to assist our clients to generate the best possible response from candidate Agencies when they go to market. Those Marketers who have worked with Enth Degree will recognise much of the commentary below.   While some of these are obvious, the distractions of daily responsibilities can often derail the best intentions. Know What You Want from the Pitch Process Sounds obvious? Well not always. Dramatic changes in both marketing and communication channels over the past five years…

When advised by a potential client that they want to “review the market” because they are dissatisfied with their Communication Agency’s “_____” (insert here, usually Service/Creative/Cost). We advise that this should be the last resort. Like all partnerships, the Marketer / Agency relationship is subject to significant pressure points. Like a marriage guidance counsellor, we prefer reconciliation to divorce. The Agency often has significant intelligence reserves, with an historic knowledge of the client’s communications, unmatched internally if the client has suffered a high turnover in marketing talent. (Of course the high rotation in Agency talent in some Agencies will contradict this observation.) With a new Agency comes a…

In 2015 Optus engaged Enth Degree to run a comprehensive agency tender process across all media disciplines. The results of this tender were outlined this week in Mumbrella Should you require assistance in reviewing your supplier arrangements, please get in touch.

Recent events have brought to the forefront a raft of unfavourable media practices with significant consequences for both clients and agencies.  Unfortunately this is not a new concept nor limited to one agency.   It has been covered extensively in the trade press and also placed a spotlight on media auditors, client actions and media agency ethics. Holding an independent position in the market, we have been exposed to these practices and developed our own preventative measures to what we would call “the shell game”. That is, we know which shell to look under, and how to make sure unfavourable practices don’t happen in the first place! Prevention is always…

AdNews has released a great illustration of critical issues behind the lack of Media Agency transparency and accountability.      The Article “Ad Fraud uncovered and how it happens” (Pippa Chambers, AdNews, 10.2.15) provides a concise outline of potential fraudulent media activities. It’s not to say that all of these practices occur at every Media Agency, however it is a good summation for any marketer to be aware of when engaging a Media Agency.  Enth Degree has identified a number of these activities for our clients and developed contracts to ensure they cannot be implemented on our clients’ business. Enth Degree’s independence and attention to detail has enabled us to identify many of…

All marketers need to understand the implications of this unacceptable accounting practice and identify how much it is costing. The value identified through a simple invoice review can uncover tens of thousands of dollars of your media spend.    Media Suspense Account – What is it Unreconciled credits, the difference between what the client has paid and what the   media company has invoiced, are put into a ‘media suspense’ aka ‘media hold’ account. Newspapers, TV stations, outdoor companies don’t always get their invoicing 100% correct. Not all spots will appear as planned on a TV Network, A newspaper may place your ad correctly as booked on page…

US online publication MediaPost recently provided a great article entitled “Media Agencies’ $25B Bounty For Change” (Tom Goodwin, MediaPost, 05.06.15) that outlines how the media industry is changing in light of new technology and consumer behaviour, and articulates why some media agencies are struggling to keep pace with the new dynamic marketplace. Is your agency able to anticipate and solve the problems of tomorrow? Enth Degree can help you ask the tough questions to ensure your suppliers are poised to deliver best in class service and provide ultimate ROI. Call us to find out more. Read the full MediaPost article here.