Managing expectations in a credit crunch

With all the noise in the media about the credit crunch, clients are starting to feel the effects. A lot of agencies will be in the position where clients are cutting budgets and bringing results under a lot more scrutiny. Marketing directors need to be able to demonstrate what was achieved to the board and justify every penny spent.

We’re all in the marketing business because we generate results. It’s what we’re here to do. But in the excitement of planning new campaigns, too much can be assumed about what the result will be and that this is in-line with what the client expects.

Managing client expectations from the outset is key. Companies need to understand that the old chestnut is true: if you’re paying for a Mini, you won’t get a Rolls Royce. When clients cut budgets they may not expect to cut results. It’s our job, as the professionals to set out the guidelines for how budget changes will affect campaign impact.

Often agencies can be reticent about this, seeing it as creating a stick which they will later be beaten with. But spelling it out to the client works well for the agency too. Often once a project has been scoped out, the client will change the brief. They move the goal posts, don’t agree with the design concepts or rewrite the copy, all of which can weaken the original premise of the campaign.

From the outset, be clear about objectives, target audience and messages. Should the client change any of these once the campaign development is underway, keep them informed about how that will impact on the end result and cost. Understand what the client wants, and if that’s unrealistic, make sure they know that.