Sometimes, the most intensive challenges in life are also the biggest learning experiences. When a client makes a unique or unusual request of their agency marketing partner, for example, there are important lessons to be learned—whether or not the agency chooses to take it on.
Below, members of Forbes Agency Council discuss some of the most interesting requests clients have brought to their agencies. Read on to learn more about what they took away from those experiences, plus any tips they have for other agencies considering undertaking similar challenges.
Forbes Agency Council members share lessons they learned from some of their most interesting client requests.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. A Comprehensive Strategy Can Mitigate Negative Coverage
We had a client come to us with something many brands would like—tons of national coverage; however, it was mostly negative sentiment. We created a strategic approach that included a strong thought leadership program,a targeted digital marketing program and organic social, and a detailed crisis comms and rapid response plan. It worked! Within six months, sentiment was all neutral, and then positive. - Jodi Amendola, Amendola Communications
2. Don’t Change Your Process To Accommodate Unique Requests
Occasionally, we get asked to brand something unique, such as a location, celebrity or even an entire asset class. Given this opportunity, there is a natural instinct to change your process to account for this very unique request. My recommendation is to ignore it and trust your process. If you have to abandon how you usually work to deliver, then you aren’t set up to deliver to your standards. - Howard Breindel, DeSantis Breindel
3. Never Back Down From A Big Idea That Seems Impossible
Gateway (the computer manufacturer) asked me to market a big idea—consumers sharing data from a single server throughout their homes. This was before the Internet of Things existed. While it was a bit ahead of the technology necessary to catch on at the scale IoT has today, the process of leading, planning, marketing and selling it taught me never to back down from a big idea simply because it seems impossible. - Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI Creative
4. Educate Consumers With An Educational SEO Approach
We had a client launching a new technology that nobody was aware of that would help pets recover from muscle issues. In addition to running heavy ads, we used an educational SEO approach to educate consumers. We had the client rank in the No. 1 spot for search terms such as, “What can I give my dog for pain?” Soon, they were ranking for hundreds of terms, which resulted in high-quality, convertible traffic. - Scott Darrohn, fishbat Media, LLC.
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5. Always Plan For Contingencies
We dressed a window for an NBC Universal promotion at 30 Rock in New York City. We developed the window concept, and once it was approved, planned for contingencies—what if the window measurements were wrong, or what if our installation plan didn’t work? We printed a backup banner in case we couldn’t follow our original plan, which had lots of moving parts. We also shipped all the tools we’d need in advance. - Megan Devine, cat[&]tonic (formerly d.trio)
6. Be Honest About What Your Capabilities Are
We did a virtual reality experience to help people better understand what it is like to live with schizophrenia so that they can understand the significance of treatment options. The biggest tip would be to be honest internally and with clients about what your capabilities are. We were excellent storytellers and designers and partnered with VR experts to bring the solution to life, rather than trying to own the full VR build. - Steve Peretz, Appnovation
7. Know Clients’ Businesses And Supply Lines
An e-commerce client suddenly found themselves with too many customers when the pandemic struck. That meant our job was no longer about acquisition; it was about directing the flood of new customers and users to the right place, to both drive profitability and ensure the infrastructure didn’t fail. My tip? Make sure you know about your clients’ businesses and supply lines, not just their brands. - Dan Cullen-Shute, Creature
8. Set Expectations And Overdeliver
The most interesting challenge was when a company came to us with the goal to target such a specific group of individuals that I deemed it to be impossible. He insisted on working with us, and after three months, we were able to show a profit. That profit came from a single sale returning over 5,000 times return on ad spend. It was a crazy experience involving a lot of trial and error. My tip would be to set expectations and overdeliver! - Drew Urquhart, Banch Marketing
9. Successful M&A Needs Communication, Marketing And Integration Plans
After a merger or acquisition, how do you combine marketing? While due diligence activities and evaluations focus on financial statements, a successful M&A needs communication, marketing and integration plans. Four key steps ensure a smooth transition: pre-announcement planning, day-one execution, a plan for the first 100 days and a one-year plan. - Christine Slocumb, Clarity Quest Marketing
10. In Moments Of Crisis, Think Outside The Box
We had to promote flu and childhood vaccination during the pandemic, when everybody was focused on Covid-19 and overwhelmed with vaccine misinformation. We succeeded by shifting from traditional marketing to entertaining and informative social content. In moments of crisis, think outside the box and explore uncharted territory. Be daring, but don’t be reckless. Find a balance between the two. - Fernando Beltran, Identika LLC
11. Organize Well And Brace For The Unexpected
We had a client who hired us for a complete rebranding of the company—from the brand name, logo and brand elements all the way to website redesign, marketing strategy and employer branding. It was the first time our company has worked on such a comprehensive project for a client. For companies undertaking such projects, my tip is to organize well and brace for the unexpected. - Dejan Popovic, PopArt Studio
12. Think Big
Minimum production requirements for our client’s new dairy brand created an oversupply of 70,000 units fast approaching their expiration dates, and the charities wouldn’t take refrigerated products. Within two weeks, we created a sampling event at the entrance of a huge food festival—a first for the festival. It was great for the promoters, attendees, our client’s logistics and brand awareness. Tip? Think big! - Michael Parise, DENT Agency LLC
13. Always Make Mindful Choices In All You Do To Serve A Client
We had one amazing client who had never used marketing a day in his business and was pulling in eight figures from word-of-mouth alone. To bring PR into the mix, it had to be a delicate dance of nonpromotional, eloquent placements that didn’t take away from his stellar organic growth. My tip would be to always make mindful choices in all that you do to serve a client. It is rarely one-size-fits-all. - Victoria Kennedy, Victorious PR
14. Use A Multifaceted Approach And Highlight Differentiators
A single-provider dentist office was competing against group practices with larger marketing budgets. Custom wireframing, copywriting and strategies for SEO and PPC, along with a website page devoted to the practice’s philanthropy, resulted in a 75% increase in website traffic and $80,000 raised for charity. My tip is to use a multifaceted approach and highlight differentiators, such as giving back. - Chelimar Miranda, Medical Advantage
15. Be Honest And Keep Clients In The Loop By Overcommunicating
I had a client hire me in February with the goal of getting her product on The Oprah Winfrey Show within two months. I managed her expectations up front and laid out in detail the steps we’d take, confirming (in writing) that, as with most PR outreach, we couldn’t guarantee placement. Be totally honest and keep clients in the loop by overcommunicating. We were ultimately successful, and she was super-grateful. - Nancy A Shenker, theONswitch & nunu ventures
