I worked for several large agencies – the last one before I went out on my own was
WPP – and noticed that the bigger the agency and the bigger the budget, the less that
true quality work was being undertaken on behalf of clients. So in 2017 when I decided
to ‘semi-retire,’ one of my clients decided they wanted to leave and come with me, and
that is how Thoroughbrand began.
Transparency. The media model agency really encouraged – and in some cases
continues to encourage – overspending because their fees come as a percentage of
media spend. That discourages thorough research, brand and market understanding,
accurate targeting, and efficient and effective campaigns. We go out of our way to
ensure that we understand the brand, the consumers, the competitive landscape, and
the resultant ‘personas’ in order to ensure we only target ‘qualified’ audiences, or those
who are actually interested in – or would be interested in – a client’s product or service.
In fact, we begin every engagement with an in depth research process prior to any other
work commencing. And if transpires thereafter that certain tactics will not work for you,
then we are honest about that. Even if it means spending less. Ultimately, do the right
thing for the clients and the clients will take care of you via growth and referrals. Even if
sometimes the advice we give them is not exactly what they expect to hear.