Agency Reviews for Project Work Guidance Considerations
Developed by an ANA/4A’s task force, this white paper provides clients and agencies with principles to help optimize the review process for project assignments.

Agency Selection Briefing Guidance
The intention of the ANA/4A’s Agency Selection Briefing Guidance is to provide basic guidance for clients who are unfamiliar with the fundamentals of briefing an agency, and give clients experienced in agency briefings additional best practices to consider.

ANA/4A’s Guidelines for Agency Search
An ANA/4A’s executive task force, comprised of seasoned agency and marketer experts, has developed guidance for agency searches. The objective of the ANA/4A’s Guidelines for Agency Search is to document and publicize best practices for both clients and agencies to consider in the agency search and selection process.

Best Practice Guidance: Ownership of Agency Ideas, Plans and Work Developed During the New Business Process
The 4A’s recommends that agencies preserve ownership of new business-search ideas, plans and work product.

Best Practice Guidance: Agency Search Agreements
The 4A’s recommends that agencies execute new business agreements with client prospects at the outset of every agency search.

4A’s Committee Advocates Agency New Business IP Protection
Members of the 4A’s new business committees encourage search consultants to specify that the rights to Intellectual Property (IP) created by agencies during the review process remain the property of the agency until the marketer either hires the agency to execute the work or the parties agree to a commercially equitable payment for the assignment of usage rights.

4A’s Guidance | Agency Opportunity Screening Criteria
Agencies can dramatically increase new business performance by learning to be more selective in the pursuit of client opportunities. The 4A’s New Business Committee has developed guidance “4A’s Opportunity Screening Criteria” that advises that just as clients screen out agencies to find the best fit, so should agencies screen clients.

4A’s Guidance: Post-Review Feedback
The 4A’s guidance directive, “Post-Review Feedback,” has been developed by the 4A’s New Business Committee to help inform the agency community of best practice relating to conducting routine and formal agency assessments following participation in all major agency reviews.

2014 4A’s Project Reviews Survey Report
The prevalence of project assignments and the trend toward project pitches is on the rise. This 4A’s survey report on Reviews for Project Assignments contains valuable information on project dynamics.

Agency Search “To-Do” List
Start by Aligning Marketing Resources and Expectations
This 4A’s guidance for marketers addresses agency/marketer relationship fundamentals, suggestions for evaluating agency resources and tips for conducting an agency search.

4A’s Viewpoint: Problematic RFP and Pitch Behaviors
The Dirty Half-Dozen That Will Doom Your Agency Review

New Business Tool Kit
Quick must-have resources for all agency new business professionals and marketers looking to conduct an agency search.

Confidentiality of Marketing Services Position Paper
A new 4A’s paper recommending that recommends that agencies remain vigilant in protecting confidential media and marketing services information arising in connection with the agency’s work for its clients.

New Shoes: How Understanding Organizational Culture Improves the Performance of the Advertising Agency Industry
The 4A’s Management Series publication “New Shoes” by Lorraine Stewart Lockhart includes discussion related to the following aspects of organizational culture: How to think about organizational culture; Core value systems; Why culture is relevant to agencies and client marketers; How distinctive culture can WOW clients and engage employees; and What culture is Not! This publication will help agency leaders understand the importance of structuring and articulating distinctive and relevant agency culture as an antidote to agency commoditization.

Other Quick Links

One Piece of Advice from Search Consultants 2015
The 4A’s asked industry leading agency search consultants to provide “One-Piece-of-Advice” that the association could share with members as they begin thinking about their new business plans.

Agency Search Consultant List

New Business Surveys
Agency/Advertiser Value Survey, Agency Search: What Matters?

Standardized Agency New Business Questionnaire
The Standardized Agency New Business Questionnaire is designed as a recommended guideline for advertisers and agency search consultants to follow when soliciting information from ad agencies.

Standardized Marketer New Business Questionnaire
The Standardized Marketer New Business Questionnaire is designed as a recommended guideline for agencies to follow when evaluating participation in an agency search. It is intended to help reduce the risk of unpleasant surprises in the agency search process and minimize costly mismatches in marketer-agency relationships.

Conflict Policy Guidelines
This position paper addresses trends in client/agency conflict policies and reflects consideration of these issues by the 4A’s New Business Committee.

A Marketer’s Guide to Best Practices and Processes for Finding a New Agency
This publication, which was authored by Joanne Davis, is intended to provide guidance to marketers on how to conduct an agency search. It contains checklists, timetables, sample questionnaires and suggested best practices.

4A’s/ANA Best Practices in Agency Search and Selection Process
The purpose of this document is to identify best practices that may facilitate the agency search and selection process for advertisers, agencies, and search consultants.

4A’s/ANA Rules of the Road for Agency Search Consultants
This document sets forth seven “Rules of the Road” for agency search consultants to follow when conducting an agency review.

Accounts In Review
The 4A’s maintains a cumulative analysis of published agency review/search activity. The Accounts in Review analysis includes:

• The account in review, winner (if known), incumbent & finalists;
• The nature of agency services that were reviewed;
• Approximate billings and/or approximate agency revenue/gross income, where known (12 ranges are specified at the end of the report);
• If a search consultant was involved the consultant is noted; and
• The marketer’s business sector, designated into 34 categories.

Webinar: Improving Agency Relations with Marketing Procurement – Mary Ann Brennan
Procurement thought leader Mary Ann Brennan (Sr Director Global Procurement, Mattel, and ANA Agency Relations Committee Co-Chair) shares information and suggestions related to improving agency relations with marketing procurement with the 4A’s community, via a complimentary members-only webinar sponsored by the 4A’s Western Region New Business Committee.

Webinar: New Business Committee Q2 2017 – The State of Agency Business Development
The 4A’s and business intelligence firm Advertiser Perceptions partnered on a new study examining the current state of the advertising agency business. In this recorded webinar from the Q2 meeting of the 4A’s New Business Committee, Randy Cohen, President & COO of Advertiser Perceptions discusses findings from the recently released report “The State of Agency Business Development.”

Webinar: New Business Committee Q1 2017 Meeting on Agency Search Portal
Search Consultant (and former 4A’s New Business Committee member) Melissa Lea of R3 Worldwide participated in the January 31st, 2017, committee session. In this recording, she shares her perspectives on agency search dynamics — including trends related to client objectives and requirements, client goals for agency searches, and search consultant observations that she wished she knew as an agency new business executive.

Webinar: Q4 New Business Committee – Webinar with Agency Spotter Co-Founder Brian Regienczuk
In this webinar, Agency Spotter CEO and Co-Founder Brian Regienczuk shares findings and key learning from Agency Spotter’s Agency Search Trends Report. The presentation was originally delivered at the Q4 meeting of the 4A’s New Business Committee.

The Marketer’s View-Leapfrog Mine Fields and Exceed Client Expectations
Lorraine Rojek was joined by Alltel Communications VP Marketing Erin Taylor; Royal Caribbean SVP Marketing Alice Norsworthy and White Castle VP Marketing Kim Bartley.

The New Age of Digital, Media, and Agency Search
The 4A’s was pleased to host leading agency search consultant Catherine Bension, President and CEO, Select Resources International.

Working With Search Consultants
In November, 2007, the 4A’s hosted another Webinar in its “Tools, Tips, and Tactics” series: “Working With Search Consultants, Featuring Mercer Island Group’s Steve Boehler.”