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IN today's fast-paced and tumultuous world of advertising, building and maintaining close relationships with clients may be the key to growth and profitability in the future. As many small agencies continue to be sold to larger ones or simply disappear from the market, the need to build stronger client relationships becomes paramount to the long-range success of the client/agency partnership.
The strength of our relationship with ALPO Petfoods, a client for more than 40 years, was put to the test recently when the agency helped launch the $70 million campaign for ALPO Cat Food, that included consumer and trade advertising, promotion and public relations.
By having a long-standing and close relationship with the pet food giant, problems such as agreeing on a unified marketing strategy, creative differences and other typical agency/client conflicts were virtually nonexistent.
However, examining the process reveals the significance of having an existing close relationship, and working together to achieve a unified vision, and in this case, a profitable product launch.
FIRST ADS: Weightman produced the very first ads for the fledgling dog food in 1949, when the company was operating out of the garage of then president, Robert Hunsicker. It was a relationship that withstood the test of time to become a true "marketing partnership."
Weightman Advertising, along with Schaefer Advertising, Weightman Public Relations, Roska Direct Marketing and Weightman Research, is part of the Weightman Group, the largest independent marketing communications company in the Delaware Valley.
The agency's specialty is persuasive consumer advertising for such clients as ALPO, Tastykake, Wendy's Campbell Soup, and Scott Paper.
More than half of Weightman's current clients hold Number One share positions in their categories. Weightman Group president John Goodchild attributes this in part to communication programs driven by the needs of the client.
"If you look at the work we do," said Goodchild, "you won't see a Weightman look. What you'll see is a different approach for each client, based on an understanding of their business and an intimate knowledge of their marketing strategies and long-range goals."
ALPO is a prime example. According to ALPO vice president of marketing, Bill Crompton, the idea of a partnership is crucial to the success of any advertising campaign.
"We consider them (the agency) a true partner in...