Advertising Assignment 1.What are the criteria for selecting an International agency for International Advertising ( 6 points)

Your business has been doing well for some time now,you have every reason to be proud.your sharp advertising and sales force has stretched every limb and sinew to cover your local market your brand/product is now a household name in  your town,and your customers are your best ambassadors.now you dare to dream big,so you must act that way to.

when you think its time to go international,it is still the mass media that can do the trick,and for that to happen there is a need to advertise your product internationally to be able to catch a new market since most domestic market for many products and services are stagnant,also international advertising will offer growth opportunities for your company.

In order to find the right international advertising agency you must make a checklist of some parameters to include in your evaluation,here are some of the criteria you have to look out for before you zero in on "the one".

1.Ability of agency to cover relevant market: this is because competition has become global,and since  marketers are even competing globally so must advertisers.This will determine whether the advertising agency will be able to make your product recognized worldwide.they can even use CNN to advertise your product since CNN is worldwide.

2.Quality of agency work: This will check if they will  be able to give out professionally designed labels.thus let their work speak for itself.every advertising agency will talk about how creative they are ,but sometimes one man's food is another's poison.look at some of their prior work to decide whether their particular brand of ideas is what your product needs.A lot of agencies will brag about the awards they have won,forget them,listen to the one that talks about how their work has helped build their clients products.

3.Market Research,PR and other services offered:Look for an all round capability since choosing an international advertising agency is time consuming.make sure the agency can provide 360˚support service that includes not only advertising in print, TV and internet but also direct marketing and public relations.At the same time enquire about their infrastructure,that is,do they own a design studio or do they outsource;what contracts do the have with printing companies and above all,are they proficient in media buying activities.


4.level of communication and control desired:Talk deliverables.every one loves advertising,its glamorous,exciting,creative and its also expensive so must be able to measure the results of the advert.measuring the return on investment(ROI)on an advertising campaign is well nigh impossible or at best,a difficult task.sales might go up,but that could be due to to any number of reasons.and what that happens once the campaign is over?its not like sales will drop down to pre -campaign levels,so how do you measure the benefits over the long term?there are no clear answers and you'll have to learn to live with this fact.however, while choosing an advertising agency,we should keep our discussions as specific as possible.we should ask whether they can guarantee a certain impact-it need not be rise in sales alone.increased in brand recall and customer enquiries are equally important fallout's of an advert.


5.Role of the company advertising department and agency: here you must look for chemistry,advertising is  first and last,a people driven business.make sure you know who is going to work on your account/product and put it in writing.access to the big boss in the agency is usually restricted once your account is in the bag,but that should make no difference as long as the guys on the ground know what they are doing
 you must also look out for reliability.your advertising agency is going to be privy to a lot of your plans,so you need to ensure they can keep confidential information to themselves,most advertising agencies will tell you that they do not handle competing accounts,but do not let it rest there,check if the agency has a smaller division or another group company that's serving your competitor.finally ,insist on a confidentiality clause that protects your interest in the contract before you sign it.


6.Company organizational structure:size does not matter,big is not necessarily  better and small advertising agencies have proved that time and again,in fact,choosing an advertising agency that's aiming to rub shoulders with the top-notch in the world could work against your business,especially if you want to start small.heavy agencies are likely to put larger clients on priority,at the expense of smaller firms,and sooner or later it will tell in their work.instead,sign on an agency that is interested in the creative challenge that your business/product offers,or one that is keen to work with you for the long term.


submitted by MARILYN OFORI-DAVIS