Assessing an agency for a job or as a client? Rob Morrison has done it. A lot. Here’s his assessment of how to know what you’re getting yourself into.

You’ve heard the one about dogs looking like their owners? Or is it that the owner starts to look like their dog? Either way, I reckon there’s an equally apt adland version.

If you want to understand the personality of an agency, look at the personality of the people with their name on the door.

Let me explain.

As a freelancer, I reckon I’ve seen over 100 agencies up close. Big. Little. Trendy. Fading. Grown out of production, consulting, even a print shop. And as a full timer I’ve spent plenty of years at large international agencies. And they all have one thing in common.

Those who started it leave an indelible fingerprint.

Need an example? One of my key freelance clients is a management consultancy. Like all the big four, they built an agency off to one side of their core business. Primarily as an upsell for existing clients. They’re some of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with. They’ve done some terrific work. But, having grown out of an accountancy firm, the focus is firmly on making money. My timesheets and invoices are checked as much as my copy. The names on the doors were all accountants.

I’ve done work for an agency who grew out of the chaos of Sales Promotion. The tightness of their timelines are eye-watering. Thinking time is almost non-existent. Creatively, you’ve got to think fast. React. Trust your gut. Your first idea better be good because you simply won’t get to idea #10.

It’s even more pronounced the smaller the agency. There’s the agency whose principal is purpose driven. The work always starts with social purpose. There’s the two-person shop who look larger than they are because they’re brilliant ‘jack-of-all’ trades. There’s the agency started by two art directors – where copy is clearly less valued.

But surely that doesn’t work for global shops, right?

Well Ogilvy still has David’s DNA. They mark his birthday each year. His mantra of We sell or else is still a factor in almost every presentation and pitch. His books have a constant presence on coffee tables and in meeting rooms. His thinking remains even though the man himself left us long ago.

Most clearly of all, it was a large national agency where the three principals didn’t really get along. There was always an undertow of confrontation. The creative department felt it. So did account service and planning. In fact, their industry reputation was clearly tainted by it. All because the agency was a reflection of the principals as people.

So, if you’re looking at switching agency and you’re not sure what it will actually be like, do a little investigation of the principals. I reckon you’ll learn everything you need to know.

Rob Morrison is a rarity in advertising – a grey-haired creative. Rob’s experience includes time as a Creative Director at Ogilvy, BWM (now Dentsu Creative), George Patterson Y&R (now VMLY&R), Campaign Palace and Wunderman. He now runs his own consultancy – morrison.collective.

Here are two more opinion pieces from Rob Morrison: