It's time ad agencies listened to clients

The time has come for the local advertising industry to do more than merely offer clients a superficial answer to their communications needs. Offering clients a "one-size fits all" solution is the result of not truly listening or understanding the client's business.

We firmly support finding authentic ways of handling South African business communication challenges. In the current business climate that means advertising agencies need to work towards empowering clients and not simply imposing solutions.

An advertising agency's strength lies not only in its focus on the customer's needs, but in becoming an effective communication partner. One way of doing this is to spend more time trying to understand clients' business. If we are doing our jobs properly, we become co-architects of our clients' business.

Clients know best what their businesses need - but it is up to us to facilitate and elicit a constructive way forward. Agencies should invest in a diverse range of skills and tools to assist their clients in achieving the desired results.

We should see ourselves as working in partnership with the client towards a real business solution; instead of simply providing cosmetic or creative results. Our emphasis is on advertising that works for our clients in a sustainable and measurable way.