6 Things we love {and hate} about the advertising agency RFP process.

It’s been a whirlwind couple of months here at Masterminds. Maybe the economy is bouncing back, or maybe it’s just the time of year, but we’ve been responding to RFPs left and right. I thought I’d take a few minutes to reflect about a process that, although very popular, seems so flawed.

Things we love about the agency RFP process

A good challenge. While we work to help solve some pretty big problems for our clients every day, we relish the chance to flex our creative and strategic skills on fresh challenges. We enjoy any chance we get to bring our A game.

The chance to step outside the box. Removing the shared guide rails that get built up naturally over time between agency and client can sometimes produce ideas that are so crazy they just might work.

A chance to shine. We believe in the power of our ideas—whether they’re from the Executive Creative Director or the intern, or anyone in between. And most of all, we believe in the power of ourselves, to stand up against any agency that wants to compete.

Things we hate about the agency RFP process

Games that end before they begin. It happens all the time. The client knows which agency they want to pick before the RFP is even issued. Everyone else is just going through the motions. Given that we normally spend thousands of hours working for days without sleep and neglect our families for this, please don’t call the game before the coin toss.

Poorly crafted RFPs. We’ve seen RFPs that seem to have been written by letting all 30 people on a committee insert one paragraph each. And RFPs that clearly have been drafted by someone who knows absolutely nothing about advertising (like, say, someone from the purchasing department). Look, we know you’re busy. But remember, you’re going to get out what you put in. Have someone you trust on the outside read your document before you send it out to make sure it makes sense.

Paper responses. Picking an agency is a serious task. We’ve accepted the need to provide spec work, but asking for it to be submitted on paper and not letting an agency bring their work to life and explain their rationale in person seems misguided and detrimental to your process. Remember, you are picking people, not paper. After all, would you hire someone to work in your office without meeting them first?

Thanks for letting us get that off of our chests. What do you love/hate about the RFP process? Leave us a comment below and let us know.

[artwork by Hugh MacLeod, gapingvoid.com]