Market Is Still Moving Fast: Laura D Bajkowski, bajkowski + partners

Bajkowski & Partners
New York, United States
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First, please tell us a little about your business.

Bajkowski + Partners works with clients across all industry verticals to strengthen client-agency relationship as well as form new ones through managing agency searches. We also evaluate marketing and media plans, agency rosters, and marketing organizations, and identify new opportunities, approaches and models, including building an inhouse agency when appropriate. Our clients are global, national and regional. Our team is comprised of corporate and marketing strategist who understand your business, as well as media, creative and production specialists. All have client, agency and consulting experience. Essentially, we’re built around the current needs of marketing organizations, and build a team of subject matter experts for each assignment.

How has your business changed since the pandemic? Have you held any virtual pitches and if so, what is your assessment of them?

We’ve had some clients rethink their current relationships – Covid has forced more video meetings internally among client teams, so they’re now doing that with greater frequency with their agencies. So our client coaching services on how to be fully present (e.g., not distracted with other devices) during these video meetings.

For those that have moved forward with searches, virtual pitches are the norm. This includes initial chemistry meetings as well as all short list meetings and the final pitch. For the most part it’s gone well, but it has to be managed well by both the agencies and the clients.

What’s your view of the state of our industry, both now and in the short-medium term? Where is the opportunity?

Clearly some verticals have been more impacted than others. It’s had profound impact on agencies that only service a single industry. 

Opportunity:  Build strong client relationships by taking the lead. Think holistically about the client’s business, not just ads for your slice of the pie. Otherwise, clients are far more open now to looking at other solutions – even if only on a project basis. Some project agencies have done a great job at stealing AOR business, and this is likely to continue.

Do you have any tips for agencies invited to pitch in these socially distanced times? 

Focus on the client’s business problems and be bold in solutions that address the bigger picture business needs – not just a bunch of cool ads. And practice practice practice chemistry and pitch meeting interactions, roles and hand-offs between your pitch teammates. Video presentation will not go away. And you’re likely to have client staff on the video meeting that might not have participated at earlier stages or the final pitch. So get the 411 on those “new” folks so you can engage them.

What would your advice be to a brand that wants to give its marketing strategy a caffeine shot?

CPMs may be cheap right now, but that will change as more clients come back into the marketplace. So now’s the time to experiment and seize appropriate media opportunities. Take calculated risks, but don’t doddle. The market is moving fast.

Avoid creative that’s tied to any movements (e.g., BLM) if the rest of your organization isn’t “practicing what it’s preaching (supporting in this case)” internally. You’ll get called out on social media and potentially a brand backlash.