What You (Should) Look For In An Ad Agency
1. A Trailblazed Path

To trailblaze is to “make a trail where there wasn’t one, such as through a forest or an area of wilderness.” Figuratively, we know this to refer to a person who is among the first to do or accomplish something. In turn, this helps others follow an established path, find efficiencies, and push further along that trajectory.

Blazing a trail has nothing to do with fire. Rather, it originally meant to make small cuts into the bark of trees, marking a path for others to follow. Often thes trailblazers were explorers and pioneers, forging into the unknown and settling new places. The risks were great, and the obstacles many. These individuals were truly a rare breed.

Few people have the appetite to explore something new and completely unknown. That appetite shrinks when there is money on the line. Businesses must invest in acquiring new customers, higher-quality customers, and longer lasting customers. This can be an expensive proposition.

As a result, you may find yourself adopting a certain conservative approach. You may gravitate toward the safe route, even if it’s perhaps not the right way forward. The “clear” way forward. That path that’s been trailblazed already.

2. An Experienced Veteran

Sometimes, it’s not enough to walk a blazed path. You want a guide, a sherpa to take you along the journey to success.

Sherpas are renowned for their mountaineering skills. Many know the Himalayan slopes like they know themselves. The name or term sherpa translates to “eastern people,” so they are truly native to their land and their craft as local guides.

Genetically, their bodies are better suited for high altitudes than the average human. They possess the “super-athlete gene” that governs their hemoglobin production, allowing them to more efficiently use oxygen. Quite literally, they are a rare breed.

When exploring the unknown — a new online ad platform, a foreign ad format, a new campaign strategy — you may find yourself wanting a sherpa. In business, this can be accomplished with a verbal, “Oh yeah, we have experience with that.” from an agency or consulting partner. It’s a mental checklist item, helping you rest easier.

Regardless, a sherpa can instill confidence that you will avoid unnecessary, wrong turns.

3. A Guarantee

When you spend your own (or company) money, you never want to fail. Of course. However, the pressure of success is often pushed entirely on the shoulders of your agency or any outside help. Nothing is too big to fail, yet that agency or help can carry an outsized load. The expectations can be huge, and that’s important to recognize.

The giant risk is that…if an idea, a campaign, or a batch of creative fails…we must face a sunk cost. Facebook or Google gets richer, and we are out that money. It feels safer to secure some sort of guarantee before engaging.
['Travis Biechele']
['Investing', 'Advertising', 'Experience', 'Marketing', 'Trailblazer']