It is said that agencies be they PR or media usually have tenure of around 12 -16 months with their pharma clients. Now for an industry which seeks to help clients engage with stakeholders in a transparent and lasting manner it seems odd that relations can turn sour so quickly. Prompted by this thought I’m curious to determine why. Of course there are factors which may sever even the most mutually beneficial of relationships, budget cuts and re-shuffles are subject headings we dread appearing in our inboxes.

Aside from a poor comms strategy what turns a good working partnership bad?

I’ll be mulling this one over, but here’s a couple to kick-off with.

Not delivering the goods

In the haste to try and close a deal there is a nagging temptation to make promises on delivering the undeliverable. ‘Yes we can guarantee 500,000 YouTube views’. After the campaign has run its course and a poultry 25,000 hits have been scored that deal maker suddenly turns a deal breaker. A good agency won’t oversell their services, they’ll be focussed on selling what is achievable and deliverable instead of trying to turn a quick profit.

Not explaining the risks of engagement

There have been a few social media corporate blunders which have generally boiled down to lack of planning. When those skeletons crawl from their closets they can end up running riot across facebook if not tamed in an open and engaging way. The recent Nestlè facebook saga is a salient example. A good agency will talk just as openly about the risks of using social media as they do about the countless benefits. Not only will they outline the risks but they’ll run through contingency plans for what to do if things go pear shaped.

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