The importance of working with a good agency

The team are currently looking ahead to the 2019 publications. I’ve recently updated the tender briefs and met with agencies.

As the HE landscape becomes more competitive, we need to find different ways to engage with our audiences and ensure our campaigns and publications work harder to showcase the benefits of studying at Bedfordshire. This is why working with a good agency on these projects becomes ever more important. Working with great agencies is imperative; an agency needs to understand the sector and challenges within HE but also the challenges and direction of the University.

We realise that as the landscape changes, we as a university are becoming more demanding in our requirements and expectations of agencies. And also being a marketing team of three, means we’re looking for an agency that can very much be an extension of the team whilst supporting us on our publication projects; from quickly understanding our needs and reacting through creative solutions, to seamless project management, which in turn makes our job that little bit easier.

3 steps to finding the right agency:

We're currently testing our undergraduate
2018 prospectus, to see what
prospective students think  

• Look for companies who have sector experience – they need hit the ground running but also come up with solid creative approaches to briefs
• Set up an initial chat – meet with agencies to find out more about them and also give them an opportunity to find out more about you. This in turn will mean should they tender, there creative approaches will hopefully match the brief and give us something to consider/worth with 
• Be specific – be clear on what is it you need/expect from an agency. Make sure briefs are clear and take into account market research (we’re currently testing the UG 2018 publication). Tenders should also allow you to showcase relevant proof points, to ensure agencies are capable of delivering what is needed 

It’s also important not to expect a ‘readymade’ creative solution to briefs – when we meet new agencies we want to see a clear rationale for design concepts being presented, and a good understanding of the audience and the brief set. We’re then happy to take a readymade option – if one is presented – or work with the appointed agency to develop a design approach.

So as we embark on the 2019 publication tender, I’m excited to see what agencies can bring to the table!

Speak soon,
K