What to look for when choosing an advertising agency

When you decide to work with an advertising agency, you are in effect entrusting part of your brand to an outside team. Your promotional film, website, social media accounts or ad budget pass through their hands. So when choosing, look not only at the nice images in the portfolio but also at how they work, at the contract and at what you will have once the job is done.

We wrote this guide as an agency, from the other side of the table. Our aim is not to promote a particular agency, but to help you get off to a healthy start whichever agency you choose.

Clarify your need yourself first

Before you start talking to agencies, write down roughly what you want. There is a big difference between “we want someone to run our social media” and “we want a set number of posts a month, one shooting day, a monthly report and ad management”. The second description lets agencies give you quotes you can compare.

• What’s the purpose of the work? Awareness, sales, recruitment, tender preparation, a trade fair?
• Which services do you need? A one-off project or an ongoing service?
• What materials do you have? Logo files, old footage, texts?
• Who in the company will deal with the agency, and who has approval authority?
• Roughly what timeframe are you expecting results in?

Reading references correctly

A portfolio shows what an agency can do, but on its own it isn’t enough. When reviewing references, look for answers to these questions:

• Is the work shown close to your sector or a similar scale?
• Which part of the job did the agency do? The idea, the shoot, the edit, the publishing, or all of it?
• When was the work done? Can the current team deliver the same quality?
• Can you speak directly to a reference client if possible?

A published website or public video is the most reliable way to see what an agency really produces. Opening and reviewing links to the work shown in places like the agency’s projects page tells you more than looking at screenshots alone.

Having the scope in writing

Most disagreements between clients and agencies come from a scope that was not written down clearly at the start. When someone says “promotional film”, one side may be thinking of a short social media video and the other of a film with drone footage, voice-over and several versions.

The scope document should state what is not included as well as what is. Items such as voice-over, music licensing, actors, ad budget, printing or travel costs are often handled separately.

Getting to know the team

The person who comes to the first meeting may not be the person who does your work. That’s natural, but you should know. Ask:

• Who will work on your project? Director, camera operator, designer, developer, ad specialist?
• Which work is done in-house and which with outside partners?
• Who will be your day-to-day contact?
• How will the process continue if someone leaves the team?

Working with outside partners is not a problem in itself; many agencies work with freelancers they trust for particular skills. What matters is being clear about who is responsible.

Rights: raw footage, source files and accounts

What you’re left with when the job ends is one of the most overlooked issues. Discuss these points clearly before signing the contract.

Raw footage

Will the unedited footage from the shoot be delivered to you, or only the finished film? Delivery of raw footage means you can use that material even if you work with another agency later. Some agencies quote it as a separate item; that’s a reasonable approach too, as long as it’s known from the start.

Source files

Will editable source files for the logo, corporate identity and designs be delivered? Whose name will the website code, domain and hosting account be registered under? Having these assets registered in your company’s name protects you in the long run.

Account access

Social media accounts, ad accounts and analytics tools should belong to your company, with the agency given admin access only. That makes it easy to revoke access when the partnership ends.

Third-party licences

It should be stated under what conditions and for how long music, fonts, stock images and similar materials can be used. Licence terms vary by source, so ask for written information on anything you’re unsure about.

Reporting and communication routine

In ongoing services, especially social media and ad management, regular reporting is the foundation of the relationship. Decide at the start how often reports will come, which metrics they’ll include and who will interpret them. A good report isn’t just a list of numbers; it includes a short assessment of what worked, what didn’t and the next steps.

Clarify the communication channel too: email, a messaging app or a shared project tool? Who to reach in an emergency and how out-of-hours requests are handled should also be discussed.

When comparing quotes

When you get quotes from several agencies, looking only at the total can be misleading. One quote may look cheaper but leave out the shooting day, revisions or source files, while another looks more expensive but includes all of them. Put the quotes in the same table and compare them line by line.

• Are the number and formats of deliverables the same?
• Can revision rights and timeframes be compared?
• Are equipment, crew and location costs included?
• Which quote includes raw footage and source files?
• Is the ad budget shown separately from the service fee?
• Does the payment schedule match the project’s stages?

Do not hesitate to ask about any item you do not understand. An agency that can explain its quote clearly will most likely work with the same clarity. Starting with a small pilot job is also a practical way to see how you work together before a long-term contract.

Clauses the contract should include

The list below is a general framework; we strongly recommend showing your contract to a legal adviser before you sign.

• Scope of service and list of deliverables
• Schedule and delivery dates
• Revision rights and how out-of-scope requests will be handled
• Payment schedule and terms
• Intellectual property, usage rights and handover of source files
• Privacy and personal data protection
• Account access and the handover process when the partnership ends
• Contract duration, renewal and termination
• Whether the agency may show the work in its own portfolio

Beware of verbal promises

In meetings you may hear lines like “We’ll get you to number one”, “This video will definitely go viral” or “Your sales will multiply in a month”. Search engines, social media algorithms and user behaviour are not fully under any agency’s control. Instead of promises of guaranteed results, expect the agency to explain how it will work, what it will measure and how it will change course based on the results.

Instead, you can ask the agency: Which indicators will you use to measure success? What steps will you take if results fall short of expectations? What input do you expect from us? Concrete answers to these questions tell you far more than bold promises.

Ask for every point discussed in the meeting that matters to you to be written into the quote or contract. A promise that isn’t written down may be remembered differently by both sides months later.

Quick review checklist

1. Have I defined my need and goal in writing?
2. Have I looked at the agency’s similar work live?
3. Is the scope clear, including what is and isn’t included?
4. Do I know the team who will work on the project and my contact person?
5. Have rights to raw footage, source files and accounts been discussed?
6. Have reporting frequency and content been set?
7. Has the contract been reviewed by a legal adviser?

Do not hesitate to ask every agency these questions; a good agency will welcome the conversation. To see what JASSİR offers, take a look at our advertising agency services page, and to talk about your project, get in touch through our contact page.