Alexandra Morehouse has held C-Level marketing positions at Charles Schwab, AAA, Kaiser Permanente and others, so she knows a thing or two about working with agencies. Currently the CMO at Phoenix-based Banner Health, Alex shares 5 thoughts (in under 140 characters, natch) on how she creates constructive, valuable relationships with her agency partners.
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"Treat your agency as a partner, not a vendor. They work best when they're an extension of your staff, not an outsider."
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"Don't be afraid to hire a portfolio of specialist agencies, rather than one all-purpose agency. Payback is worth extra management time."
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"Agencies should know each other & work together across functional lines. Require them to bring you integrated solutions & campaigns."
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"Use your agencies to fill staffing gaps; rent people, capabilities and skills that you don't have or can't hire internally."
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"Pay attention to who is doing the work. Agencies have high turnover, so make sure you're getting and keeping the right team of people."