“Having a great creative team without the support of an account management team is like having a Porsche in the driveway without an engine.” That was someone’s response to an article published in Ad Age discussing an observed trend towards the declining role of account managers at many agencies. When I read this article nearly two years ago, we were coming off the great recession, and our clients were (and still are) being forced to operate with lean budgets. At the time, I started to wonder if my position as an account manager was about to become obsolete. Two years later, my profession is far from obsolete; in fact, its importance has even grown as account managers have been crucial in helping clients make the most effective use of the often limited budgets allowed by these tough economic times.
Just like a car, agencies have many vital components that make them operate smoothly and efficiently. And just like the engine cannot perform the duties of the transmission, the creative team cannot perform the job of account management (and vice versa). In more recent years, this has become even truer. Thanks to technology, cars have become highly complex, digitally managed systems. This is also true of advertising. Greater effort must be given towards cutting down on pollutants and increasing the mileage of our clients’ budgets. This is where the job of the account manager becomes even more important. Beyond serving as the liaison between the clients and creative teams, the account manager must become the navigator, helping to effectively steer their business through the ever-changing, often murky communication channels, constantly evaluating the course through constant analysis of the tactics. Without the account manager, a client’s business will not run as well as it should, nor will it have the direction needed to ensure success.
Domus’ team of highly skilled account managers are standing by to help rev up your business and navigate the ever-changing landscape of marketing and advertising.
Aaron Shute is a Senior Account Manager at Domus Inc., a marketing communications agency based in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://www.domusinc.com/. For new business inquiries, please contact CEO and founder of Domus, Inc. Betty Tuppeny at betty.tuppeny@domusinc.com or 215-772-2805.