We’ve focused quite a bit on communicating with our employees and the media. But, there are a number of opportunities or reach key audiences directly or to showcase the Frankel brand. This section deals with some of those ways.

Reputation is an elusive thing. Generally, it lags behind reality. The problem is that an agency’s reputation is much too complicated to be condensed into a pat phrase. More importantly, with an agency the size of Frankel, each office’s reputation is bound to differ somewhat, depending on a number of circumstances including size, track record, creativity, personal reputation of key people, competitive environment and the nature of it’s clients.

The truth is, most senior agency people at Frankel are first and foremost marketing folks, not skilled PR people. We don’t feel comfortable doing many things we probably should to “manage” our agency’s reputation: making speeches, grabbing the limelight at industry events, serving on boards—both industry associations and not-for-profits or serving on a high-profile committee. But these are all ways to build and enhance our reputation above and beyond some of the examples we’ve already touched upon.

Let’s take, for example, current clients. You’d assume they have the most accurate perception of the agency, but it’s probably not the case. They probably deal with only a number of people at the agency whose primary interest is their client’s business.

Another audience is the marketing and advertising industry in general. Frankel prides itself on how well we work with our agency partners. Their opinion of Frankel, to a potential client or employee, could one day have a huge impact on our
business.

Lastly, industry associations, including those within the advertising industry, can also affect our business—good and bad.

There are many opportunities to deliver Frankel’s message and “influence” key audiences. Let’s take a look at ways that we can enhance our reputation in some other ways.


Frankel is currently a member of APMA, PMA and POPAI. To achieve our vision and broaden our reputation beyond promotions, we’ve recently become involved in more mainstream marketing associations like the Direct Marketing Association, the Chicago Advertising Federation and the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Participate on a committee, attend an annual meeting. Be a panelist or keynote speaker and discuss a challenging topic of interest to a client: Integration, compensation, or production. Invite your client to attend.