This series of articles looks at the world of the account manager.
This time we talk to Ella Fanshawe, Business Director, Enigma, Sydney.
How did you end up in account management? Was it by design or a cosmic accident?
While I love the idea of cosmic accidents and the notion of simply ‘falling into the job’, in my case, I definitely didn’t trip and fall into the crazy world of advertising!
I was 21 and AMV BBDO had just launched Viva La Vulva for Essity. It was three minutes of vulvas singing Camille Yarbrough’s Take Yo’ Praise and I remember thinking it was simply the best thing I had ever seen and ‘that’ (whatever ‘that’ was!) was what I wanted to do. I started the grueling application process, applying to many London advertising graduate schemes, with AMV at the top of the list. I think I spent more time writing my AMV application than I did my final university dissertation. My poor family had to sit through hours of me practicing my presentation. But luckily it worked – I got to work with the amazing people who made the singing vulvas, and it was magical!
Balancing clients’ objectives and creative vision can be challenging. How do you deal with that?
I put them all in a room together to fight it out.
Only joking! However, I do believe when you’re stuck in the middle, it's important for creatives and clients to build their own relationships and communication channels (where appropriate). This way, everyone feels heard. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing, which is to make great work. When we all talk openly in a safe space, we can figure out the steps to get to this goal.
Additionally, good creative work never came from everyone agreeing all the time. Creativity comes from a diversity of views and opinions. Thus, I welcome a good debate!
What strategies do you employ to clearly convey creative ideas to clients and address client feedback?
Creative ideas are only as good as where they will live and the role they will play. It’s no good simply sharing an idea with no opinion on where it will go and where it will take you. You need to ensure you build out the consumer journey and take the client on the journey too.
We’re often so deep into the details of the work - it’s important to remember to step back and look at it with ‘consumer eyes.’ Presenting the work is a good opportunity to reiterate this.
In terms of addressing client feedback, I’m a real advocate for the old school printer and highlighter method. You cannot just forward client feedback - you need to sit with it, scribble on it, understand it, push back on it, share it with strategy and creative, and finally, align with the client on it. Feedback is one of the make-or-break moments in delivering a campaign, and if you don’t understand it fully, the wheels start to fall off.
How to build strong relationships with clients?
The relationship between a client and an agency is built on trust, communication, respect and understanding what each other needs to achieve their goals. Picking up the phone (little and often!) is the easiest way to build relationships and chat through any issues - big or small. Like all relationships, no-one likes surprises (unless they’re good ones!) so making sure you manage expectations is important. The creative presentation starts well before the meeting - it’s important to remember this.
Do you have any go-to tips for navigating challenging conversations with clients? And effectively selling an idea.
Run towards the fire - it won’t go out through avoidance! This means prioritising difficult conversations and ensuring the right questions are asked to get to the cause of the friction. As they say, “swallow the frog!”
As business managers, our role is to give our clients the tools to sell the work internally. Listen to their concerns, find solutions, and ensure they’re excited by the campaign – no-one wants to push a big stone uphill.
Are there any emerging trends or challenges in the industry that account management teams should be prepared for?
I'm not sure there’s a bigger trend at the moment than the revival of Taylor Swift. Her Australian tour is all anyone is talking about. While people are quick to hate-on Taylor, as a marketer, you’d be silly not to delve into how she’s received such viral stardom. Because at the end of the day, it’s every brand's dream!
Taylor has followed all the marketing basics – she’s used the power of authentic storytelling to capture an audience, she’s reinvented herself to stay relevant, and she rewards loyalty. She is a brand, and arguably, the most successful one of 2024.
As an account manager looking for lessons from Taylor, it’s a good reminder to go back to the brilliant basics (because they work!) and look beyond traditional advertising for inspiration and learnings - it can sometimes be found in a sequin leotard!
What advice would you give your younger self when you first started out in account service?
If things always went to plan, we’d be out of a job! I used to get very stressed when a plan would change, timings would shift, or something would go wrong. However, the more campaigns you work on, the more you realise something will ALWAYS go wrong. Not in a pessimistic way, but more in a Frank Sinatra That’s Life way. The sooner you realise this, you become more resilient and better able to master healthy paranoia.
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