How to Choose the Best TV Advertising Agency
How to pick the best creative agency?
When you're looking to get your brand on TV often the first step on your journey will be to pick an advertising agency. It's a big decision to pick the best agency who can distill your brand message into a compelling ad that can drive sales. Your selected agency must big bold enough to build a stunning campaign, while protecting your budget and leading you through the minefield of regulations.
What does a TV advertising agency actually do?
Most people think TV advertising agencies are full of bobble-hatted trendies sitting around scratching their goatee beards imagineering the future. While this is largely true they do play an important role in getting brands noticed. Here’s a list of all the roles an advertising agency can play: campaign strategy, creative development, screenwriting, advert production, Clearcast approvals, final file delivery to stations.
It's not set in stone that agencies need to do all the steps, some do all, others only handle specific areas of the process. When picking an agency it's good to know what they handle.
Start with the job, not the agency
Before you head out and track down a shiny new advertising agency to gussy up your image it's best to stop for a beat and consider the job you need undertaking. Are you in need of brand campaign? Or perhaps you're after a bit of DRTV action? Picking an agency that suits your particular need narrows down the field and helps you someway to landing a fruitful partnership. Some business areas need specific help like financial services or healthcare, selecting an agency with a rules and regs understanding is a must.
The main types of TV advertising agencies
The words used in this industry can be slippery. Here is the plain version.
Don’t worry too much about labels. Focus on capability, responsibility and fit. If an agency says it handles TV, ask what that means. Do they write scripts? Can they produce commercials? Are they skilled in the ways of Clearcast? Do they buy airtime? Finally, will they deliver the clocked files?
What makes the best TV advertising agency?
The best TV advertising agency for you will usually have five things. It will have great creative work. Be relentless when handling production. They’ll know how UK TV clearance works. Importantly will be honest about the budget. And it will be easy to work with when the pressure piles up.
Some agencies look brilliant in the pitch and then vanish behind account handlers. Often, small agencies look modest and then work like absolute terriers. Many famous agencies are worth every penny, some are not.
Look at the work first
The work tells you a lot. But it’s not whether you like it. Ask what it was trying to do. Was the advert clear and memorable? Did the tone fit the audience?
You are not looking for an agency that has already made your exact advert. In fact, that can be a warning sign. If the work all looks the same, you may get the same answer everyone else got. Look for signs that the agency can make something simple without making it dull.
Check whether they understand TV ad production
TV ad production is not just filming. It is planning, casting and locations. It is also crew, music and usage. Then there is legal text, post-production and delivery. It is also knowing what can go wrong and planning around it.
Ask who will produce the work. If they talk only about the idea, be careful. Ideas are important. But TV adverts have to be made.
A line in a script can add a shoot day. A location choice can affect insurance. A product claim can affect the whole edit. A voiceover usage term can affect the budget. The agency should know this before it becomes your problem.
Ask about Clearcast early
Clearcast should not be treated as admin at the end. In the UK, Clearcast describes TV ad clearance as a three-stage process covering script, rough cut and final clocked TVC (Clearcast Help Desk).
Knowing how to work with Clearcast matters when choosing an agency. If the agency does not talk about clearance, ask why. If your advert makes claims, ask how those claims will be evidenced. If the agency says "we will sort that later", keep your hand on your wallet.
Make sure they understand the rules
TV advertising has rules. They protect viewers, broadcasters and brands. It also stops campaigns from being misleading, harmful or unfair. Your chosen agency doesn’t need them to sound like lawyers. But you need them to know when legal and compliance issues matter.
Ask who will actually work on the account
Pitch teams can be impressive, they’re built to be impressive. Before you hire the agency based on a pitch, ask who will work on the business day to day.
A big agency may bring huge resources. That can be useful. But if you are not a major account, you may not get the most senior people after the pitch. If you’re a smaller brand, a smaller agency may give you direct access to senior talent.
Be clear about media planning
If the creative agency is not buying the media, it still needs to understand where the advert will run. A 30-second linear TV spot has different pressures from a BVOD test or a CTV campaign.
Creative and media should talk to each other. The audience, format, budget and campaign timings should shape the creative. If those parts are handled in separate silos, the work can suffer. Ask how the agency works with media planners.
Ask how they handle budgets
A good agency should give you a clear budget and explain the main cost drivers. That might include creative development, production and cast. It might also include locations, music and post-production. Clearance support and delivery should also be covered.
They should also say what is not included. No one enjoys discovering late in the day that music usage, extra cutdowns or delivery files were not in the original number.
Do not confuse cheap with good value
Cheap TV adverts can be expensive in the end. If the advert looks poor quality, the media spend has to drag weak creative up a hill. If the script is unclear, viewers will not remember the point. If the claim is wrong, clearance can delay the whole campaign.
That does not mean you need to spend silly money. You need to spend the right money in the right places. A good agency will be honest about what your budget can do. It should also be honest about what might not make the final edit.
Test the chemistry
Chemistry is not fluffy; it affects the work. Bad chemistry slows decisions. It makes feedback vague and production stressful. And it pushes everyone to protect themselves rather than the idea.
Questions to ask before hiring a TV advertising agency
Here is a practical shortlist.
You do not need to ask these like a robot. But you should get answers.
Red flags to watch for
Some warning signs are obvious. Others are quieter.
Be careful if an agency:
- Talks about TV but has no broadcast experience
- Avoids detail on Clearcast
- Cannot explain the production process
- Hides who will do the work
- Gives a vague budget
- Promises the earth too quickly
- Shows work you do not admire
- Dismisses media planning
- Treats legal text as an afterthought
- Says every problem can be fixed in post
That last one is a classic. Post-production can fix many things. It cannot fix a bad brief, a weak idea or a missing shot that nobody captured.
How Toast approaches TV advertising
Toast is a TV advertising and video production agency. That means we understand the creative idea and the production process. We can help shape the script, plan the shoot, manage post-production and support the route through clearance and delivery.
We are not interested in making the process more mysterious than it needs to be. We prefer plain talk, clear budgets and practical schedules.
If an idea is too expensive, we will say so. If a script needs tightening, we will say so. If a claim looks risky, we will say so before it becomes a problem.
That is how good TV work gets made. Not by magic.
How to compare agencies fairly
If you are comparing agencies, give them the same brief. Give them the same budget range. The same timings and the same decision criteria.
It can help to score each agency against the same areas:
What happens after you hire the agency?
The first job is alignment. Everyone should agree on the brief, budget, timings and approval route. Then the agency can develop the creative and production approach.
So, how do you hire the best TV advertising agency?
Start with the problem. Then look for the agency that can solve it.
Do not hire the biggest name by default. Or hire the cheapest quote by reflex. Hire the agency that understands the job. That is usually the best TV advertising agency for you.
If you are choosing a TV advertising partner and want a straight conversation, speak to Toast. We can help you work out what you need, what it might cost and whether TV is the right route in the first place.
