What’s an Accredited Advertising Agency and Does it Even Matter?
When you’re booking an advertising and media agency, you want reassurance that they are credible, experienced and able to bring you the best possible value for your media spend. If they are an accredited advertising agency like ADFX, you can bet they deliver on all three counts.
So what exactly is an accredited advertising agency?
Prior to 1996, there was an advertising agency accreditation system administered by the Media Council of Australia. That all changed when the (now) ACCC revoked the system, requiring advertising agencies and other advertisers across Australia to establish individual arrangements with each media company.
These days, without a formal system in place, media companies give agency preference to experienced, reputable agencies that they are confident in supporting. All good media buyers have this media accreditation, the cowboys don’t.
Getting agency preference means you have a substantial, ongoing relationship with the media company. So, dodgy agencies who have limited to no buying experience are dissuaded from hanging up a shingle. They simply don’t qualify for media agency preference, and as a result, they are not able to bring the advantages of trusted buying power to their clients.
What does accreditation mean for media owners?
When an agency is fully accredited with all major national media companies, it means they deal with high-quality clients in a trustworthy, relationship-driven way. The media owners set up key business KPIs to ensure the media agencies act with integrity and sustainability. This establishes an ongoing system of monitoring and review, which means that agency preference is not a ‘one-off’ badge that is given to an agency. They must keep earning approval through consistent, trustworthy practice.
Accreditation, therefore, provides media owners with the security that they are dealing with reputable agencies. It also adds another layer of assurance to clients that the media agency they are dealing with is credible and accountable over time.
What else does it mean for clients?
All this means that an accredited advertising agency is better placed to work closely with the media company to align media spend with expected campaign outcomes. Clients can feel confident that they’re getting the best possible value from their media spend because the agency has both proven integrity and knowledge. They can tap into the right media at the right rate at the right time.
It’s even better when you work with a smaller accredited advertising agency. Then you get the benefits of media accreditation, combined with a nimble, adaptable approach that focuses on individual client needs.