Account Directors: Bridging Agency-Client Gap With Perfection

Agency account directors may not get much press or public accolades, but a good account person can be responsible for keeping the lights on at any agency. On paper, an account manager is responsible for overseeing advertising and marketing campaigns within the agency. They work across departments, from creative to accounting and project management teams and serve as a liaison between the agency and the client. From market research to promotional strategies to seeing campaigns from ideation to completion to overseeing other account people, the account director must wear multiple hats daily. "A good account director is always looking at what’s now and what’s next, so they are in a constant state of optimization to better client work and the agency,” Allison Wade, group account director at Anchor Worldwide, told Adweek. Understanding the entire business Account directors must be the ultimate multitaskers, with an ability to understand every aspect of the business and connect them through each campaign. Good account directors foster and maintain client relationships to grow the agency’s business. “They are drivers of every department and help inspire and sell great creative work into clients. They are trusted partners, understand the numbers as much as the creative concepts and think ahead as much as they do in the moment,” said Kim Tracey, svp of account services at independent agency Barker. Agency Managing Directors Must Balance Client and Employee Needs Brooke Braafladt, account supervisor of the small independent Seattle agency Little Hands of Stone, said that account management is a constant balancing act. “You’re working as a dual agent for the client and the agency, and your job is to be the connective tissue between the two. Strong account managers can go into the big picture and in the weeds simultaneously,” said Braafladt. Account directors have different titles at each agency, ranging from account managers to account supervisors to account leads and various other titles. What ties them together is an innate curiosity. Knowing the entire business means answering questions and constantly learning. “There's a misconception as an account lead that you have to have all the answers. The truth is you don't have to have all the answers, but you do have to figure out how to get to them,” said Tyler Harris, former group account director at Mischief @ No Fixed Address recently promoted to managing director. Katie Elder, head of client service at purpose-driven agency Public Inc., said that the ultimate success comes when clients see the agency as an extension of the team. “We speak their language, understand the business and add capacity for them,” said Elder. The Evolving Roles of the Agency C-Suite• The Modern Agency CEO Must Lead With Empathy.• The Modern CCO Must Lead Through Inspiration and Communication.• The Modern Agency CMO Must Balance Brand-Building, Business and Culture.• What Makes for an Effective Modern Chief Strategy Officer.• The Modern ECD Must Be the Ultimate Multitasker.• Agency Managing Directors Must Balance Client and Employee Needs. The three steps to being a good account director Veteran account lead Erin Wasson has been in the trenches over the years at Ogilvy, DDB and The Marketing Arm (TMA). She recently rose from evp of growth and development to evp and managing director at TMA and knows what it takes to become a good account person. She pointed out three parts that make up a good account manager. The first is being business minded, knowing the client’s business thoroughly and caring about its success. The second is becoming the client’s trusted partner. “Trust is built in building success, but it’s also in those times where you might make a mistake. Building that magic really happens when you’re in the trenches together,” Wasson told Adweek. The third piece comes from the agency side. One of her team members once told Wasson that account people are the CEO. When she asked what that meant, the person told her, “we are the chief energy officers.” “I loved when she said that to me, because it's really about creating that connection with your teams to create that energy… You have to be as good on the outside of your agency as you are on the inside,” said Wasson. Fight for the work, build relationships and lead with empathy A good account lead must sell the agency’s creative ideas to the client. They must know the value of their agency and champion the work. “There is a misconception that creative is solely responsible for making great work, and that just can't be how the business works anymore. We all need to play a part,” said Harris. Braafladt stated that being an account director is more than just a translator from client to creative. “You are a key step in between that is additive to the process. The layer of strategic and creative thinking you add is invaluable and makes the work better.” A good account director is ultimately accountable for the strength and mutual success of client-agency relationships, and that involves knowing each person on their respective teams. “Account people are in the business of building relationships and those who have empathy tend to be really good at their job,” said Paula Beer Levine, managing director and head of account management at Walrus. “One of the most important roles we have at Walrus is to help sell the best work. The way we do that is building those strong trusted relationships with client partners." Anthony DelVecchio, vp and management supervisor at Marcus Thomas, said that a good agency account director must be a good business leader, embraced by the internal team and external client partners as trusted advisors. “They facilitate opportunities in which the agency can deliver its best work, mutually beneficial value can be created, client challenges can be solved and relationships can thrive,” said DelVecchio. Harris said that the easiest thing an account person can do is kill them for various reasons, like the budget is too small or the idea will take too long to produce. But account directors need to protect those creative ideas. “If we can’t protect it, it will die, because ideas are fragile,” said Harris. The future of account management Technology, remote and hybrid work are bringing changes to how the account director position is done, adding extra challenges but also opportunities to learn and expand remits. “Since remote work is a recurring reality, you have to be mindful about how to make connections with internal and client teams. It takes intention and dedication, but it unleashes potential,” said Danielle Garonce, account director at purpose-driven agency Wondros. Peyton Sutton, evp of client partnership at independent agency Curiosity, added that account directors must be willing to embrace change, especially as technology like AI changes the game. “Account leaders will need to be curious about change, seek to understand it, know how to weaponize it and be willing to reinvent themselves to evolve with the industry,” said Sutton. Wade added that the role morphs in real time and the account director is tasked with setting the tone for the team so they are set up for success, but that must be done with empathy. “We learned a lot through the pandemic—that it is essential to carve out time for caring, conflict resolution, meditation, therapy and other activities that make team members whole,” said Wade. Sutton thinks the account leads of the future will have a greater diversity of thought and background, which will bring a “necessary perspective” to agencies and clients. Sutton’s advice? “Consider how to make yourself unique and bring a differentiated point of view to the work and client partnerships. Think of yourself as a marketer first and develop and hone the skills you need to be a great marketer. The relationships will follow the business acumen you bring to the table.”

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