After years in the advertising industry, I’ve noticed a disturbing pattern related to client and agency miscommunication:

Most marketing directors and their agencies aren’t even speaking the same language. This miscommunication costs companies thousands in wasted ad spend every month.

Here’s the translation guide you need:

• You say: “We want more engagement.” They hear: “Let’s get as many likes as possible.”
• You say: “We need demand generation.” They hear: “Let’s pump out awareness ads with no real path to conversion.”
• You say: “Improve consideration metrics.” They hear: “Let’s boost click rates on low-quality traffic.”

The problem isn’t just agency miscommunication—it’s that many agencies optimize for what’s easy to measure, not what actually drives business results.

Let’s set the record straight:

• 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 isn’t just likes and comments. It’s meaningful on-site actions that qualify prospects to become customers.
• 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 isn’t just random clicks. It’s view-throughs, quality ad engagement, and time spent with your brand.
• 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻 isn’t just impressions and reach. It’s driving qualified traffic and guiding users to the next step in their journey.

This misalignment has led to significant waste in advertising budgets across industries.

The solution? Collaborate with your agency to align on campaign goals, strategies, and KPIs for every single line item in your media plan to find agency-client alignment. If your agency doesn’t get this, you’re not aligned—you’re just spending.

Does your agency truly understand what success means for your business?

If you’re done with vanity metrics and ready to improve your agency miscommunication, book a free 30-minute strategy session. 

#MarketingTruth #AgencyTransparency #MediaROI

Author: Jonathan Neugebauer, Media Director