Account management is an essential part of running an advertising agency. It involves managing various aspects of the business including clients, projects, costs, negotiations, and agency reputation. Effective account managers have in-depth knowledge of agency processes, clients' businesses, and general business and marketing topics. They act as the link between clients and other parts of the agency, and must balance many competing priorities to ensure projects are delivered successfully.

1. AAAI Beginners Series
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2. Account Management -
A Necessity
Management is like a pivot around
which an agency’s business revolves.
What many fail to recognise is that
advertising is a ‘business’. It is the
reason that clients are called
Accounts. And every business needs
a good manager to manage accounts.
Account Managers of The Real Reality or What
the Shaolin good Account Management is
Account Managers tend to be at the all about
receiving end of both, clients and As the name itself implies, it is about
creative. Creatives brand them as the managing. Good Account Managers
well-dressed ‘courier guy’ or are Jack of all Trades, the difference
‘postman’. No one listens to them. is that they are Masters of All, as
And all of them say that they didn’t well. Account Managers who ‘know’
do an MBA to chase artworks, are smugly comfortable about the
despatch stuff, spend nights in office fact that they can do anything they
waiting for material to arrive, write want (copywriting, media planning,
contact reports, fight with creative, media buying, film production,
and get paid peanuts compared to whatever…) anytime, but the others
their peers in banking. cannot do what they do.
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3. Account Management is Account Management is Account Management is
about Managing Sales about Managing People about Managing Negotiations
Agencies are in the business of Being the link between the agency Account Managers have to be expert
selling creative solutions. It is as and the client (or put differently, negotiators, be it with clients, be it
Account Management is ambiguous and intangible a product Account Management is being at the epicentre), Account Account Management is with creatives, be it with
about Managing Business as it can get. Good Account about Managing Agency PR Managers have to manage people about Managing the Science photographers or film makers or be
Good Account Management is about Managers are the ones who manage Good Account Managers need to within the office as well as their of Marketing with the Art it with media. They always strive to
never losing sight of the fact that it these sales. As mentioned before, it know about the agency, the clients. They have to play a of Advertising get the best so that the agency’s
is a business they are into. They is once again a fine balancing act happenings in the agency network, balancing act so as not to Like Luke Sullivan says in his book, creative as well as business
have to keep the wheels of the since the interests of the client as the philosophy of the agency, its antagonise everyone all the time, ‘Hey Whipple, Squeeze This’, interests are never compromised.
account moving all the time. They well as that of the agency have to convictions and beliefs. It is only or, for that matter, anyone anytime. “Advertising is a craft executed by They need to have enough maturity
have to manage costs, revenues, be kept in mind all the time. So they then, that armed with such They have to play consultant, people who aspire to be artists, but to understand which battles are to
profits and not just manage, but have to be prepared with their knowledge, they can present a friend, partner, boss, agony aunt, is assessed by those who aspire to be fought and defended with their
make them grow without clients ever rationale and base their sale on a confident and definite picture of the mentor, guide, patient listener and be scientists. I cannot imagine any life, and which are to be let off.
getting the feeling that the agency strategic thought. They also need to agency to their existing clients as many other things all the time and human relationship more perfectly
is taking them for a ride. have an open mind. They shouldn’t well as prospective ones. They are sometimes at the same time. designed to produce total mayhem.”
unnecessarily defend, either with the the best link the agency has with By possessing some of the above
client or within the agency. the outside world. mentioned skill sets, Account
Managers can actually help achieve
this balance.
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4. Here is the how and why. Account Management is about Managing Knowledge. The knowledge
that Account Managers need to acquire can be broadly classified into 3 classes:
Knowledge of Agency Knowledge of Client’s
Processes Business
In an agency, it is only Account This will truly help the relationship.
Management that is ‘unskilled’ Account Managers need to be as
labour. Everyone from art directors, concerned about their client’s
to production people, to copywriters business as they should be about
and even media all have a set of their own. They need to know as
skills that they have mastered. much (and maybe even more) about
Account Managers, being the only the competitive environment as the
regular point of contact with the client does. They need to know the
client, need to have a working happenings in the marketplace so
knowledge of all disciplines so as to as to recommend ideas and
be able to manage the account. solutions to the client.
General Knowledge
A well read and well-informed
Account Manager needs to further
develop his knowledge to be able to
apply it to seemingly disparate and
unrelated things.
Advertising Agencies Association of India
35, Maker Tower 'F', 3rd Floor, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 005.
Tel: (022) 2218 2164 / 2218 7609 Fax: (022) 2218 9590 Email: aaai@vsnl.com
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