Hickory Dickery Deck, Your Lousy RFP Asked for Spec.
ICA CARD CAMPAIGN LETS AGENCIES ANONYMOUSLY BLAST BAD RFP'S
TORONTO, March 25, 2019 /CNW/ - The Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA), a non-profit association representing Canada's advertising, marketing, media, & public relations agencies, is firing a shot across the bow in the battle against bad RFP's. Often full of frustrations, missing information and essentially obsolete, RFP's have become the bane of many agencies' new business development.
Enter 'RIP RFP' Cards, a set of five seemingly congratulatory greeting cards designed to 'get real' with the C-Suite about red flag frustrations and flaws in their RFP's.
Any agency who has been the victim of a bad RFP can fight back anonymously by visiting the ICA's Pitch Watchdog site at http://www.theica.ca/rip-to-the-rfp and have a physical, printed card sent to the RFP's procurement contact. All that agencies need to do is give Pitch Watchdog the name of the issuing company, what was most offensive about the RFP (from a dropdown list of options) and a contact name. The executive will immediately be mailed a physical RIP RFP greeting card by Pitch Watchdog.
The cards, created for the ICA's Pitch Watchdog program feature an ironic image of champagne glasses (implying celebration) on the front with text saying "Everyone is Talking About Your Agency RFP …" Each card then features a humorous poem that communicates a specific RFP frustration issue and a call to action for the receiver to consider Qualification-Based Selection (QBS) instead.
Card # 1 text
Outside of Card |
Inside of Card |
Call to Action |
Everyone is Talking About Your Agency |
Hickory, dickory, deck. |
You need QBS. |
"As an industry, it's time for us to kill the RFP," said Scott Knox, President and CEO of the ICA. They can be destructive for agencies but also costly and ultimately ineffective for clients. They needlessly drain money, creative, and time out of agencies while leaving clients with an incomplete picture of working with creative and media providers."
Key RFP frustrations (based on agency feedback) are:
1. Dear Client…you asked for spec! |
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2. Dear Client…you asked for so much paperwork! |
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3. Dear Client…your RFP timing sucks! |
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4. Dear Client…you haven't disclosed a budget! |
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5. Dear Client…your RFP had a great start…but could be so much better! |
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"A lot of agencies dream of telling clients what they really think of RFP's, but can't without damaging financially important relationships," added Knox. "The RIP RFP cards are our way of stepping in and acting as the bad guy so agencies don't have to burn bridges."
As part of the initiative, the ICA has also released a 150-page QBS Agency Search Guide. The comprehensive guide is authored by Cal Harrison of Beyond Referrals and edited by Leah Power, EVP Agency Operations of the ICA. The guide details how agencies and brands can shift from a frustrating RFP model to an effective QBS process for procurement of agency services.
ABOUT THE ICA
The Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA) is a non-profit association representing Canada's advertising, marketing, media, & public relations agencies. ICA member agencies account for over 75 per cent of all national advertising in Canada, with an economic impact worth more than $19 billion annually. Revitalized & under new leadership, the ICA's mission is to positively amplify, protect, & transform the agency sector of the marketing communications industry. Advancing thought leadership, higher standards & best practices, the ICA serves its membership as a progressive source of information, advice, training, & advocacy. Follow the ICA on Twitter @ICACanada.
SOURCE Institute of Communication Agencies
Patrick McCaully, Director of News Creation, ICA, 416-855-9427 x-301, [email protected]
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