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Maintains that the purpose of this study – which was a general survey of the relationships between UK advertisers and their advertising agents – was to identify the nature of the interests of organisations and of individuals charged with the maintenance of contact between them in the production of advertising material. Chronicles the study that took the form of a survey of attitudes and opinions of members of client and agency organisations. Concludes that the main interpretation to be drawn from the research data with respect to formalisation is that there exists a valid case for more specificity in client‐agency associations.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the contextual factors that influence the impact of account manager turnover on the client–agency relationship, an under-researched area of relationship management literature.

A case study approach and one-to-one interviews are used to conduct the exploratory study, analysing client–agency relationships within the UK design industry. A conceptual framework covering individual and organisational characteristics is used to examine the contextual factors impacting account manager turnover.

The findings identify both organisational and individual contextual factors that influence the outcome of turnover. Categorized into three core contexts (client-specific knowledge, multiple relationship ties and turnover process management), factors such as agency structure and culture, agency knowledge management policies and client experience were all found to impact on account manager turnover.

This small, qualitative, exploratory study suggests the need for further research to investigate the transferability of the findings to a broader range of organisational types and industries and to highlight additional contextual factors that influence the impact of turnover.

Account manager turnover does not necessarily mean the end of the client–service firm relationship. Agencies can create contexts that mitigate the potential negative effects. Small firms appear to have advantages inherent in their size, but larger firms can take steps to emulate some of the conditions found in micro firms.

This paper adds to the limited number of studies into account manager turnover, making a theoretical and practical contribution, enabling marketing managers to take steps to ensure staff turnover does not result in client switching.

This paper aims to determine the dimensions of service quality of advertising agencies and their effects on relationship quality between an advertising agency and their clients through the social and economic exchange.

The intention was to target firms which use the services of an advertising or marketing solutions agency; hence, participants were recruited from a business database service providing details for key decision makers in Australia and New Zealand. An online survey was used in this study.

Creative competence, project management processes and project outcome influenced relationship quality through value and interpersonal relationships. However, only creativity had a significant direct relationship with relationship quality.

Although creativity plays a major role in relationship development, agencies must have efficient and effective project management processes in place to ensure successful project completion within timeline and budget to be able to maintain ongoing relationships with their clients.

The research draws upon literature from three key disciplines, service quality, relationship marketing and project management, to address the gaps in the current literature related to customer relationship management in the B2B client–agency context.

This study aims to investigate creativity‐related determinants of learning in the context of business‐to‐business services and client‐agency relationships.

The research model includes client encouragement, agency creativity, campaign creativity, and perceived performance. The study involved conducting a questionnaire survey in 150 publicly‐traded companies in South Korea.

The results show that client learning from agency services is the result of the creative process of the agency and the creativity of the service outcome itself. Client learning from marketing services also varied depending on different performance ratings.

The study elucidates client learning as the central process of value co‐creation in the brand value chain. It produces several unique findings and managerial takeaways for building up better co‐creation environments in the context of business‐to‐business services.

The aim of this paper is to explore the tensions and basis for conflict within relationships that embed and connect networked companies involved in the planning of advertising, with broader relevance for professional service organizations.

Framed within a social network perspective, this interpretive study draws on 22 in‐depth interviews to discuss the emergence and consequences of conflict within relationships shared by advertising creatives, account managers, researchers and media planners located in Scotland.

The paper identifies four dominant themes which contribute toward relational conflict: the intensity of involvement in advertising planning, the emergence of role ambiguity, cultural stereotyping, and conflicts of interest.

The paper provides a valuable antidote to studies reliant on dyadic client‐agency perspectives. Adopting a network perspective, it recognizes the importance of the multiple, simultaneous relationships involved in advertising planning. It offers a critical perspective on advertising relationships, considering the emergence, characteristics and consequences of tension and conflict inherent. The discussion reveals ongoing struggles for control over the process of advertising planning, and considers the implications of overt and covert actions on perceptions of network trust. The paper provides a spectrum of outcomes, ranging from collaborative tension to intra‐organisational conflict. This study is most relevant to academics and managers involved in professional services.

This paper aims to present the first systematic review of the literature relating to the relationships between organisations and their marketing agencies, the agency–client relationship, and presents a concept matrix that identifies the key areas of investigation, and topics where further research would be beneficial. As agencies play a pivotal role in operationalising marketing strategy, this relationship is central to marketing theory, management and practice.

A systematic review of the literature was performed using key databases and search terms, and filtering on the basis of criteria relating, for example, to relevance and format, to create a core set of refereed papers on the agency–client relationship in the marketing and advertising domains. Bibliographic and thematic analysis was used to profile the literature in the dataset, and to draw out key themes.

The paper provides an analysis of the extant knowledge base, including key themes, journals and research methods. The following themes emerged from the literature, and are used to elaborate further on the existing body of knowledge: conflict, client account management, contracts and agency theory, cultural and international perspectives and co-creation. An agenda for future research is proposed that advocates a focus on theoretical foundations, research strategies and research topics and themes.

This is the first systematic review of the literature on agency–client relationships, which is scattered across disciplines and informed by several theoretical perspectives. Given the increasing complexity of agency–client relationships in the digital age, and increasing need to understand “marketing-as-practice”, the coherent overview offered by this paper is of particular value for guiding future research.

Marketing.

This case can be used in a principles of marketing course, at Introductory, Executive or MBA level, it is particularly suitable as a case on promotions policy as one of the 4-P's, to illustrate the role of marketing communications as part of an integrated marketing strategy, or to illustrate the building of a service brand.

The case illustrates a number of practical marketing issues: the marketing challenges of launching a budget airline: gaining high visibility and awareness with a relatively low share of voice; the relationship between an organisation and its advertising agency; the requirement to maintain a consistent marketing strategy over time, but to adapt the execution as market dynamics impact the consumer. Given the dynamics of most industries, kulula.com cannot afford to be complacent, as new entrants are always on the horizon. The dilemma facing Gidon Novick and his team is to rethink the sustainability of its current strategy, how to grow and protect its position, as well as the relationship with its advertising agency and its communication strategy – is a more relevant campaign or a new agency required to keep the marketing communications interesting and current?

The expected learning outcomes are: to analyse the success of communications campaigns; to explore the issue of client/agency relationships; to understand brand building strategies, how to create a distinctive position, and how to build a services brand; To understand the key success factors for a low-fare niche positioning strategy, and to examine the sustainability of this low-fare strategy; and to identify some product line extension opportunities for kulula.com.

Teaching note.

Focuses on the client’s relationship with its advertising agency to examine advertising client‐agency roles in campaign planning. Seeks to establish who buys, and to verify the role of the campaign process from a decision‐making perspective. Begins with a review of the relevant literature and then outlines a survey of 900 companies undertaken by the authors. Gives some recommendations based on the survey results.