Agencies, loyal to their working habits and professional methods, look at the qualitative and quantitative indicators mostly from their own point of view. Corporate marketing communication staff follows primarily instructions and objectives determined by the product, sales, or financial departments. Clients and agencies are increasingly “covering their backs” and looking for ways to defend their work at any price. Consumers’ point of view and the relation between the object of communication and reality seem to have vanished.

This is why there is more room than ever for consultancy companies helping bring back consumers’ real perspective into marketing communication. These companies are not here to preach wisdom, but – thanks to their many years of experience, wide portfolio of experts and pragmatic distance – to act as a moderator of communication between a client and a communication agency.

Another role of theirs is to provide the client with competent assistance and advice in creating front ends for his products, ideally at a stage when they are ready to be launched to the market. Again, thanks to moderator’s distance and experience, such cooperation may facilitate acceptation of the product by the consumer, and gives the communication agency better understanding of the product’s key features and marketing objectives.
Even seemingly trivial issues, such as agency briefing, or client brief keying, may be the right moment to invite a moderator.