• by Chris Cunningham , Op-Ed Contributor, August 4, 2009

We all know the sayings, "timing is everything" and there is a "time and a place" (see my Co-Founder and President Michael Burke's previous MediaPost piece). My question is what does that mean and how is it relevant to executing, planning and strategizing around social media campaigns on the Web? Before I explain what I think the answers and solutions are let me first tell you what I think the issues are facing our great industry.

We know there is lots of room for improvement in our industry as a whole and some challenges are fixable, others will take time and some just can't be fixed, but one issue that can be addressed is how to properly leverage partnerships by knowing who they are, how they can help and when to bring them into a conversation.

Being a sales executive for more than a decade has given me the opportunity to speak with hundreds of sellers. You get dinner, maybe a beer, compare notes and the funny thing is the challenges are the same across the board. The most common themes are around issues navigating the waters of digital execution. Who's doing what? Who was considered and who actually made the decision?

After a budget has been determined and strategy set within a marketing organization the next steps are to get with your creative shop - the ones who come up with the beautiful slick Web sites, TV ads and themes. The brand and creative shop will create and build the concept and strategy, set budgets and then call in media buying agencies that have little information and were never in the conversation from the beginning. Before I continue it's very easy to see where the problem lies.

The planners charged with going out to spend a portion of the dollars to help support, brand or drive traffic are coming in after key conversations have taken place and have not been given the opportunity to properly reach out and contact publishers that can execute for the initiative. I'm not saying this happens all of the time but I think most folks would agree there is often a disconnect when there are two or three different agencies with different budgets coming into various times of a campaign.

Imagine walking into a movie half way through and getting the "what happened so far" from the dude gobbling up popcorn next to you or going to a wedding and meeting the couple for the first time. In most cases and, yes, dramatized a bit, you don't know the history, game plan or theme like you would if you were there in the theater during the previews or went to college with the soon to be married couple. Too many times we see the digital media agencies being pulled-in late in the game to effectively align an RFP with the strategy, not to mention the publisher in a timeframe that makes sense. Digital RFP turnarounds from 1999 have gone from one month, to three weeks, to a week, to three days, to a day. Yes, I said it, one day!

How can you come up with the first to market idea or breakthrough solution with an ultra quick turnaround? Rome wasn't built in a day. I don't fault the media buying agencies. I think they are doing the best they can with what they have to work with. As a player in the social media space and one who has sold, run and executed countless digital campaigns, the good ideas happen when conversations start at the beginning with the client then the creative shop weeks before the standard RFP's go out.

Often RFP's just go out and become a one size fits all and don't even make sense for the publisher or even worse the planning team doesn't fully realize the potential the partner can offer in the larger picture. Unfortunately, we spend too much time selling ideas and platforms while the clock is ticking. I also understand that there isn't enough time in the day to bring all of your partners in at early stages. But the best run programs across mobile publishers, such as Quattro, and video distribution and content creators, like DBG, were planned early in the lifecycle and made all the difference in the world.

So when my company for example was invited to participate on day one with the clients from major beverage companies, airlines and CPG brands at their headquarters - it provided the conversation and gateway to digging deep on what's possible and to get that "out of the box, big idea." The time frame sometimes three-to-seven weeks of planning, designing with the creative shops and digital buying shops was invaluable to outlining specific KPI's (Key Performance Indicators) that made sense for that partner.

The time was early, the place was having a seat at the table and the outcome or result was teamwork between client, creative, buyer and publisher. It was a cohesive effort and know one was waiting or caught off-guard when the baton was passed - and more importantly the outcome was better than expected. Good sales teams and the best publishers should be viewed by client and agency as best friends because at the end of the day it's their inventory, opportunity or people you are reaching, having a conversation with and most importantly building a relationship.