Online agency search service now offered as free benefit to BMA membership.
May 31, 2004 — Online agency search service now offered as free benefit to BMA membership.
Richmond, VA – The Business Marketing Association (BMA), the venerable trade association for business-to-business marketers and service providers, announced a partnership with Agencyfinder.com that will allow the association’s members to search for advertising and pr agencies quickly and at no charge. Agencyfinder is the largest marketing services search engine of its kind in the world and has more than 2,500 comprehensive headquarter listings of advertising agencies and pr firms. The BMA has over 3,000 members.
“Our association’s membership is made up predominantly of client marketing managers and advertising directors,” explained Rick Kean, Executive Director of the BMA. “We know that it takes a while for agencies and clients to find out if they’re right for each other. The Agencyfinder process helps reduce the possibilities of a mismatch which could save our members thousands of dollars as they transition to a new agency.”
Although Mr. Kean wasn’t able to say how many BMA members intended to search for new agencies over the next year, a recent Agencyfinder
survey indicated that one-third of those marketing managers and business decision makers polled said they intended to hire a new or additional agency sometime within the next twelve months. “That wouldn’t surprise me,” said Mr. Kean. “I don’t think agencies have any idea how deeply in trouble they are or could be on any given day.”
“Agencyfinder is a great fit for the BMA,” explained the company’s Chairman and CEO, Charles G. Meyst. “Of the 4,000+ searches we’ve done since launching Agencyfinder, many of them are for smaller B2B accounts like the kind that make up the BMA membership. These are accounts that aren’t necessarily looking for the big, Madison Avenue agency, but rather for someone who knows the market and understands how to build brands cost effectively. Our database is loaded with those kinds of agencies,” said Mr. Meyst.
Agencies can register for a minimum “maintenance fee” with Agencyfinder, but the company’s business model requires agencies to pay an annual subscription fee in order to actively participate as a contender in a competitive pitch once they’ve been selected and pass their initial “telephone screening interview” with the searching client. For agencies that have paid their annual subscription fee, they receive full contact information for any and all other clients who invite them for a period of twelve months following their subscription payment as part of the Agencyfinder service agreement.
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About Agencyfinder.com – Agencyfinder.com is a service of Business Partnering International, Ltd. and was founded in February 1997. The service is the most comprehensive database of advertising and public relations agencies on the Internet today and is intended for use by companies seeking agency support for projects, campaigns or long-term relationships. Searching is free to marketers and supported with complimentary search consulting advice (telephone and on-site consultations) provided by the executive staff. Advertising agencies and public relations firms pay an annual fee to be part of the online database and to participate in searches. BPI is headquartered at 4327 Cox Road, Vantage Place, Glen Allen, VA 23060. For more information, call 804-346-1812 www.agencyfinder.com
About the BMA – The Business Marketing Association (BMA), established in 1922, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the professional development needs of business-to-business marketing and marketing communications professionals. BMA develops and
delivers benefits, services, information, skill enhancement, and networking opportunities that help its members develop and succeed throughout their business-to-business careers. BMA is headquartered at 400 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1510, Chicago, IL 60611. For more information, call 800-664-4262. www.marketing.org
