«Agency.OS has improved the structure and efficiency of campaign planning»

Mr Chandler, Mr Patella, you’ve both been working with Agency.OS for two years. What challenges did you face in campaign management that could be solved by Agency.OS?

Cesare Patella: As briefings become increasingly complex and reporting requirements become more stringent, we wanted a solution for consistently efficient campaign management – from planning to billing.

Damian Chandler: The biggest challenge for us was fragmentation. As a large 360° media agency, we work with many clients across many different categories and channels, which also creates a great deal of complexity in terms of budget. A central tool in which all investment flows merge and can be analysed and controlled was an important next evolutionary step for us. 

How was the onboarding of the new tool and the support provided by WEMF in this process? 

Cesare Patella: In WEMF, we had a very professional «sparring partner» who understood and incorporated the needs of a media agency quickly and easily. Feedback from practical experience was incorporated, adjustments were made quickly and open questions were clarified promptly. 

Damian Chandler: That’s what we’ve experienced too. The onboarding process was intensive, instructive and successful. As one of the first movers, we had to put in a lot of initial effort to help develop important features of the tool, but we also had room for manoeuvre in developing the tool for our own purposes. WEMF understands the Swiss advertising market and the needs of agencies very well. In this context, WEMF’s proximity to the Swiss market paid off enormously for us, as it allowed us to rely on very intensive, personal and active support. 

What was your experience when you used it live for the first time?

Damian Chandler: I noticed how complex the infrastructure behind the tool is. But it is precisely this that allows us to map the complex and fragmented media world in an automated manner and thus significantly increase efficiency in our operational business.

Cesare Patella: Our first live use was an important moment in transferring the previously defined processes into practice. As expected, there was a need for further adjustments at the beginning. Some processes had to be fine-tuned. 

Which features of Agency.OS do you particularly appreciate?

Cesare Patella: We particularly appreciate features that ensure faster handling, such as the download of individual Excel reports, the creation of production plans, and the web-based method of working. And, of course,, the end-to-end depiction of planning, processing and billing.

Damian Chandler: We appreciate the connections to all major platforms. Equally valuable is the reporting function, which allows us to evaluate all investments made and totalled using various reporting dimensions at the push of a button.

To what extent has Agency.OS changed your campaign planning and management?

Damian Chandler: From a purely procedural point of view, campaign management has been expanded to include an additional step: in addition to the usual booking processes and campaign setups for different buying platforms, we now also need to create a campaign in Agency.OS. However, the additional effort is limited thanks to the APIs and other automated solutions. Since we started using Agency.OS, we have seen significant improvements in internal coordination. We have also been able to standardise and centralise administrative and budgetary project management. We can monitor and optimise agreements with marketers in a much more targeted and resilient way for our customers. Collaboration with marketers has also become much more efficient. 

Cesare Patella: Campaign planning and management have changed for us, especially in terms of structure and efficiency. Previously, planning, purchasing and billing were sometimes distributed in different systems or Excel-based files. Today, all steps are mapped centrally, which significantly improves the overview and reduces interface problems. We also benefit internally from much more transparent processes and uniform campaign management. Completed tasks are more traceable, and coordination is more structured. This makes it easier to plan ahead. 

How important are the interfaces to WEMF data sets and planning tools for your company?

Damian Chandler: We work intensively with various data sets from WEMF. When planning and implementing print campaigns, these interfaces enable us to manage the entire process, from planning and booking to billing, using a single software package. 

Cesare Patella: Interfaces to data sets and planning tools are very important to us because they significantly influence transparency and efficiency. Without consistent interfaces, media discontinuity can quickly occur: data must be transferred, synchronised and checked manually, which increases the likelihood of errors and the amount of time required.

Mr Chandler, at Webrepublic you use interfaces to third-party tools such as Google DV360, Meta Ad Manager and LinkedIn. What experience have you had with these? 

Damian Chandler: Developing the APIs was time-consuming and complex. In the meantime, however, the setup is very stable and processes are efficient. The fact that the system searches for new data in the background every five minutes and updates the reports once a day is a huge gain in efficiency. The fact that each employee can store their own authentication details also makes the setup very transparent and secure, even in the event of personnel changes. 

What additional features would you like to see for Agency.OS?

Damian Chandler: The continued expansion of connections is certainly an important function that must be guaranteed in the long term. The landscape is constantly changing and Agency.OS has to keep up.

Cesare Patella: This is also important to us. Otherwise, we see potential for improvement in more marginal functions that could make day-to-day work even more fluid. For example, advanced reporting options or flexible dashboards could help to prepare and analyse data even faster. 

Thank you very much for your insightful comments.