Dazzle Issue 5: Growth

L IF E @ 197
IT IS WHAT IT IS
PETER STEVE, OWNER & CCO
Kelly Alansky, our new initiatives
manager, is enjoying watching her
son Porter play t-ball for the first time!
He’s excited to be on team Dash!
Kelly also
welcomed Eden
Lane Alansky
into the world
on July 8 th !
Welcome to the Ideaworks
family, Eden!
UNDERSTANDING THE
VALUE OF VALUE-BASED
AGREEMENTS
Donna Hansbury,
president & CEO,
thoroughly enjoys watching
her great-niece grow into
the coolest little person
on the block. Harper is
coming up on two years old
already this September –
wow, how time flies!
On April 25th,
in honor of
Administrative
Professionals Day,
we celebrated Chris
Konnick, our amazing
administrative
assistant, by sending
her a gorgeous flower
arrangement and
treating her to lunch.
Chris keeps us all in
line, manages multiple
office tasks and often
surprises us with
afternoon treats!
Thank you,
Chris, for all you do!
Brian Leonard’s daughter,
Evangeline (Evie), recently
turned seven! Following in her
dad’s creative footsteps (Brian is
our creative director), she chose
a painting party for her and
her closest friends. Originally,
Evie chose a unicorn as the
painting for the group. However,
she later went with a horse
“because boys might not like
to paint a unicorn.” She is such
a thoughtful and caring young
girl! The kids really
enjoyed painting;
although, it seemed
like the parents
enjoyed “helping”
them more!
Alyssa Ellsworth, our marketing
communications manager, married her
high school sweetheart, Alex, in June.
The couple honeymooned in Italy, and
their favorite spots included Florence
and the Amalfi Coast!
Gabby Creazzo, graphic
designer, was excited to hit
the road with her friends
and travel to Myrtle Beach
in South Carolina earlier
this summer. She especially
enjoyed living the “beach
life” for a few days, soaking
up the sun and relaxing with
a good book!
Elisha Capie, graphic
designer, recently got engaged
to her longtime boyfriend,
Will. They’re excited to begin
planning and scheming for
what is sure to be a fantastic
wedding. Elisha is already
close to finding her dress!
Chelsey Tupper, director of
marketing communications,
and her husband Brian
recently visited New York
City. While there, they dined
at Buddakan – the restaurant
in which Carrie and Big host
their rehearsal dinner in
the Sex and the City movie.
Chelsey has wanted to eat
there ever since she first
saw the film, and it did not
disappoint. Their dinner was
amazing, especially the oxtail
dumplings!
This past winter, Allison
Simenkiewicz, graphic
designer, adopted two
bunnies, Henri and Trixie,
from our local charity of
choice, Blue Chip Farm
Animal Refuge! Pictured
is Henri. While he is a
little on the shy side,
Trixie warms right up
to anyone and is super
loving!
Peter and Judy
Steve, owners of
Ideaworks, are
excited to announce
the engagement of
their oldest son, Peter
III, to his fiancée Sara
Bielski! Peter popped
the all-important
question in April
while he and Sara
were at the Masters
Golf Tournament in
Augusta, GA. Also
there was Tyler
Steve, Peter’s brother,
who captured the
special moment.
Congratulations,
Peter and Sara!
Recently, our agency was asked to
participate in an RFP with a technology
company that was looking for a partner
who would be willing to enter a risk/reward
(or value-based) agreement to win the
business. While such RFP requirements are
not new to us as we see similar requests
with growing frequency in the industry, it
did get me thinking about the real value of
such agreements for both parties involved.
In theory, a value-based
agreement has benefits for both
the client and agency when
executed correctly.
From the client side, they receive
some assurance that the company
they are partnering with has enough
confidence in their work to risk some
of their compensation. By nature, this
type of agreement also creates a more
open environment for the exchange of
information and the mutual commitment to
achieving agreed upon goals.
For the agency, value-based agreements
demonstrate their willingness to share
the risk for the work they are developing.
It instills a genuine focus on creating and
executing a strategy that achieves success,
although any agency worth its while should
maintain this position with all its clients. It
also makes the agency feel more like they
are part of the client’s team – working
together to produce measurable results.
For the client, value-based agreements
offer a way to evaluate the commitment
of the agency they are considering
employing. Beyond a screening mechanism,
value-based agreements also provide an
added level of confidence regarding the
investment being made not only in the
agency but also in the project or initiative
under development.
Regardless of which side of the equation
you are on, both parties should expect to
receive as much in return as they risk.
Financial incentives aside, the most
important consideration for all involved
with value-based agreements is the
measurement process. But how do you
measure the success of a campaign,
program, ad, etc.?
Our experience with such agreements has
shown that there are key factors that must
be in place for such agreements to be
successful including:
• Mutually Defined Measurable Goals
• Quantitative Baselines for
Benchmarking
• A Means to Empirically Track
Performance
If the proper measurements are in place
and there is complete transparency on
the part of both parties, then value-based
agreements can represent the start of a
wonderful and lucrative partnership for
both the agency and client.
16 DAZZLE: ISSUE FIVE DAZZLE: ISSUE FIVE 17