Agency remuneration guidance

Advertisers want to ensure that they have the most effective agency remuneration model in place, one which strikes a balance between motivating the agency and getting good value for money.

Many want to know how to benchmark their arrangements and what new models are in the pipeline which could be adapted to improve their own arrangements.

We help guide members on more than 100 agency fee negotiations each year and consequently have a wealth of experience on remuneration to share.

We have conducted extensive academic research into the field of agency remuneration. We can provide expert guidance for our members on how to remunerate creative and media agencies, direct marketing and sales promotion, PR and digital creative agencies.

We offer a confidential coaching service and can review fee proposals and offer guidance to help you to take agency negotiations through to a successful conclusion.

Tracking trends

For the last ten years, ISBA has worked with academics to conduct tracking research into how advertisers are paying their creative and media agencies. Called Paying for Advertising, the research is used extensively on both sides of the industry to benchmark activities.

The fourth edition of the study brings an up-to-date picture of the many developments that have taken place since it was first launched in 1997. It also features explicit detail of the way advertisers have organised their payment terms with creative and media agencies.

Payment by Results

Our second industry-shaping Payment by Results (PBR) report is now available. A decade after the first report came out, this new research provides the most comprehensive evidence in the public domain on current practice in advertising agency agreements. Over 200 pages, it paints an up-to-date picture of the development of PBR in the UK and abroad, explores the many issues from client and agency perspectives, highlights the client and agency beliefs and opinions about this subject, gives examples of real life schemes in operation and provides empirical evidence of what works and why. Obtain your copy of the report and read our interview with its author here.

These are the only pieces of research for which ISBA charges but, of course, members receive a discount. Members can also access our guidance note on PBR free of charge.