To be completely transparent or not, that is the question. Jim Alexander argues that “as long as the client is willing to own the consequences of engagement by proxy I don’t think the identity of the content authors need be an issue”. Having worked in a the toxic world of marketing, brand managers and marketing managers have 1001 tasks to do. Today, it may likely include promoting their brand through social media, a job that is time-consuming as well.
I believe that an agency should be a true partner of the company, and should think, “feel” and respond like the company. In the absence of time or even talent within the company, the agency can talk in behalf of its client (if so assigned by the client) and full disclosure is not needed. BUT, the company has to take full responsibility and accountability for everything the agency writes on its behalf. Hence, the company must make sure their agency is fully briefed, and their content and “manner of speaking” with the end-user is as if it were the company itself talking. It should not relegate the entire process to the agency; it must co-build the relationship with the end-users together with its partner agency.
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