Conflict of Interest? Please Help!

[creativeagency]

I co-own a small creative branding and advertising agency and have been hired to provide my client visual branding. Our agency has also submitted an estimate to design and build their website. We are aesthetic experts, the fee is fair yet substantial and have been brought in to help a company in desperate need of change. My client has also been working with a PR and collateral communications company (of one) for some time that also operates as a branding and advertising agency with website development capabilities (outdated vision/outdated capabilities). It is possible that this person wanted the job, inclusive of handling the website. In the past week, I reviewed an email this contractor sent to my client/employee criticizing our work after it had been approved (typically creative is only reviewed internally, it had been forwarded by this employee). In another instance, an idea this contractor submitted (via client/employee) was dismissed by the client/director and I have been asked to re-include the idea (via client/employee) for a secondary group approval (this group does not include the initial selectees). I have been asked (by the client/employee) to speak with the PR contractor outside of scheduled meetings for her input and have noticed that creative ideas that were submitted by my agency earlier in the week have now been implemented on my client's website at the end of the week (assuming, but not sure, relayed by above client/employee to the contractor, as the company name and contact number are featured on the website).

Is this a conflict of interest?

Are their suggestions how to handle this professionally?

I don't want this to effect the relationship, the creative work or the possibility of securing the website design.

I would really appreciate any help!

[vangogh]

I'm not sure I'd call this a conflict of interest. It sounds more like the client hired two different companies who's roles sometimes overlap on the project. Ideally your company and the PR firm would communicate and work together toward the same goal. The client should probably have decided one of you is in charge where roles overlap, but it doesn't sound like they did.

If I'm understanding right the client seems happy with your work so far, which is good. It sounds like it's the PR firm that's complaining and perhaps they did want to work on the design of the site.

It's probably a good idea to communicate with the PR firm to gain a better understanding of what their plans are for the client, at least where your two jobs overlap. Given you've been hired to do the branding I would think your company should be making the higher level decisions with the PR firm following your lead, though the PR firm may not like that.

The client is who you're working for so first and foremost make sure the client is happy. If you can communicate with the PR firm in some way I do think it will help.

[tylerhutchinson]

I think VG made some great points.

I agree it is not a conflict of interest. I have actually had a similar thing happen to me. I was hired to build a marketing plan. After I built it I was hired for a second part where I would actually do the marketing plan. The company also hired a second marketing firm to handle other areas on the marketing plan I developed. The company owner did a good job in giving us set tasks so that we didn't really do double work or anything. Although I would have rather done it all through my firm, I made sure I handled it professionally by staying open minded and making sure that I was polite and helpful to all parties. As a result, I was once again re-hired.

[vangogh]

The company owner did a good job in giving us set tasks so that we didn't really do double work or anything.

Yep. Someone has to be in charge. I think the issue here might be it's not so clear who's in charge over certain parts of the project.

I'm thinking that communication with the PR firm can at least help so that your efforts and their's are aligned. They're going to need to be to work anyway. Where you both agree there's no problem. Where you disagree on how to handle something you can bring your case to the client and let the client decide on the direction to take.

[creativeagency]

I really want to thank you for your useful assistance as I have a meeting with my client tomorrow. Your valid points are welcome!

My concern is that we have both bid on the website development. My business would love the additional income and the ability to preserve the vision of the brand. I am just disappointed that our creative was leaked by a director present in the meeting to the PR firm (personal friend of the director) and then implemented on the client's current site (I assume to validate the PR's existence and bolster her cause). The client has been truly happy with our work up until last week when the PR tried to discredit our positioning statement (literally line, by line, after it had been internally approved by four of their directors). The negative feedback on her part certainly set the tone of the meeting. The 2 directors present appeared to be more skeptical of our work despite the fact they were so pleased the prior week.

Still same advice?

[vangogh]

It's a hard situation. First and foremost handle everything professionally. You may lost the site for this client, but being professional will help you get other sites.

Here I would focus on doing the best job you can. When it comes to convincing the client you should build the site, speak positively about what you can do and more why what you'll do will help the client. I wouldn't resort to being critical of the PR firm. In the end the client will choose. While you want the client to choose you there could be so many reasons why they don't that have nothing at all to do with you. For example if the client chooses the PR because of the negative things they say about you, is that really a client you want to work for?

The biggest lesson I learned early on was saying "no" to clients. You're not in that situation, but the idea behind saying "no" is that not every project is a project you need. It's ok to turn some work down or lose some jobs if they don't agree with your long-term strategy. Naturally there are times when you need to take most any project offered, but it's important to keep in mind that the projects you take on today lead to more of the same kind of work and clients in the future.

[creativeagency]

VG, You are awesome!

[vangogh]

Glad I could help. :)