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The 4A’s works to advance the craft of Business Leadership and champion the strategic value that Account Managers provide as essential business partners to both agencies and clients. We work to establish the gold standard for excellence at all levels in our member agencies and the corresponding skills, knowledge, characteristics and responsibilities that are required.A major component of that mission in the 21st century is anticipating and adapting our standards to the ever-evolving requirements needed for Account Managers to lead client business and their agencies into the future, be it templates or tools or training programs.
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Latest in Business Leadership
What It Means to Be An Account Leader in 2020
Matt Stiker, former president of agency Garrand Moehlenkamp and member of the 4A’s Business Leadership Committee, on the critical role of account leaders in the agencies of tomorrow.
Account Management Is Here to Stay
Angela Johnson, US Client Development Officer of the Dentsu Aegis Network and chair of the 4A’s Business Leadership Committee, on why client partnership and growth leadership will always be top-of-mind.
Assorted Resources for Business Leadership
4A’s Mastering Agency Relationships
Marketers can master agency relationships with several critical skills. Bruno Gralpois of Agency Mania Solutions details the many hats marketers must wear to do so.
4A’s Relationship Management Best Practices Guidance
A playbook to help you get your client relationships off to a good start and stay on track.
Avoid Deadly Scopes of Work
Read how to improve work quality, efficiency, and transparency while sidestepping common issues.
MSA Guidance
Agency operations are changing in concert with the rapidly evolving technology and accelerating client marketing expectations. The 4A’s Agency-Client MSA Provision Guidance Series includes information on important provisions of agency-client agreement provisions.
Recommended Resources
- Client Audit Guidance
- Allocation of Risk, Indemnification & Limitations on Liability
- 4A’s MSA Guidance: Data Security – The Rules of the Road
- The Do’s & Dont’s of MSAs, Security, and IP Ownership
Tap into 4A’s Research Team
One of the amazing benefits of 4A’s membership is access to our staff of knowledgeable and experienced information specialists.
We’re available to conduct customized secondary research projects when you need them. Think of our Research Team as an extension of your agency — your secondary research partner. Contact us for new business research, information to support a recommendation to a client, or any other secondary research need.
Submit your request using our online form. You can also email [email protected]. You’ll receive confirmation of your request and any follow-up questions within one business day.
4A’s Professional & Organizational Development
The mission of 4A’s Professional & Organizational Development is to help agencies and individuals grow, adapt, and thrive. POD enriches the industry by offering initiatives that develop necessary skills and cultivate leadership.
- Free COVID-19 related webinars for members In the wake of such an unprecedented crisis, we have assembled a series of webinars to ensure you and your staff are secure in new work-from-home scenarios.
- Leadership Training – The 4A’s has developed various programs for agency professionals to learn skills to become future agency leaders. The objective is to provide learning based on the premise that creativity, profitability, and growth are fueled by effective leadership. Find out more here.
- Workplace Engagement – Comprehensive, in-person sessions that offer participants the tools needed to support themselves and their colleagues. Read more here.
- Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies (IAAS) – The Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies (IAAS) is a comprehensive, multi-week program designed for talent with one to five years experience.For new professionals, it’s an opportunity to learn new ways of thinking and gain an enhanced ability to work virtually in a team environment. For agencies, it’s an invaluable investment in your employees, as they’ll return to work with a better understanding of the big picture, and a renewed passion for doing great work and increasing their contributions. More here.
- Craft Skills From C-level executives to new hires launching their professional careers, the 4A’s offers best-in-class learning and career development programs. We offer ever-expanding experiences in a variety of formats, including on-demand webinars, half- and full-day workshops, and multi-day experiential programs and certifications. We develop up-to-the-moment offerings, like our modules to enhance your remote-work experience. We will help you win over the top talent with programs that develop every person on your team. Find out more.
Agency Job Descriptions
The 4A’s maintains a large collection of standardized agency job descriptions, representing roles common within our industry.
To better find the right talent to fill key agency positions, the 4A’s makes available to our members detailed agency job descriptions, organized by department/discipline. These descriptions have been compiled from actual member employment offerings, and have been modified to remove specific organizational references.
We also have additional job descriptions beyond those posted here. For additional information or requests for sample job descriptions, please contact the 4A’s Management Services team at [email protected].
4A’s Member Discounts & Exclusive Offers
This members-only program provides access to exclusive offers and benefits on leading products and services that support your daily business needs.
Whether you need information & resources for a new business pitch, data for a campaign, more office space, or tickets to a hot industry event, you’ll want to check out AAP first.
Part of 4A’s ongoing efforts to enhance its member benefits, AAP is a one-stop shop for valuable offers from a broad, carefully selected array of partners, spanning categories like:
- Market Research
- Media Research
- New Business Support
- Workforce Support
- Real Estate
- Industry Events
And the list is growing daily. Remember, since AAP is for 4A’s members only, you must be signed in to the 4A’s website to gain access.
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Business Leadership (Account Management) Committee
The 4A’s Business Leadership (Account Management) Committee exists to advance the craft of Account Management and champion the strategic value we provide as essential business partners to both agencies and clients.
The 4A’s Business Leadership (Account Management) Committee will do this by:
- Establishing the gold standard for excellence in Account Management at all levels and the corresponding skills, knowledge, characteristics and responsibilities.
- Anticipating and adapting our standards to the evolving requirements needed for Account Managers to successfully lead their clients’ businesses, and their agencies, into the future.
- Identifying and guiding the creation of education and training programs to deliver on those standards and evolving requirements.
- Identifying platforms through which to showcase the value and contribution of Account Management to the industry.
For more information, contact Greg Walker.
Member Committees
The 4A’s oversees 30+ committees across all industry disciplines, from Professional & Organizational Development to Human Resources to Project Management and everything in between; these committees meet nationally & regionally. In addition to meeting to discuss their business interests, 4A’s committee members help program regional & national events, author industry guidance, and provide their expertise to other members. Learn more here.