As more brands are engaging in social media, and using agencies to help develop strategies and execute on them, there exists the possibility for tension between the two parties. We always like to share the good work we are doing, right? Whether that is on our website, social network or our own personal page, we like showing off.

However, that “want” to demonstrate our work invariably leads to client angst. Nobody is under any delusion that brands do everything by themselves. However, when social media creates an expectation of brand “transparency,” agencies sharing information about work they’ve done from a social perspective can create some tension. That tension is amplified when agencies are overly “ambitious” in sharing what components of the plan/execution they contributed to completing. Here’s a tip – don’t do that!

Case in point: In recent weeks, brand team X put together a really fun online meets offline campaign using a popular social network. It was one that caught on a bit and garnered some media attention, which is always a delightful thing. And then, BOOM, there it was. A representative of the agency brand X has worked with in the past shared the news featuring the brand, accompanied by the text, “Client.” That was it. No clarification beyond client. Just, “Client.” To make matters worse, a few subsequent comments complimented the agency person by saying they would expect nothing less. The agency person missed an opportunity to correct the record.

The brand team was part shocked, part disgusted and part terribly confused how someone senior (EVP of the agency no less) could skew something so much. Yes, this brand and agency have worked together in the past, but really? Because of this relationship, you take someone else’s work and position it in such a way that makes it seem as though you advised this client. (NOTE: The true identities of the brand, agency and agency professional have been eliminated from this post. Similarly, there are some components of the story that need not be shared publicly.)

In essence, the client and agency disclosure relationship has become more difficult to manage as we have begun engaging in social on behalf of the brand. Chuck Hemann, Director of Social Analytics for WCG, and I have been discussing this issue at length offline and thought it would be helpful to have a public discussion about guidelines. For the sake of length, this discussion is going to be split into two parts – brand and agency perspectives – focusing on how you navigate these somewhat choppy waters.

Relationships are king for brands. If we do business with people we like, know and trust, and any of these are compromised, the doing business part comes into question. Ironically, PR people, who are professional communicators, are usually poor at interpersonal communication. This needs improvement in many areas of the world, but if agency and brand folks make their communication a priority, misunderstandings and who talks about what and how they talk about it becomes obsolete.

How to Disclose?

• Check internally to make sure you are able to share client news with an external audience (social media/communications policy).
• Use #client or client when sharing news you’re involved in.
• Know your client’s preferences. Ask if you’re unsure (a good standard in any relationship). If you have clearance to talk about what you are doing with a client, disclose what the project is only. I know we love to embellish, but social is about transparency and being honest with current and future customers. Honesty is the new black, so hop on the bandwagon.
• Know when it is right to share the news about a project. It goes without saying that you probably don’t want to share negative news, but this one is so simple it’s scary. If you have any doubt about whether it’s kosher to share something, don’t. Ask for permission first from your client.
• Curate a unique piece of work (case study, vid, etc.) that highlights your ability to collaborate and execute with a client (per their approval). It’s progressive and shows your excitement and dedication to the brand. If that’s not in the cards, show your enthusiasm for cool projects by saying something like, “So nice to see one of our clients execute this great campaign.” You’d be amazed how far that little sentence goes with your client.

These are just some thoughts Chuck and I had from the brand side. For those of you who have dealt with this in the past, what have you found works well? What didn’t work so well? Please share here so we can all learn.

If you’re looking to read more on this topic, the awesome Arik Hanson tackles Client Disclosure on Twitter: What’s Appropriate? Great post!

(Reminder: Part 2 of this series will be a presentation from the agency perspective. As is the case with everything in life, disclosure is a two-way street).