TrinityP3 rejects conflict of interest claims over new Calibr8or service

So let me understand this….

A former employee of a business that charges other businesses to evaluate and benchmark the capabilities of another group of businesses in a highly competitive yet ultimately undifferentiated specialist industry, containing within it multiple specialist disciplines, then sets up a new company in the same building as his former employer and offers part of the original service under a new guise, but now charges separately for that service, including charging his former employer, who presumably will now on charge their existing client base for a service that those clients thought they were getting as part of the original service.

What are we missing here? Or are Darren and Steve incredibly smart? And the rest of us presumably, incredibly not smart?

Perhaps this was what Darren was referring to in his recent article about adding value for clients…

So these guys pontificate on the practices of media agencies, rebates , trading desks etc.. Assume this holier than though mantel and then have the gall to launch this .. Appalling

‘reminds me of the late 90’s when Agency Register charged clients to be on its books- from which it made recommendations to clients for shortlists. No pay, no recommendation. The AFA took them on (for once) and had this extraordinary arrangement scrapped. What’s the MF or TCA view on this?

Totally inappropriate for a pitch consultant to be involved in a business like this.

Apologies, my comment should have read “charged agencies”…not “charged clients”….(although maybe not a bad business model!).

I am confused. So what do the agencies who pay for the service get, versus those that don’t? “consulting services” and “feedback”?

“Calibr8or is a resource that TrinityP3 pays for to get an evaluation of media agencies specifically around their capabilities.”

I would have thought, that having run hundreds of media agency pitches over the last 5+ years across all client sectors and sizes, that TrinityP3 would already have a pretty damn good understanding of the capabilities of the various agencies in the market.

As a media agency this would be insulting to ask them to pay for this. When you fail in a pitch, feedback is usally free.

As a client advertiser, I’m surprised TrinityP3 is publicly saying they dont already know the capabilities of media agencies and have to pay a 3rd party to find out.

Forget the media agencies.. I predict client fallout. Looks like and smells like a cash grab to beef up revenue.. this is not a service media agencies or clients are demanding or have asked for and will just increase costs in the marketing ecosystem. Eventually clients pay for overheads as we all know. Ebiquity must be rubbing their hands with glee at this news.

I think this will be good for us. Take the focus of rates and put it on capabilities and therefore more towards value. We should get paid for what we’re good at.

So Darren, are you saying that without this product P3 will not have the nessesary information to FULLY evaluate an agency? Isn’t a client to expect you will assess an agencies capabilities as part of your normal process anyway?

My experience with TrinityP3 has always been positive and they have acted in the best interests of all parties. Which is why I think Darren needs to take a long hard look at this service and decide how poorly it reflects on the integrity of his business.

it’s only a conflict of interest if trinityP3 say it is!

So where does “…..the accurate footprint of what they can do and where their skills lie”
come from? Website says it is science based…………..human behavourial abilities mixed in a laboratory?? Really……………