Mischief’s media pledge
With its media offering, Mischief is also capitalizing on an erosion of trust that has plagued media agencies and their clients.
The formal offering launches with a pledge to be wholly unbiased, to prioritize efficacy over efficiency, and to provide true integration for clients through “one brief, one P&L, one solution.”
“I don’t think I’m saying anything new when I point to controversy and lack of trust that’s created by things like principle-based buying and vendor kickbacks,” McKibbin said. “At this particular moment, there’s such a big conversation around the dire need for a practice that does it differently.”
Lee added that Mischief is not doing principal-based buying, but if a client wants to tap into such a solution, it can facilitate a partnership with a third-party barter entity.
“We’re not quite big enough, and honestly, that goes against what we stand for,” she said. “We want to be completely unbiased in what we recommend. Our first and foremost goal is the client’s goal, and recommending things that we actually believe are going to work, versus offloading media.”
McKibbin added that Mischief always discloses “where and how we’re buying, and we steer clear of the murky middle of hidden markups, meaning we’re really able to be fully transparent in our fees.”
Here is Mischief’s pledge:
We create work that makes a stir because we believe the riskiest thing a brand can do is be ignorable. As your media partner, we vow that we will get to unignorable with the following principles at heart.
- Unbiased. Always. No self-interest. No offloading inventory. No partisan partnerships. No sideroom deals or kickbacks. No racing to the bottom.
- Efficacy Over Efficiency. Are impressions the primary KPI, or are sales? Efficiency yes, but only if it moves the needle—business results above all.
- (Real) Integration. The bundling of media and creative is a story as old as the industry, but just that—a story. This is a creative and media love song: One brief, one P&L, one solution.
Only What You Need, Nothing You Don’t. Segmentation, data, and buying platforms—yes, of course. But no to upselling tech. No to unnecessary tourists in meetings. No to BS: Because we’re not in a tools arms race that clients ultimately foot the bill for.
