KEY ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT – Advertising agency management of domestic and international accounts

Examines similarities and differences in account management, the use of formal account reviews, and the role of interpersonal relationships in domestic and international accounts. Significant findings include: formal account reviews are important for both domestic and international accounts, but are used more for domestic; professional interpersonal relationships are important for both, but social interpersonal relationships are more important for international accounts; international accounts require better coordination between multiple agency offices than domestic. Implications of these findings for agency management and account executives include: select managers for international accounts with different skill sets than for domestic; train international account managers to succeed in multiple environments, both managerially and socially; encourage and facilitate formal account reviews for international and domestic accounts; and provide support for social interaction for managers of international accounts.