It is imperative for a client to partner with its agency, rather than just hire one. A partnership means that the client wants its agency to play a key role in the company's development, exchanging results and data and working together to maximize the efforts of both parties. But when an agency is hired , the client merely gives the agency a budget and objectives, then tells the agency what went wrong at the end of each month. As in any business, there's a right way and a wrong way to do business. Obviously, a partnership attitude is the approach that works best over the long run.
Agencies understand that their clients' data are highly confidential.
However, we work for our clients and want them all to be successful. If confidentiality is the main concern, then signing a confidentiality agreement is the best way to go. It is also important to be careful using small test budgets, as they are often misleading and can misrepresent the potential of a proper ad campaign. With a one-month time frame, it is hard to decide where to place ads and optimize to get the best results. Testing ad placements is a huge part of advertising on the Internet, as the industry is still very young and continuously changing.