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Cultivating creativity through strong client-agency trustA strong client-agency relationship can streamline your entire creative process. A good relationship positively impacts the whole creative workflow. Unfortunately, the converse is also true. ![]() Source: © 123rf 123rf Ann Nurock, partner: Relationship audits and management, Radar, examines what a strong client-agency relationship entails The recent Cannes State of Creativity Study showed that the agency-client relationship impacts the creative workflow. It can lead to creatives feeling undervalued, which leads to lower quality and less innovative work. On the client side, many clients don’t believe they are deriving value from their agencies. As Victoria Sjarden, VP marketing The Kraft Heinz company says,” You will succeed or fail based on you as a client. So, if there is a problem, 50% of it is your problem.” What's the solution?Building a solid relationship involves open discussions, shared values, and appreciating each other’s cultures. A client-agency partnership can't just rely on contracts and resource plans. It's about standing together and facing the challenges that will inevitably come up. Creativity can't thrive without trust, and trust is something you build over time. Trust takes timeMarcel Marcondes, global CMO at AB InBev and a two-time creative marketer of the year at Cannes Lions said that in their business, they need to take risks, and for that, they need trust. While trust takes time, the best work comes from long-term client/agency relationships, which begs the question of why some clients go out to pitch every three to five years. As an example, AB InBev has worked with Ogilvy for over 50 years. Vaughan Croeser, VP marketing at SAB, echoes this sentiment and implements a strong culture of creativity in everything they do, which has led to outstanding results, like SAB's record high volumes in Q1 2024. Mutually beneficial relationshipsI have worked on agency-client relationships with Radar for many years. Here are some of the points I believe make these relationships mutually beneficial:
In my experience, the best-in-class agency and client relationships are marked by a collaborative, transparent, and flexible approach to achieving shared goals. About Ann NurockAnn is a Partner at Relationship Audits and Management, a global consultancy that measures and optimises client /agency relationships. Her proprietary Radar tool is used by 30 corporates globally and as a result, she interacts with over 200 agencies of all disciplines. In addition to Radar, Ann attends the Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity on behalf of the SA Creative Circle and Bizcommunity and presents the trends to all sectors of business
Contact details: Ann.nurock@relationshipaudits.com;
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annnurock View my profile and articles... |