Lead agencies can be great. At MullenLowe we’ve held the position of lead agency numerous times, growing great relationships with teams that work together like a perfectly timed, well-oiled communications machine, producing results that extend well into the future of a brand.
But without care, co-operation and communication, a lead agency can add to the bleeding out of the industry.
I’ve seen the transformation from a thriving ‘lead agency’ to a floundering ‘bleed agency’ firsthand.
Within the South African marketing and communications landscape, there seems to be a liberal, often ambiguous use of the term ‘lead agency’.
This came about when everyone started to realise that the fragmentation that occurred in the industry with the focus on specialist digital/PR/events/social/influencer agencies and the pigeon-holing of ‘traditional’ agencies was creating fractured brand communications, lack of accountability and increased confusion and time for clients.
The solution was simple: make the team that is known for what was called ‘big idea’ thinking responsible for threading everything together. And this was the lead agency – wonderful.
The lead agency was also responsible for guiding and ensuring all communications were doing what they were supposed to – makes absolute sense. It also smoothed out roles and responsibilities when various agencies on the same brand were fighting over who does what – perfect.
Except that it’s not.
Real life
I’ve had the experience where what I’ve described above does not translate into real life. What has occurred is clients using the notion of lead agency as a way of absolving themselves of tasks and responsibilities, such as briefing sessions. This would work if it was paid for, but it’s not.
What a lead agency is paid for is also often far less defined than that of specialists; which makes sense when there is a blur between client and agency teams, but it can be used to ‘hide behind’. The bleed starts here.
There can also be the misinterpretation that lead agency resources are permanently available at the drop of a hat. This is total murder on the dance floor.
Understanding where the relationship goes wrong is crucial, but more importantly, recognizing how to make it work successfully is the key to fostering innovation and growth.
Input equals output
At the heart of any successful client-agency relationship lies mutual respect and clear communication. When client shares business challenges, results and research, a good lead agency will provide support and ideas and propose solutions.
Creating the right partnership, where there is mutual respect and clear communication, will result in a lead agency that is proactive – an agency that will worry about the brand, watch competitors, seek out opportunities and will enthusiastically ask random people what they think about the brand.
In effect, the lead agency becomes a true extension of the brand team. It opens up a space where agency can be brutally honest and bring a different perspective to the table, one that will further drive success for the brand.
When client treats agency as a supplier who’s there to serve their every whim or when the effort that agency puts in is never acknowledged, the result is an agency team with uninspired, reactive and demotivated people. And who wants that?
What agency wants from client
At the bare essence of it, there are two things that lead agency expects from client – trust and fairness.
Trust means a number of things. Being kept in the loop is one of them. If Client can’t share information because of a lack of trust, you need to part ways immediately. Both parties should also feel comfortable sharing feedback and concerns without fear of backlash.
Fear, which is often generated through referencing pitches or ending contracts, causes anxiety. Anxiety causes brain fog which can lead to a task or project taking longer than it should, which is a waste of time and energy for everyone. Saying one thing verbally and writing another thing in mail is another thing that erodes trust.
Then fairness – especially where it concerns payment and expectations. In terms of turnaround, deadlines and expectations, client needs to understand realistic timelines. From the outset, client and agency need to clearly define responsibilities, timelines and deliverables.
This clarity provides a clear framework within which both parties can operate effectively. Cost should be set against deliverables and payment terms should be respected.
What client should expect from lead agency
A lead agency should see the big picture, advise on direction, create an inspiring platform or idea that is tight enough for the brand, but flexible enough for all the disciplines to optimise what they do best. It is also the role of the lead agency to bring the activities together into a cohesive manner.
In terms of a great lead agency team, what they should bring to the table is a mix of skills, interests and backgrounds, together with a shared belief in what can be achieved.
Enthusiasm and a desire to do great things, make a plan when necessary, and do the less exciting things in order to get the job done, are also important characteristics of a great team.
Creating client, lead agency cohesion
Good communication – clear and lots of it – will allow the relationship to flourish and the brand to succeed. And communication not just about the task or project, but around understanding the pressures of each business.
Get to know and interact with each other as people; people who have all kinds of things going on in their lives, good and bad.
Laugh together. Too often relationships can become transactional. Business is serious but a few minutes of shared laughter makes a huge impact to the way people feel and hence the work that comes out. Joy should not be seen as wasting time or not taking the work seriously. The levels of joy reveal the true nature of the relationship.
Face-to-face meetings where possible. It allows you to read the room and feed the (positive) energy, but also pick up on potential reasons for negative vibes. In-person meetings encourage straight-talking, which clears doubt, fear and uncertainty and keeps the project on the right track.
Be kind and be clear. The two are not mutually opposed. Sometimes hard conversations have to be had and it may not always be what the other person wants to hear, but lack of clarity makes things worse.
Mutual respect. When agency feels valued and client feels heard, the partnership can thrive. Celebrating successes together and addressing challenges as a team will take the brand from strength to strength.
Committing to the relationship
In conclusion, the transition from ‘lead agency’ to a ‘bleed agency’ is often a result of miscommunication, inflexibility, and misaligned expectations.
However, by prioritising open communication, adaptability, clarity, and mutual respect, client and agency can cultivate a relationship that not only works but flourishes. When both parties are committed to these principles, the result is a powerful partnership that drives innovation, growth, and success.
Sarah Dexter is CEO of MullenLowe SA. The MullenLowe Group is a creatively driven integrated marketing communications network with a strong entrepreneurial heritage and challenger mentality. We are a global creative boutique of distinctive diverse agencies, rich in local culture with both intimacy and scale, present in 65 markets.
