Budget pressures are compelling brands to extract more value from every rand spent. Rapid AI advancements are raising tough questions related to job displacement, maintaining authenticity and managing consumer trust. And, in an oversaturated media landscape, cutting through the clutter requires sharper targeting and bolder creativity than ever.
Add to this the complexity of current marketing ecosystems, where the average client juggles 13 different agency relationships across media, creative, digital, PR and performance, and the need for strategic alignment becomes critical.
With 70-80% of South African companies running financial years ending in February, the window for meaningful agency assessment is rapidly closing.
The numbers game: why delay costs
The maths is unforgiving. A full agency review takes at least three months, onboarding another three, and then December vanishes into the festive period. Marketers who don’t start their assessments by July risk entering 2026 with partnerships that can’t meet their strategic needs.
“This isn’t necessarily about wholesale agency changes,” explains Johanna McDowell, CEO of the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company. “It’s about understanding whether your current partners have the talent, tools and forward-thinking approach needed for 2026’s challenges.”
Assessment vs replacement
Given the time pressure, marketers should approach this as an audit rather than an automatic pitch process. They should assess whether existing relationships can be developed to meet new requirements, identify gaps that need to be filled and recognise overlaps that are draining efficiency.
This assessment-first approach recognises that the goal isn’t change for change’s sake—it’s strategic fit for the road ahead.
The consultancy advantage
Intermediary consultants can bring what internal teams often lack: impartiality, a global perspective and reliable data. Unlike agencies with skin in the game, an intermediary or pitch consultant focuses solely on what benefits the client.
When the process is genuinely client-focused, everyone wins. Agencies benefit from clearer briefs and more structured processes, while partnerships are built on solid foundations from the start.
They also understand market trends that individual brands might miss, such as in-housing movements and performance benchmarks. Tools like AGENCY SCOPE provide the intelligence that transforms gut feelings into evidence-based decisions, tracking agency performance patterns and industry shifts that might not be visible to individual clients.
The strategic framework
Agency reviews often start with the wrong question. Instead of asking, “Are our agencies any good?” effective marketers should ask, “What do we actually need them to do?”
Begin with your 2026 business goals and the marketing needed to achieve them, and then figure out what capabilities that demands. Only then does it make sense to assess whether your current internal and external resources can deliver.
This approach often reveals that the problem isn’t necessarily incompetent agencies—it might be unclear briefs or unrealistic expectations.
The cost of delay
The consequences of getting this wrong extend beyond missed deadlines. Brands that enter 2026 with misaligned agency partnerships face a year of firefighting rather than strategic growth.
“The brands that take this seriously will enter 2026 with partnerships that actually accelerate their objectives,” observes McDowell. “Those that don’t will spend their year wondering why their marketing isn’t working.”
Act now
For marketers planning any level of agency review for 2026, the message is clear: act now. Whether it’s a comprehensive ecosystem audit or a focused capability assessment, the window for meaningful evaluation is closing quickly.
The alternative is entering the new financial year, hoping your current partnerships can withstand challenges they may not be equipped to solve.
The IAS (Independent Agency Search and Selection Company) in association with the AAR Group (UK) was founded in South Africa in 2006. IAS specialises in client/agency relationship management and helping clients find agencies.
