Whilst arguably management of agencies has never been as good as it might be, the situation has, without question, been exacerbated by the changing nature of the communications eco system and the issues and questions that have arisen by this relentless challenge. Quite simply, the world of communications has undergone a number of seismic shifts with:

• Some clients feeling that their needs are outpacing their agencies’ abilities to deliver against them
• Many businesses having increased access to behavioural data which potentially enables them to move certain projects in-house
• Agencies being constantly pressured to re-shape themselves to deliver what clients are demanding
• Agencies consistently being in the spotlight from opinion leaders and the trade press and having their confidence and raison d’etre undermined
• Significant noise around around in-housing aspects of their comms eco-system

In this increasingly complex (and potentially, uncertain) environment, there has never been a more important time for closer understanding of client/ agency needs and behaviours. We firmly believe that no longer can clients treat agencies as mere suppliers. To deliver success in this new world, traditional ways of working and mindsets across all parties need to change, be re-set and delivered future-ready.

Our guest speaker and WFA strategic partner, Stuart Pocock, Joint Founding Partner of The Observatory International, reviewed some of the key findings from our recent joint study on global effective agency management, with an aim to shed some light on what agency management currently looks like, what are the issues arising, and what might have to change going forward. And, importantly, what clients can do to become better clients.

Please find the recording of the webinar here.