When we started 20something in March 2019, we were running towards the rumblings of a new era and chasing a feeling that things were on the turn. When I reflect on that time, I feel fortunate to have had over 15 years learning from the old guard behind me, but more than that, I feel grateful that I still had enough energy left, and enough road in front of me, to change course. All being well, when I hang up my boots, my career will be of two parts…. The first trying to chase a fading idea of a creative agency, the second, rewriting that idea altogether.

Resistance to change is a death toll for progress, so when it came to business planning, the most pertinent question was always “what do we need to keep and what can go?”. And that’s never really changed to be honest. We stared at supply and demand for the 2020s, rather than trying to emulate and sustain a familiar agency shape that hasn’t changed much in maybe 60 years. We talked about solving the quality over quantity dilemma, value and margin rather than growth and volume. We talked a lot about finding efficiency, in order that more budget would go in front of an audience than the process of getting there.

On the surface, it took a two-week vacation to Devon to write the business strategy and set out the commercial plan but in reality, it took a total rejection of everything we had known and blind faith in our instincts. This wasn’t about pivoting in the wake of Covid 19, we were still a year away from anyone knowing what a coronavirus was. No, this was about rethinking agency models for what was coming: all-in fees + production, projects over retainers, an increased pace, procurement looking for alternatives, more integrated relationships with marketing departments and crucially, budgets needing to deliver more than traditional setups could offer.

Even back then, we were talking to a new generation of marketers, the ones with a new set of problems to solve, facing new audiences who can’t always be reached by conventional advertising. More often than not, that’s adapting to the attitudes and outlooks of a new generation, a generation that’s facing some of the biggest hurdles we’ve ever faced: climate change, gender dysphoria, chronic mental ill-health, workplace wellbeing, sustainable production and consumerism. Whether we’re working with a next-generation company or an industry stalwart that recognises the need to adapt, the common ground tends to be getting to grips with changing agendas and working with human and social change rather than resisting it. 

Much of the time, we find that what brand teams need more than anything else, is open mindedness, an ability to build very bespoke teams for a brief and a willingness to integrate. There is such an incredible amount of nuance to overcome now, we’re seeing more and more that one-size-fits-all just doesn’t fit very many these days. High standards for creative and strategic thinking should be a given - there are too many options not to tick that box as a matter of course. What makes the difference is being able to shapeshift and reduce budget erosion so that whatever’s available can work as hard as possible under increasing pressure.

It stands to reason that with smaller budgets and multiplying channels, if you can find a way to offer more for less, then you’re already one step ahead of the game. There are a number of ways you can do this.

Avoid what’s unnecessary, never compromise on the necessary

Less trappings, less egos, less passengers. Greater humility, transparency and accountability with your spend - and your clients’ spend, of course. Conviction about what you fight for and when you let go. Integrity in your recommendations. Get this right, and it grows trust and loyalty exponentially. I learned as an Account Exec needing late-night artwork changes, that if you go about your business well, people will stick with you. Grab-and-dash and you’ll never see them again.

Invest time in hiring well

Simple really. When you hire well, you hire less. Less people, less often. Anyone who looks after a P&L will tell you that’s the easiest place to find efficiency in a less-than-efficient operation.

Bow to co-creation and collaboration

Collaboration is the other major source of efficiency in more adaptable, flexible and modern businesses. Having spent three years refining our collaboration model, it’s now probably responsible for our greatest uplift in margin, without inadvertently stifling growth.

When we were planning 20something, I ran some overhead numbers on a traditional linear process; it was a eureka moment. The buildings, the systems, the support teams, the overlap, the individual pressures on margins, it’s alarming how much they add up without actually contributing. The first concrete strategy we committed to paper was: work out how to break down the silos.

It needs production companies, and often media partners, upstream with everyone around the table from the off. It takes a team ready to work collaboratively, respecting each other’s individual specialisms but who thrive on teamwork and being involved in the process beyond the box they’re usually refined to. If you can find those kinds of people, you can dismantle unproductive ‘us’ and ‘them’ dynamics and create a non-judgmental space for the work. Creative work thrives in those conditions, as do the people who care about making it and who genuinely believe it can change the fortunes of a business.

When collaboration is more of a prerequisite than a buzzword, you can field a bespoke multi-disciplinary team from the outset. The efficiencies of that continue to amaze me, regularly, and it’s a great leveller in the debate of agencies vs. in-house because it borrows the best from one and steals strength from the other.

Get unstuck & build a pipeline. Or pipelines.

As we head deeper into the 2020-somethings and new audiences with new attitudes who consume in new ways, it seems crazy that our industry seems so stuck in its ways, in so many ways.

But with roles clear from the off, budgets transparent and everyone involved before the creative horse has bolted, you will find almost without exception, that it makes for a more positive working practice and less f*ck ups that need digging out.

For a company fixated on efficiency, pipeline is an ongoing source of debate. The answer? Run as many lines off the back of the boat as possible and like any high-risk speculation, diversify. A model built on collaboration can develop way more strategic partnerships than a closed system, so go broad and again, be open minded. Then, find the consultants that share the vision and have alternative ideas for how marketing teams and creative folk can get to know one another without having to go all the way. Find ways to avoid long drawn-out pitch processes, and when you can’t, be discerning about the pitches you undertake. And when that’s all set up, take a look at the IPA’s Pitch Positive Pledge, then let’s get together to figure out how that becomes a reality.

Follow a path less trodden

For those that are prepared to take a path less trodden, the opportunities are not difficult to find. By putting the demand before the supply, you’ll find that doors open and people want to talk. By remaining open minded and embracing a spirit of discovery, you’ll be amazed at how many people (talent and clients) are interested in discovering new ideas with you as they reimagine their place in this industry.

The world has changed inextricably and for many, the old ways of working are broken beyond repair, with no going back. And that’s no bad thing - because we get to rebuild in a way that is more creative, more collaborative, more sustainable, more effective and way more fun. Why wouldn’t you want to get on board with that?