Alignment at the Surface, but Many Concerns Run Deep
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of CLIENT-AGENCY-MARKETING PROCUREMENT Relationships
Without question, the relationships among marketers, marketing procurement, and advertising agencies are crucial to the effectiveness of contemporary marketing initiatives.
Each entity plays a distinct yet complementary role in achieving strategic business success. Simply said, marketers drive strategy, procurement ensures efficiency, and agencies deliver creativity. However, despite having shared common goals, each role is complex and can become more complicated through the necessary collaboration among these partners. Challenges can easily arise— from realigning priorities to budget constraints to reconciling performance metrics.
The Internationalist wanted to examine the perceived synergies, motivations, and potential misunderstandings—or, perhaps better said, miscommunications—among such pivotal marketing relationships.
The ANA’s Advertising Financial Management (AFM) Conference provided the opportunity to create three interconnected surveys to correspond with a session by Jim Akers, Seasoned Procurement Executive and former ANA AFM Conference Host and Joanne Davis, Founder of Joanne Davis Consulting, based on Ms. Davis’s successful book, How to Get Your Agency to Run through Brick Walls – Without Paying More. (Internationalist Press, the book publishing division of The Internationalist, is the proud publisher of Ms. Davis’s latest work, which has the same title as the AFM session.)
Implied Alignment…
Each entity had its specific areas of interest, primarily based on the responsibilities of its roles. However, as the diagram below shows, there is a positive overlap among the various critical priorities. Yet, each group has specific interests or motivations that can lead to potential misunderstanding.
Across the three surveys, Marketers, Marketing Procurement, and Agencies were asked the same opening question: What makes for a good client-agency relationship? Check all that apply.
There was strong agreement among the top choices. (Respondents were given ten selections, plus an option for comments.) All agreed that Clear and Open Communications was the overwhelming priority, with scores ranging from 93% (Procurement) to 100% (Marketers). True Teamwork based on Respect and Problem-Solving was also critical among all three, and the #2 choice for both Marketers and Agencies.
In fact, Marketers and Agencies were more aligned overall, and both groups chose the same top three priorities—communications, teamwork, and shared goals. Procurement differed somewhat as Transparency ranked among their top three choices rather than Shared Goals.
Misunderstanding…
The number and tone of the AGENCIES’ comments clearly indicate a strong desire for deeper business relationships founded on trust, collaboration, genuine partnerships, and enhanced information sharing. However, when the survey explored “How Procurement Can Motivate Agencies,” the responses revealed more emotional undercurrents. They demonstrated specific sensitivities, particularly in relation to terminology and an earnest desire for increased respect.
Misperceptions…
Misperceptions frequently arise from distortions in the interpretation of reality. Whether they are due to limited information, emotional influences, or incorrect beliefs, misperceptions can lead to the deterioration of even the strongest relationships.
Numerous indicators can suggest when a client-agency relationship may not perform at its best. We consulted marketers and agencies to identify these signs of a deteriorating relationship. Unlike the consensus on the attributes of a successful partnership, the warning signs perceived by marketers and agencies differed significantly.
METHODOLOGY
Three related surveys were created, each with multiple-choice and open-ended questions—one for marketers, one for agencies, and another for marketing procurement.
During the five days ending April 3, 2025, The Internationalist received 210 survey starts from the three groups, with 109 completions (51.9%). We are grateful to the 4As for helping with agency management responses.
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Building on The Internationalist’s focus on the people and ideas in international marketing, INTERNATIONALIST INSIGHTS™ was developed to quickly interpret global marketing trends at scale by surveying our worldwide audience and conducting in-depth personal interviews with individuals we have honored for their marketing contributions. These results and perspectives are interpreted by seasoned executives and are dedicated to a big-picture view of our fast-moving industry and how contemporary marketing is changing business strategy in the digital economy. INTERNATIONALIST INTELLIGENCE BRIEFS bring together these thoughts as white papers.
