“Presented with a revolving door of junior account people, I seem to be forever reintroducing our brand and explaining its position in the market… and that’s before I can even begin to think about briefing them on our next campaign”.
Ouch.
‘There’s an agency that’s lost the love’ I thought to myself, as I awarded my client-side confidante full marks for her endurance.
And this lack of care and attention is becoming evident in other areas too. Further anecdotal feedback reveals an increasing inability among many agency folk to communicate effectively with their clients. (I know, the irony isn’t lost on me either.) A ‘just send an email’ mindset prevails in a world where the telephone has all but ceased to exist and face-to-face meetings were something your parents did before we all got Covid.
No wonder clients are running out of patience with agencies that no longer show up.
Currently conducting our annual Client Satisfaction Survey interviews, I am heartened to learn that our team is very much regarded as a ‘partner with’, rather than a ‘supplier to’ our clients. Testament, I’m sure, to M3’s ‘real and human’ approach.
This is important because a true partnership can only exist where both sides understand and care as much as each other about the job in hand. We do our best work when we’re on the same side. When we’re in it together.
How do we know what a good client-agency relationship looks like?
Here at M3, we talk a lot about ‘showing up’. And we mean it both literally and figuratively.
It’s showing up informed, prepared for ownership and responsibility; asking better questions and having a point-of-view shaped by the brand’s reality, not just the brief. Showing up empowered with the confidence to challenge the status quo; the honesty to admit if something isn’t working and the courage to change tack to ensure that it does.
And it’s showing up physically in real-world planning sessions, off-sites, briefing meetings and social occasions; in authentic conversations where context is king and trust compounds with every interaction.
And so, with my client friend’s words still ringing in my ears, I suggest that if you feel a lack of love from your agency, it exists. And if the relationship feels transactional, it is.
And you’re right to expect better.
If you’re planning for 2026, let’s talk. Pick up the phone, drop us an email, or pop in for a coffee (or a beer). We’d love to start the conversation.