Your

ultimate

guide

to

working

with

a

creative

agency.

Great work is made when creative companies truly collaborate with their chosen creative agency. This applies whether you are:

• Managing a product launch with an advertising agency.
• Doing a rebrand project with a design agency.
• Starting a new brand with a full-service creative agency (like us).

Here are some easy tips to cultivate a good relationship.

Tip #1: Set clear expectations from day one.

Successful relationships happen when everyone has a clear understanding of the expectations and KPIs. Be clear about what you need from your creative ad agency. This way, they can create effective work that achieves your business goals.

Some ways you can do this are:

• Identify your goals – like brand awareness, lead generation, sales, etc.
• Share measurable KPIs.

Pro tip: The best way to do this is to keep your briefs single-minded. You can learn how by reading how to brief your creative agency for wildly effective work

Tip #2: Treat your creative agency like a teammate.

The foundations of an effective partnership between creative companies and advertising ad agencies is trust. It doesn’t matter if you work with a small design agency or a big advertising agency. Collaboration works best when you respect each other.

How you can cultivate trust and respect:

• Communicate openly and transparently.
• Invite your agency to strategic meetings to encourage understanding.

Pro tip: Like everyone, top advertising agencies produce their best work when they feel inspired, included, and empowered.

Tip #3: Give clear, actionable feedback.

Clear feedback is a powerful tool in helping creative ad agencies do good work. But be aware of how you give it – kind and constructive communication is everything.

How to give good feedback:

• Be clear, direct, and actionable. For example, say, "We have a youthful brand identity, so we want visuals that reflect that." Avoid vague comments like, "These images don’t feel right."
• Explain why you’re giving the feedback i.e. business objectives and audience.

Pro tip: Giving constructive feedback is truly an art form. Discover more by reading our article, 5 top tips for providing feedback to your creative agency

Tip #4: Be curious about innovation and experimentation.

Empower your creative advertising agency to be curious and brave. That's when they do their best work and help your advertising have an impact.

Here’s how you can encourage innovation:

• Be open to creatively bold ideas.
• Brief in opportunities specifically for experimentation.

Pro tip: Even the most cautious brands can achieve market breakthroughs when they take risks. So, there’s no harm in listening to your creative agency’s proactive ideas.

Tip #5: Know your creative agency’s strengths.

Different creative companies have different skills. Unless you're working with a full-service creative agency, like us. You can check out our services here You chose your creative partner for a reason, so provide them opportunities to shine.

How to embrace your agency’s strengths:

• Remind yourself why you chose the agency.
• Regularly revisit your agency’s unique strengths and capabilities
• Trust their strengths and collaborate rather than manage.

Remember: Great relationships are all about utilising the unique expertise of each other.

Tip #6: Embrace regular check-ins.

All good relationships have check-ins. That’s why top CMOs have feedback sessions with their marketing and creative agencies. It helps them work together and achieve results.

How you can have a constructive session:

• Set up joint-meetings to evaluate campaign effectiveness together.
• Keep everyone up-to-date on short-term and long-term goals.
• Celebrate the wins and learn from missteps.

Pro tip: Treat these sessions like you would internal KPI reviews – respectful and solutions-oriented.

One team, one dream, wildly effective work.

Your creative partner is not just a creative agency. They are an important ally in making your brand vision real. So, use these tips to you can enjoy a solid, collaborative relationship with greater results.