• by Rafael Caldeira , February 17, 2025

Up to now, the tenets of the traditional agency-client model have been evolving in fundamental ways. But now that evolution is transforming much more rapidly.

Markets and technological change are moving faster. Media fragmentation is not an issue; it’s a full-bore condition of how consumers read, watch, listen, interact with content, advertising, and marketing. The challenges are all endlessly complex.

Marketers' needs have been totally reshaped by all of it. So they have been forced to rethink how they structure and manage their creative partnerships to drive better results.

This is why the most successful brand-agency relationships today have moved beyond the conventional “brief-response” model into true strategic partnerships.

Here are the key principles that drive successful collaboration in this new model:

New Beginnings

Marketing leaders should seek partners who can field small, senior-level teams with real decision-making authority. These teams should have direct access to key stakeholders on both sides, eliminating the multiple layers of approval that often slow progress and dilute creative solutions.

When evaluating potential creative partners, look for those willing to put experienced practitioners in direct contact with your team rather than account managers who simply relay messages.

Ending Rigidity

The traditional process of writing a brief, waiting weeks for a response, and then going through multiple rounds of revisions is increasingly out of step with today's pace of business. Marketing leaders should establish more fluid frameworks that enable ongoing dialogue and rapid iteration. This might mean setting up dedicated communication channels (like shared Slack channels) where teams can exchange insights, share context, and solve problems in real time.

Context as Creative Direction

The most meaningful solutions emerge when creative teams have deep access to business context. Rather than treating the creative brief as a one-time handoff, marketers should view context-sharing as an ongoing process. Trade market insights, customer feedback, and business challenges regularly. This continual flow of information helps ensure creative solutions remain aligned with current business needs and market conditions.

Earlier Strategic Integration

Invite creative partners into strategic discussions early in the process. When agencies understand the broader business challenges and objectives from the start, they can contribute more meaningful solutions that go beyond surface-level creative execution. This approach also reduces the likelihood of misalignment later in the process.

Embracing Vulnerability

For this model to work, both sides need to be more transparent about their processes and challenges. Marketers should look for partners willing to share their thinking openly, admit when they're stuck, and collaborate on finding solutions. This level of transparency builds trust and leads to more authentic, effective partnerships.

New Metrics

The success of this collaborative model should be measured not just in creative output, but in speed to market, reduction in revision rounds, and ability to respond quickly to changing market conditions. Marketing leaders should establish new KPIs that reflect these priorities.

The payoff for embracing this new model is significant. When marketers give their creative partners earlier access to strategic discussions and maintain consistent dialogue throughout the process, solutions emerge that are both more innovative and more closely aligned with business objectives. This approach also reduces the rounds of revisions and miscommunications that often plague traditional agency relationships, while accelerating time to market for critical initiatives.

This post was previously published in an earlier edition of Marketing Insider.