If you went to a doctor and said you had a headache and needed a prescription, they wouldn’t just hand over the medication. A good doctor would ask why—what’s causing the headache? Is it stress, dehydration, or something more serious? Without understanding the root cause, the treatment is just a temporary fix. 

Yet, in marketing, too many brands act like self-diagnosing patients. They come to an agency asking for more impressions, a viral campaign, or a flashy new ad. And too often, agencies rush to fill the prescription rather than ask the more important question—why? If brands and agencies aren’t diagnosing the problem, they treat symptoms, not causes. 

Digging Deeper: Asking the Right Questions 

Clients often approach agencies with well-intentioned ideas about their needs, believing they’ve already diagnosed the issue. But without stepping back to assess the bigger picture, they risk investing in the wrong solutions. A brand asking for a viral moment may actually need stronger long-term positioning. A client investing heavily in paid impressions may have a messaging problem that isn’t connecting organically. A company pushing for more engagement on social media may need to fix a poor customer experience leading to low retention. 

Much like a therapist helps uncover deeper behavioral patterns we might not recognize, agencies should guide brands toward uncovering the real barriers to growth. You can’t change behaviors unless you address the underlying issue. If marketing efforts focus only on surface-level requests without addressing the deeper issues, the same problems will resurface. A campaign might generate short-term results, but if the brand remains undifferentiated, lacks a compelling story, or doesn’t have strong customer loyalty, no amount of media spend or content creation will fix that in the long run. 

The Agency’s Role: Thinking Beyond the Ask 

Agencies have a choice in how they work with brands. They can act as order-takers, executing what a client asks for without question, or they can be strategic partners who push brands to think bigger, go deeper, and solve the right problems before rushing into solutions. 

That means rethinking how they approach client relationships and marketing solutions. Instead of immediately responding with tactics, agencies should embed the following steps into their process: 

Audit first, act second. Before executing any campaign, brands should conduct an internal brand health assessment. How strong is brand awareness? What do existing customers say? Is loyalty growing or shrinking? Without this baseline, marketing will always be reactive. 

But this audit must go beyond marketing metrics If the real issue stems from the product or customer experience, that must be addressed first. Agencies should have honest conversations with clients about whether operational, service, or product issues are hindering success. No amount of marketing can fix a broken experience. 

Additionally, marketing should not work in a silo. Getting key stakeholders beyond the marketing team involved—operations, sales, customer service—provides a more robust perspective on the actual business challenges. It also fosters greater buy-in when it comes time to implement solutions. 

Don’t be afraid to challenge the ask. Agencies should feel comfortable questioning a client’s request if it doesn’t align with broader business goals. If the client wants to invest in high-reach media but their problem is retention, a strong agency partner will redirect their focus to what will actually drive impact. 

Agencies should also ask: “Will this really deliver against what matters to the business?” Many clients are just trying to check items off their to-do lists without questioning whether those actions will create the impact they want. As partners, agencies need to advocate for what will drive real business results, not just what will get the project done. 

Measure what matters. Vanity metrics like impressions and engagement can provide some insight, but they don’t always translate into success. Agencies should work with brands to define KPIs that align with revenue, customer retention, and long-term brand equity rather than short-lived spikes in visibility. 

But accurate measurement requires transparency. Clients must share critical business data with their agency partners to allow for effective measurement of impact. If agencies are genuinely partners in moving a business forward, they need the insights that help them optimize performance on the brand’s behalf. 

Marketing That Builds, Not Just Boosts 

When agencies and brands take this approach, marketing becomes more than a quick fix—it becomes the foundation for sustained success. A campaign should be a strategic investment, not just a short-term play for impressions. Content should reinforce a brand’s positioning rather than just filling a calendar. Media dollars should drive measurable and demonstrable changes in consumer behavior and not just surface-level engagement. 

Great brands aren’t built on reactive marketing and disconnected tactics. They grow through strategic decisions that align with business objectives, strengthen brand identity, and create lasting customer connections. 

Building Brand Health, Not Just Band-Aid Solutions 

Just as a doctor’s role is to create sustainable health rather than just treat symptoms, agencies and brands must work together to diagnose and address the root causes of marketing challenges. Only by identifying the underlying issues can we create long-term success. 

But success also requires brands to welcome challenges to their assumptions and embrace counterpoints of view. Agencies that push back, encourage deeper thinking, and help brands see more significant opportunities should be considered valuable partners, not obstacles. 

Likewise, agencies must be comfortable fostering relationships where they can challenge clients constructively. Embracing healthy friction, rather than running from discomfort, is key to doing what’s best for the business. 

The agencies that take this approach will execute great marketing and shape brands for the long term. And the brands that commit to true brand health will be the ones that thrive.