Why agency promises should matter, especially now

Sam Drake , Chief Growth Officer

In a world of digital and business transformation, marketers are seeking agency partners who can match their artificial intelligence with human integrity. Subsequently, media groups and agency brands find themselves at a fascinating crossroads.

On the one hand, huge steps are being made in tech and AI. We have seen the likes of Stagwell build and launch SmartAssets and GroupM partnering with Smartly as part of its Global AdTech roster. It’s obvious AI-powered platforms are becoming the new agency/tech battleground.

But on the other hand, there are some worrying backward steps around agency transparency and structures.

The brilliant journalistic work undertaken by Campaign for the 2024 School Report exposed agency openness in reporting employee make-up, with key metrics around diversity seemingly going backwards. Alongside MediaSense research stating that only 1 in 10 clients believe their agency model fits their future strategic needs, it suggests agencies need to look beyond just tech-shaped solutions in making themselves strategically and morally robust.

This is why an agency’s proposition is so important in helping clients understand their raison d’etre.

At Goodstuff, we have spent the last 12 months going through a period of reflection and business transformation, to shape our promise to our people, clients, and prospects. Our proposition is crucial to pulling us apart in a crowded marketplace and making us accountable for the inward and outward commitments we make.

Working with the brilliant craig+bridget , our new proposition centres on bringing clients ‘Only the good stuff’. The good stuff being the stuff that matters to clients – Strategic clarity and inventive solutions, all delivered with integrity and pride.

In essence, this promise hasn’t changed to what Virgin Media asked for when we set Goodstuff up 20 years ago and shouldn't change for another 20 years either. It’s brought consistency to our approach from which clients have benefitted. As a result, we have picked various agency of the year awards and helped to scale brands like Yorkshire Tea, OVO, Dunelm and OntheBeach through smart strategy, planning and buying.

?I am sure we have lost some business over the years because we have not been prepared to make some far-fetched pricing guarantees. However, with market-leading client referral ratings and retention, a strong internal culture and every audit hit, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Now we look forward to our next stage of growth. Located in the Stagwell EMEA campus on the South Bank, we have access to the very best tech solutions and multi-discipline agency talent. But, without a group mandate, we can continue to evolve an offering that puts client needs first, not our bottom line.

Whether it be 20 years ago, or 20 years into the future, agency propositions should focus on the things that matter to clients, and it is our belief that lies in the balance of human integrity alongside artificial intelligence.