S1 : E2 Agency leaders debate: Does marketing call for narrower expertise than ever before?

Agency Leaders Debate and The Agency Business | Jan 25, 2023

Generalism vs specialism is one of the industry's oldest idle debates. We're seeing many agencies narrow their offering and skillsets to really dominate a corner of the market; at the same time, some big agencies have a range of specialisms few would have dreamed of 20 years ago. So, we ask agency leaders: is specialism more important than ever? Or, conversely, do generalists have the keys to success?

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E9. Agency Leaders Debate: Should agencies collaborate with each other or go it alone?

In the modern marketing ecosystem, we see a rich tapestry of different relationships between agencies and clients, and between agencies too. Some make a virtue out of how nice they play with others; while others work hard to defend their patch and meet as many of their clients' needs as possible themselves. In this episode we hear from both sides of that divide and dig into what makes truly magical collaboration.

E8. Agency leaders debate: Generative AI - fad or future?

In this episode, senior agency leaders explore the revolutionary impact of generative AI on creative industries: will they truly transform the way we work? Whether you're a skeptic or an evangelist, this debate will leave you with plenty of food for thought. Delve into the ethical and legal challenges surrounding generative AI and help to uncover whether this technology is ultimately helpful or hurtful to our industry.

E7. Agency leaders debate: Are agency marketing budgets still too small?

Agency folk are constantly balancing marketing budgets against new business, investing in their teams, and countless other streams of money. And often, agency marketing is the first thing to be cut in times of strife. So, are agencies underinvesting in their own marketing, or is marketing spend harder to define, hidden in plain sight?

E6. Agency leaders debate: Are marketers' tech stacks out of control?

It can sometimes seem that each technological development brings with it a price tag: new software to use, support contracts to sign, and skillsets to develop. Nowhere is that truer than the martech space, with top practitioners bemoaning an endless proliferation of tools, resulting in a list of options to make even the most tech-savvy leader blush. In this episode, top tech agencyfolk discuss whether the industry has a tech stack problem and, if so, what we can do about it.

E5. Agency leaders debate: When not to pitch – knowing your worth and saying no

Like people, agencies are as defined by what they say 'no' to as what they say 'yes' to. In this episode, we gather senior agecy leaders to get to the bottom of how an agency decides on and defines its parameters and commitments - and the value of sticking to those decisions.

2 more episodes +

E3. Agency leaders debate: Are bad client relationships salvageable?

Relationship management is a perhaps under-sung art in agencyland, but it's the bread and butter of making and keeping clients. In this session, we ask agency leaders: can and should you try to save bad relationships? At what point should we wash our hands? And if bad relationships are salvageable, what's the secret sauce in turning things around?

E1. Agency leaders debate: how to build the perfect agency worker

We've heard a lot about how the industry's needs have shifted, and talent propositions have shifted too. What, now, are the big things that agencies look out for in talent? In the first episode of this new series of debates from The Drum Network, we ask agency leaders: does the perfect agency worker exist, and where can you find them?

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