As long as there have been agencies and clients, there has been discussion about how to narrow the divide between the two. Both parties want the best outcome for their people and their business. But when things hit rough spots, the friction affects both. While the people feel the tension, the business pays the price. High staff turnover, increased costs and inefficiency and lower ROI on campaigns can all be the hidden costs.

While it can sometimes feel like clients are from Mars, agencies are from Venus (or insert your favourite planets here), the one common factor to that’s critical to both is trust.  As everyone will tell you, trust is contingent on transparent but respectful communication.

When marketers feel unheard, undervalued, or that their agency is not delivering on its promises, trust diminishes. Similarly, when agencies feel micromanaged, face unrealistic demands, or encounter payment issues, their trust in the client can also erode. This damages the ability to collaborate and ultimately may lead to the termination of the partnership. And this seems to be more common than ever.  

Agency-client relationships have slipped from on average 7.2 years to around 3.2 years over the past decade according to a 2024 study published in Forbes magazine.

From my experience, however, even when both parties have the best intentions, there’s a language gap. Or at minimum, a comprehension gap.

Let’s look at core areas where clients and agencies get into trouble.  Both may think they’re on the same page only to find out they’re in different orbits.  

If your teams are struggling with any of these, you are probably churning hours, missing opportunities and producing sub-optimal work – something neither Mars nor Venus can afford.

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Arthur Fleischmann

Arthur is an Executive Advisor at Listenmore where he applies his deep expertise in advertising agency leadership to help clients make informed decisions about their existing and prospective agency partnerships.