It’s a familiar scenario: A marketer decides to take the reins on their company’s agency search. They’re smart. They know the brand best. And they believe they can save time and money by managing the process internally.
The intention is admirable. But the outcome? Often disastrous.
Time and again, we’ve seen marketers who undertake their own agency searches invariably land themselves the wrong agency. So why does this happen?
Well, there are any number of reasons why the DIY approach to agency selection is a recipe for a bad break-up – here are the most common:
1. Masters of the Sale
Agencies are masters of selling (usually). So when they pitch directly to the ultimate decision-maker, they tailor their pitch to your known biases and pain points.
Without an objective third party to strip away the glossy presentation and demand concrete evidence, marketers can be tempted to select the agency that made them feel best, not the one that’s best suited for the job.
2. Drastic Landscape Changes
In case it’s escaped your notice, the market you’re shopping in is changing faster than most can keep up. This volatility is driven by two powerful, compounding forces: consolidation and the AI / data arms race. The agency landscape isn’t static – it’s evolving on a weekly basis, making yesterday’s comprehensive list of ‘top agencies’ nearly obsolete today.
Still not convinced? Here are a few top agencies that are now extinct here in Canada: BBDO, DDB, Juniper Park, JWT, TBWA, Taxi and Y&R.
3. The Flawed RFP
Internal RFPs are sometimes overly prescriptive, too long (or too vague…), ask too much or simply ask for the wrong information. The result can be a terrifying, onerous ask that suggests true creative partnership starts with a 100-page document and a firm deadline of ‘yesterday.’
Then there are RFPs that ask for “groundbreaking, disruptive, viral concepts”, with budgets mysteriously labeled “competitive, yet humble,” underpinned with a vague promise of “total creative freedom” (after 57 pages of brand guidelines), and the silent, terrifying judgment of the procurement team who only communicates in one line emails.
4. It’s Not Us. It’s Them.
The greatest challenge of any agency search is that the client who is fundamentally allergic to introspective homework. They show up at the pitch demanding a new agency to “fix the problem,” without ever realizing the problem is less about the marketing and more about their internal organ-transplant-level indecision, and a budget process that requires a blood sacrifice to Procurement.
Expecting a company to honestly self-diagnose their own dysfunction is like asking a goldfish to critique the structural integrity of its bowl—it can’t see the outside.
5. We Just Can’t Ask That? (Can We?)
A successful client / agency relationship is built on trust, transparency, and well… a bit of friction. When managing the search yourself, you’re likely in “client mode.” This forced, good behaviour means everyone is smiling, nodding, and pretending to believe that a client’s past three agency failures were just cosmic anomalies. The client, terrified of revealing any internal messiness, selects the partner who best mimicked their own glossy language -and all because nobody had the chops to challenge and ask some uncomfortable questions.
6. The Opportunity Cost is Far Too High
Consider taking your annual budget – say $12 million – and multiply that by a five year relationship with your new agency. This means you’ve got a $60 million decision to make – but you then fret over 0.1% to get the decision right?
You then sign-off on a contract that – thanks to your DIY search process – is a Frankenstein’s monster of hidden fees and unfavourable legal jargon. This is the magnificence of false economy in action! A tiny saving on the search, only to end up with an underperforming agency that eats your budget like a hungry Pac-Man.
Know When to Call a Pro
A successful agency search is not a marketing task. It’s a procurement, relationship management, and strategic alignment minefield.
You wouldn’t design your own complex financial architecture or conduct a global legal audit without specialized help. Treat your agency relationship – which holds the key to your brand’s future growth – with the same diligence and respect.
The goal isn’t just to find an agency; it’s to find the right strategic partner capable of elevating your business. For that, objectivity, deep market knowledge, and a structured process are non-negotiable.
Stephan Argent
Stephan Argent is Founder and Principal at Listenmore Inc, Canada’s leading confidential advisory consultancy that specializes in Agency Search Management. Read more like this on our blog Marketing Unscrewed / follow me @StephanArgent