The right agency partner + experiential fundamentals = success!

Abstract

The right relationship between a brand and its experiential agency is often overlooked, rarely discussed and barely dissected. For many of the best brands in the Fortune 1000, their agency partnership is so tight that it is as personal as it is professional. With big budgets at stake (not to mention tight deadlines and long working hours), choosing the right partner is essential to success. Yet too many brands still choose their agencies without really understanding what the working relationship will be like. If they are not compatible as partners, it will show in the work. A good partner will always push a brand to understand who they are, what they need, and their vision. They will work with the brand to articulate and breathe life into its messaging and position it in a way that unfolds through every aspect of the activation. The more time spent on finding the right partner and paying for the level of service and value they will provide, the more likely it is that a brand will be happy and more successful in the long run. Work with hundreds of brands has shown that great relationships between brands and agencies are built on the ten guiding principles listed in this paper.