With the marketing landscape evolving and fragmenting at pace, the pressure on agencies to collaborate effectively with each other in service of clients is greater than ever. This can feel like a threat or struggle for ownership. Here, we will look to redefine “collaboration” as a competitive advantage. This session provides practical tools to understand the modern agency ecosystem, identify common ground, and actively manage challenging inter-agency relationships into positive partnerships that deliver seamless client results.

YOU WILL LEARN

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Map the modern agency ecosystem to quickly understand the roles, motivations, and common ground shared across different specialist businesses
• Identify and articulate the shared objectives that unite all agency partners on a single client brief
• Build a unified pitch or ‘response to brief’ narrative that showcases seamless partnership as a core benefit to the client, even when a partner business may not want to
• Actively manage challenging relationships, transforming competitive tension into collaborative energy and positive outcomes

CONTENT

On the day, we will cover:

• The Fragmentation Reality: Understanding the drivers of modern multi-agency relationships (e.g., technology, client demand, specialist need) and why working together is non-negotiable for growth
• The Shared Agenda: Identifying the common ground in order to foster the genuine collaboration that lives beyondmere co-existence
• Mapping the Landscape: A quick-fire exercise to categorize the different types of agency partners (media, creative, PR, digital, CRM) and the specific challenges inherent in each relationship
• Speaking as One: Building a unified, seamless pitch story that presents the multi-agency team as a single, powerful solution to the client – regardless of the commercial relationship

DELEGATE LEVEL

This course is suitable for all levels, but ideal for Account Managers and upwards. Anyone who is required to collaborate on client briefs, manage integrated campaigns, or participate in cross-agency pitches will find new and valuable ways to enrich their existing toolkit and turn inter-agency stress into a source of competitive strength.

DATE & TIME

20th August, 10am to 11.30am

TRAINER:

James Appleby has spent almost 25 years working in world class media and technology agencies, leading client relationships and comms strategy for top tier clients including Sainsbury’s, CompareTheMarket.com, Oatly and McVitie’s.

Coaching teams to crack a brief and respond with a performance that is both entertaining and informative in equal part has been a career long passion, hence his chairmanship and mentoring as part of NABS charity pitch course Fastforward for nearly a decade.

Following a spell as Managing Director of Assembly Media, he founded his own consultancy and training business Conquis, and works with a range of businesses in the marketing, media, advertising  and technology spaces to sharpen team skills in pitching, collaborative working, and comms and media planning.