Why Agencies Must Invest in Their Own Brands
Time to practice what we preach when it comes to brand building.
We tell our clients every day: brand investment drives growth, commands premium pricing, and creates resilient businesses that thrive during downturns. Warren Buffett knew it – he saw brands as “the best of investments” and competitive moats that guarantee future cash flow.
The evidence is overwhelming.
Yet here we are – hundreds of agencies listed across Campaign’s endless rankings, most indistinguishable from each other in a sea of sameness. We preach the gospel of long-term brand building while neglecting our own.
Three recent pieces have crystallised why this matters now more than ever. Nick Kendall’s brilliant WARC analysis reminds us that brands with pricing power survive and thrive – a key business indicator, according to Buffett. Ian Whittaker’s call to “Keep Calm and Carry On” with advertising investment shows how companies like Nestlé are growing four times faster by backing their brands.
Marketing Week’s effectiveness survey reveals the dangerous short-termism creeping into our industry.
The irony is staggering. We advise clients that brand investment separates winners from losers during tough times, yet agencies consistently under-invest in their own positioning.
We champion the commercial power of differentiation while blending into an undifferentiated crowd.
When your potential client can’t distinguish you from fifty other agencies, you compete on price.
When you compete on price, margins shrink. When margins shrink, you cut the very brand investment that could have prevented this spiral.
The agencies winning the biggest pitches understand what Buffett knew: a strong brand isn’t poetry – it’s commercial power. It’s the ability to walk into a room and command attention before you even speak. It’s clients choosing you because of who you are, not just what you do.
Building agency brand isn’t vanity marketing – it’s business survival. In a world where AI democratises execution, your brand becomes your most defensible asset. It’s time we listened to our own advice.
The question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in your agency brand. It’s whether you can afford not to.
If you’re looking to change the way you approach this, contact us to learn how we can help.