Whether you run an agency or work for one, we don’t need to tell you that the marketplace is congested.

So, what does this mean for you? Could it be that if you’re thinking of starting an agency brand, or putting everything behind sustaining the one you have, you should think again?

Well, not quite. A recent survey by us showed that 63% of brands believe that the industry, in its current crisis of confidence, needs more strong agency brands.

More is not the obvious solution when agencies are either vying for elbow room in a complex market or folding.

But the key here is more strong agency brands. At our recent Creativebrief Explores event, Sir John Hegarty said how agencies with different points of view is “why a competitive marketplace is so energising.”

Sitting alongside John on our panel, Lucy Jameson from Uncommon said how there had been plenty of recent surveys arguing that if three quarters of brands disappeared, no one would care. So why should we expect it to be any different for agencies? “I think that’s true of agency brands and I think that’s because they’re not distinctive.”

Along with Nils Leonard and Natalie Graeme, Lucy left Grey in 2017 to found Uncommon. Distinction is what Uncommon is all about; it prides itself on only wanting to work with “brands that people in the real world actually wish existed.”

And for John, who similarly left his comfort zone to start BBH in 1982, that distinctiveness is key:

The answer then seems to be not to throw in the towel, but to get behind your agency brand – to build, develop and sustain it – so that its difference ensures it can weather any storms are placed in its way. So where do you start?

Exist for a reason

A point of difference is vital to an agency, but it’s not about being different for difference’s sake. It’s about wanting to work in a different way; about wanting to offer your clients something you believe they cannot get elsewhere.

Speaking on the future of agency brands at our event, Lucy Jameson said how the frustration of working for a large holding company gave rise to her, Nils and Natalie’s motivations behind starting Uncommon.

The cynosure for Lucy was what she loved. It was a question of moving towards this, and away from what had frustrated her at Grey.

Charles Vallance, who set up VCCP in 2002, explained the simple sentiment that brought his agency to life: “We launched because we thought we could do it better than anyone else – we wanted to make a better product with a better way of making that product.”

He credits VCCP’s point of difference – it’s offering of brand worlds over ads – as the key attraction here. Something which means their founding client O2 is still with them after 17 years.

Knowing what you are goes hand in hand with knowing what you’re not. John Hegarty urged agencies to accept that you had to exclude as well as include. He observed how:

Be picky about what you want to be. If you set out to be different and only end up doing the exact same as before, then you’ll plummet into mediocrity. Conviction and adherence is needed. Agency brands need stamina.

Even something as simple as writing down why your agency exists can help galvanise its identity. Getting the leaders of your business to really live those principles in practice, using them to construct a culture and working environment – these are the things that’ll mean it makes an impact.

Whatever obstacles lay across cross your path – global clients, big corporations, bigger budgets – remember how you set out to be distinctive and extraordinary.

Get your principles right, and the rest will follow

What’s in a logo? From the outside in, it can seem like the crucial thing that your agency will be recognised for. Yet when you are first setting out, focus all your energy on things like logos and straplines at your peril.

The principles should come first, and the logo second. What’s not obvious though is that this is precisely what happened for one of the most distinctive logos in the industry.

When we think of BBH, we think of the black sheep. How it’s synonymous with going against the grain. Yet it came as a result of BBH needing a logo to put on the outside of their Kingly Street office, not when they moved in but years later. They weren’t allowed their name on the sign, so a logo became the only option.

In 1982, one of BBH’s first print ads was the one for Levi’s below.

The client loved it so much, they sent BBH a black sheep, which sat in John’s office. So later when they needed a logo, there was only really ever one option for Bartle, Bogle and Hegarty.

It wasn’t the result of extensive planning sessions, but as John says: “It came out of our work. What we were. What we believed in. That’s the important thing.”

Arguably, BBH’s logo has become distinctive because it embodies the agency – it’s their point of difference, offering clients the chance to zag, not zig. They got their principles right and then the logo eventually came to them. Not to mention the clients.

For VCCP’s Charles Vallance, who worked at BBH in the early days of his career, there’s a similar story. Charles said how their logo was something they “stumbled across 12 years in.” But that when it arrived, it was symptomatic of VCCP’s identity.

“The young girl standing up to the bear – this idea that we’ve all got to face down the big challenges in life.”

If you concentrate on the principles of your agency, building it from the inside first, then eventually everything else will fall into place. As Charles added:

It’ll be these principles that help sustain your agency brand, not the logo.

Commit to your identity

Knowing what you are also means knowing what you’re not.

Where this might prove trickiest is saying no to clients. Whether it’s because they’re just not right, a question of timings, scale of work, or otherwise. Practically, starting a new agency does not seem like the ideal time to turn down business, especially when there’s talent to pay and a roof over your head to secure. But being selective about your client list feeds into your principles and identity as an agency brand.

Lucy Jameson said how, though still in its infancy, Uncommon has grown incredibly precious in deciding which things to work on. “The interesting thing is we have said no a lot over the last 18 months. Almost on more cases than less, people have come back to us.”

Turning clients away is a precarious decision to take – cavalier even. But it’s not only Lucy who says turning down work can be a good thing for your agency. Kerris Bright, Chief Customer Officer for the BBC offered her thoughts on hearing no more from agencies:

Charles Vallance said that it mightn’t even be a decision you need to make. For him, “it’s self-selecting … We only attract challenger clients, we don’t attract incumbents.”

Sir John Hegarty implored agencies to be mindful of this when starting out, emphasising how for start-ups working with the Unilevers of the world mightn’t be possible. That your point of difference might preclude you from what a well-established business and not a challenger is after.

But he stressed that for a start-up, this could be a good thing. He reflected on the history of great agencies and how they didn’t start working with big corporate clients. He referenced Doyle Dane Bernbach and VW, Wieden and Nike, saying how “they started with clients who needed to do something daring and different.”

Ultimately, John said that knowing when to say yes or no; knowing when to accept a challenge and when to pass, is fundamental to your success. Committing to your agency identity will offer clarity on this and ultimately show you how to navigate a very precarious industry.

Becoming the best in the world

Sir John Hegarty advised agency brands that “the market will always try and homogenise you; always try to even you out. You have to fight that desire to make you like everyone else.”

It comes down to agencies not trying to be all things to all people, but instead focussing on their individual points of difference.

But more than that, it’s about making certain your principles are born out of something true; something founding partners and new talent can get behind. Charles Vallance supported this idea not simply as a starting point, but a North Star. Something he insists VCCP return to again and again.

“We assess ourselves at the end of each yeah … We hold ourselves to these principles because if we can do these things, we’ll be the best in the world in my view.”

Having principles, you are truly invested in, and sincerely believe in can invigorate an agency and elevate it to be a standout in an industry. Call it zagging, and not zigging, or call it principles to be proud of. Charles is right that getting wholeheartedly behind them really can make you the best in the world. And isn’t that what every agency wants to be?