Deeper collaboration to build closer client relationships will be vital in 2025

And the challenge in 2025 will be building stronger client relationships through improved collaborations, say agency leaders.

Joanna Cotton, managing director for UK and Ireland, Monks: “To say our industry is a dynamic one is an understatement – especially for 2024. With so much change, all the time, all at once, I’ve learned that it’s imperative to have a clear vision that our teams use as a north star. And, just as important, don’t be afraid to adjust along the way. As we’re designed for disruption, we need to be continually educating our teams to enable them to accelerate change in this constantly evolving world, both within our own company, and that of our clients. As AI evolves, old playbooks are becoming obsolete and we are orchestrating and reshaping how our clients show up in the world. All clients are at different points in this journey, so my focus for 2025 is to continue to future-proof our services while delivering great client services. Because in the agent of change, a trustworthy partner that can help make connections at the speed of culture, with radical transparency, is essential.”

Patti McConnell, co-founder and managing partner, Something Different: “As we look ahead to 2025, marketers are under more pressure than ever, and as agencies, we need to live and breathe the same challenges as each of our client brand leads and CMOs. We need to support them so they can stand out and be seen – and the key to understanding their challenges is meaningful agency-client relationships. The year ahead is going to be defined by our relationships with clients and the need to dig deeper and tackle issues together. That collaboration, that trust, is needed more than ever. For us at Something Different, this is part of our DNA. We launched because of client relationships, we’ve expanded because of relationships and it’s our guiding principle. But you can’t build great client relationships unless you also have great relationships within your team. We’re so proud to have built a workplace that is people-centric and fun so we can bring that energy to our clients and their businesses.”

Robert Dixon, EVP of accounts, Think Shift: “2024 proved that strong client relationships are everything. Clients appreciated transparency and quick responses, especially when the going got tough. With budget cuts, restructures and layoffs looming in the industry, keeping in touch and truly listening to our clients allowed us to build equity as they navigated each challenge. We want our clients to know we are in for the long game and that hitting our budget that quarter never trumps the long-term relationship. As we head into 2025, nurturing these connections will be our not-so-secret weapon for success. By prioritizing client relationships, we’ll not only meet their needs but also drive our agency forward as we navigate everything we can’t control.”

Stephanie Spicer, president, Luquire: “One of the biggest lessons of 2024 is that uncertainty doesn’t just challenge our industry – it weighs heavily on our clients. Political, economic, societal and technological forces have created an environment where hesitation and quick pivots are the norm. Neither is an easy formula for long-term success. As we look to 2025, agencies must step up as proactive partners in their clients’ business strategies. That means identifying pitfalls and opportunities that may not yet be on their radar and helping them prepare for what’s next. Just because something worked before doesn’t mean it will again. Flexibility and forward thinking are key. At the same time, clients need solutions that balance impact with practicality. Amid increased pressure to show results, agencies must deliver low-risk, high-reward ideas – tactical, smart campaigns that meet consumers where they are, rather than reinventions of the wheel. Success in 2025 will come from anticipating change, building resilient strategies, and finding creative ways to drive meaningful results.”

Mark Watson, MD, TMS: “2024 has been a year of focus and learning – one where we doubled down on sharpening what we already do well. With global and marketplace volatility, clients are under increasing pressure and our role, now more than ever, is to listen, support and invest in relationships. Trust and collaboration have never been so important – both with our clients and internally as a team. I’ve seen firsthand the power of collaboration over competitiveness, not just within our teams but across and between agencies. When we share knowledge, ideas and successes, we all move forward stronger and we grow our client’s business. Clarity has been a cornerstone. Clear purpose, clear expectations and clear communication are what allow teams to thrive. Because, as I’ve learned this year, clarity is kindness. And finally, 2024 has reinforced something I’ve long believed about DEI – it’s time to move beyond performative initiatives. We need to challenge the systems and root ideas that hold back progress if we want to create real, meaningful and lasting change. Heading into 2025, I’ll carry these lessons forward with a focus on execution, collaboration and making a difference where it counts most.”

Ben Sheppard, MD, STK Studios: “An ongoing focus on collaboration, nurturing teams and evolving creative operations. In 2024 it was our goal to make sure that great ideas became a reality despite time and budget constraints. Rather than being last in the chain, bringing production expertise alongside the creative concepts provided lean and agile solutions to get work made. And doing this without compromising the creative quality is critical for STK. Working in a collaborative and plug-in way is something we will continue into 2025. The nurturing and guiding of teams has been important in 2024, particularly in relation to AI. Having a focus on safe exploration to tackle the overwhelming amount of tools available, we created a hypothetical brief for the team to answer. Giving team members a chance to overcome potential fears and explore where it can assist. Creating this space for understanding and evolution will continue to be a focus in 2025.”

Niki Hutchinson, MD and founder, LarkHill PR: “‘Just have a little patience’ and ‘I’m feeling your frustration’ – maybe lyrics from Take That, but have been heard in many agencies, clients and industry meetings and conversations in 2024. It’s fair to say it’s been another rollercoaster year. But one of the positives has been a welcome move towards even closer, more transparent and more honest agency/client relationships. By communicating and working collaboratively – on potential issues around budget, ROI measurement or the need to pivot comms (or even the business) – effective solutions can be found that have a much more positive impact on business growth. And a more equitable client/agency value exchange is established. We need to ensure this continues into 2025 and beyond.”

Jerry Bodrie, co-CEO and MD, Baldwin&: “Our 2024 takeaways are: Budgets are not growing. Many brands are facing business challenges also and, in some cases, they are spending less. Less on agency fees, less on production, less on media and support, etc. And they are expecting more for every dollar spent. Brands are less focused on the upper funnel. Brands are shifting focus from the upper to the lower funnel as flat or declining sales drive urgency to boost short-term performance. While this works for some, abandoning the upper funnel risks shrinking a company’s pipeline over time, leading to fewer customers to close, of course. Brands don’t want ‘strategy.’ Seems like ‘strategy’ is becoming a four-letter word for some CMOs and brand managers. More and more, we are hearing things like, ‘We’ve got the strategy worked out; we just need you to execute’ or ‘Why do we need to pay for strategy? Isn’t that just you guys charging us for writing your creative brief?’ And the thing is, the world needs good strategy – and it’s really not easy! Overall, strategic foundation is crucial to success. Great brands have clear, interesting ideas that resonate instantly. Moving forward, strategy should be integrated into the process, not treated as a separate phase.”

David Kapur, founder and director, Elevenfiftyfive: “Planning for unimaginable change in technology and society is the new normal, so this year I’ve been reminded again about the power of people and enabling productive collaborations, both internally and externally. Our process is to have both creative and production as far upstream and together as possible. We also pride ourselves on pushing the boundaries of entertaining solutions for our clients. All of this means our teams are often working with new people and partners, bringing ideas to life in spaces we’ve not entered before. None of that is possible without listening, empathy and trust. Building that with often hybrid teams is a skill we are keen to continually improve on. With more clients looking to do ‘new’ and more talent than ever looking to join nimble creative teams, our biggest challenge for 2025 might be getting the flow, casting and energy right for both clients and people we bring in to get the biggest and best ideas out.”