How can agencies benchmark the quality of all their creative and strategic work?

Occasionally, inferior or badly thought-through work manages to slip through and make its way to the client’s desk – even more so now that work can be set at the push of a button. But it’s important that every agency has checks and balances in place to ensure that only work worthy of their name makes it into the public domain.

Here, agencies share how they benchmark the quality of their work and ensure that only the very best stuff leaves the office.

Jason Xenopolous, chief creative officer, VML, North America: “We all want to do great work, but everyone has a different definition of what ‘great’ looks like. At VML we’ve worked hard to establish a shared language around creativity. Our Global Creative Board meets regularly to review work and to discuss ways to make that work better. This time together helps to refine that common language. In New York, after the VML and Y&R merger in 2018, we realized that there was a need to create alignment around a shared creative vision, so we developed an interactive scorecard to measure and push the work. That tool, and the conversations that resulted from using it, helped to drive integration across our newly merged teams, dramatically improving our performance at award shows.

“It’s also important to differentiate between good and great. While no one wants to do mediocre work, we need to distinguish between work that should be good and work that must be great. If you try to make everything extraordinary it will all end up being ordinary. Most of the work we do should be good, and shouldn’t drop below that level, but there are a handful of opportunities to deliver truly great work. We can spend a disproportionate amount of time crafting that work to perfection.

“Once you have a shared vision in place, it’s easier to distribute the responsibility for creative excellence and delegate that to your creative leaders. All of our accounts have creative leads who manage the day-to-day work. If we’re all on the same page regarding what great looks like, we can leave it to them to maintain quality standards. That delegation, anchored by a shared vision and a common language around creativity, is the only way to deliver great work at scale.”

Katie McCambley, managing director, MullenLowe: “Gone are the days of the ‘rubber stamp’, passed through departments for signing before any work left the building. That had its merits, but in reality, it wouldn’t work today. It’s cumbersome, doesn’t bring agility, and (I imagine) deadlines would get missed left, right and center. But it doesn’t mean the quality of the work has diminished. We always set clear responsibilities for every project so it’s clear who needs to see what before it leaves the building (and we still do avid proofreading to ensure no mistakes!). All briefs are clear in terms of what success looks like. Key to this is empowering everyone to build the strategic response and creative work, and ensuring everyone has an equal sense of responsibility, rather than it just sitting on strategic and creative shoulders.”

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Nina Mourin, head of brand creative, Code and Theory: “The simple answer is intuition – always being in flow with creativity, technology and culture. That’s something I hold myself accountable for. I am a creative first and forever. I must always feel ready to create. That energy is translated to leading teams through inspiration. Jumping in and showing them the importance of being in love with the craft, and perfecting it. To test, practice, learn — and do it all over again. Brainstorms are a safe sandbox where we can dream together, and it’s my job to preserve that. By cooking together as creatives and technologists, we’ll skyrocket a spark to a new cultural level. That’s my favorite part is witnessing the magic of creativity and tech come together. Making work that matters is the standard. It’s the benchmark and it's why we do what we do.”

Al Mackie, chief creative officer, Rapp: “We maintain high standards through a quality control process that leverages AI across our workflow. More importantly, our process is based on empowerment, autonomy, and accountability. We set clear benchmarks for strategic alignment, creative impact, and data precision, balancing structured expectations with trust in our teams to bring fresh perspectives through the combination of precision and empathy. Empowered creative directors and strategic leads review work for originality and alignment; account directors ensure client alignment; QA leads verify consistency. Peer reviews add collaborative insight, and AI-powered pre-testing lets us refine work based on audience feedback. Senior leaders will provide final checks, but are more focused on fostering a culture of support rather than micromanagement. Enhanced by proprietary tools like ArtBot, our approach combines autonomy with accountability to deliver impactful, innovative work that aligns with Rapp UK’s high standards. Our culture is focused on performance so we continually ask ‘did it perform’ and ‘can we make it perform better?’ So every individual is accountable for making the work the best it can and getting the best results for our clients.”

Wes Richardson, creative director, Imagination: “Our name is our benchmark, and it’s something to live up to creatively. Clients come to us for bold, imaginative responses, and we are committed to delivering on that promise. As a creative this empowers the team to continually push our ideas. A core element of this is our collaborative approach – it’s a shared responsibility across disciplines. Throughout the process, from concept to delivery and measurement, we hold each other accountable. This collective commitment means each idea is refined and strengthened to become the most effective solution. Our multi-disciplinary collaboration is essential in creating work that meets and often exceeds expectations, embodying the brilliance our clients rely on.”

Kimi Peterson, co-executive creative director, The Alt League: “Surround yourself with people who will hold you accountable – great work requires teamwork. We assemble creative and strategic teams unafraid to put themselves out there, get feedback, and pivot when needed. Sharing work early (and often) is essential; ideas are unfolding as fast as culture moves, so we need teams comfortable riffing on half-baked ideas. Bring clients along for the ride—collaboration and sharing our math keeps them bought in at every stage. And be relentless about assembling the right production partners; the right director or photographer can elevate your idea and make it sing. This is a fast-moving, nimble world, and we like it that way. We don’t have strict benchmarks but ask ourselves: Is it smart? Memorable? Will it spark an emotional reaction? We’re obsessed with our consumer. It’s about the viewer, the audience, not us.”

Abi Mellor, managing director, Morever: “We take a watertight approach, including multi-tiered internal reviews and senior oversight. This is baked into our production process from the off. Firstly, authenticity is at the heart of our work: our films feature the thoughts and feelings of people with lived experience, whether gleaned through workshops or shared on-screen. Storyteller care is paramount; well-being is prioritized at every stage and underpinned by our gold standard safeguarding policy. Our team’s deep expertise ensures high production values and strategic, original campaign ideas. Clients benefit from transparent partnerships, with agenda-led weekly meetings and detailed plans for seamless collaboration. We use benchmarks to measure creativity, strategic alignment, and technical execution, ensuring every piece is impactful. Our projects conclude with client-facing ‘wash-up’ meetings and internal debriefs to assess the benchmarks. This internal and external feedback feeds into future work.”

Mike Ellery, chief creative officer, Sparks Global: “We maintain high-quality standards through a robust system of checks, balances, and benchmarks. Every project begins with a strategic playbook, co-created with the client, outlining clear objectives that guide all deliverables, stakeholder activations, and initiatives. These benchmarks keep recommendations on-brand and strategically aligned. Next, our strategy team and executive creative directors conduct a multi-tier review, ensuring each piece meets client needs and our standards for originality and impact. The executive review process ensures that creative output tells an intuitive story rooted in strategic insights, aligning with client objectives and audience resonance. Our client feedback drives continuous improvement, refining our benchmarks and strengthening our process. Quality is everyone’s responsibility. Regular training and reviews foster a culture of creativity, precision, and ownership. This system ensures that every deliverable meets our high-quality standards.”

Django Weisz Blanchetta, chief executive hero, SuperHeroes: “Our approach centers on mutual trust and a shared commitment to quality. We work with minimal hierarchy, yet maintain defined roles and responsibilities to meet our high standards. Our ‘four-eyes principle’ – where output is reviewed by at least one other team member before client delivery – safeguards against errors and fosters accountability. Senior creatives and strategists also give each project a final review before it reaches the client, ensuring alignment with the overarching brand strategy and also with our rigorous standards of originality, clarity, and impact. This collaborative process fosters accountability and encourages new ideas, keeping each stage dynamic and innovative, and ultimately upholds the culture and quality standards that our clients have come to expect in every piece of work.”

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Maor Ofek, founder, Side St: "Each project begins with a purpose-built foundation guide, uniquely crafted and aligned with the client to reflect our shared approach, objectives and motivations for addressing their challenges. Acting as our compass, it guides every action – in design, communications and strategy. This foundation guide serves as our benchmark, enabling us to measure each deliverable against both the client’s expectations and our own quality standards. Throughout the process, our team revisits and cross-checks the work against this guide, ensuring every piece aligns with the project’s rationale and goals. This structured approach allows us to consistently deliver on both client satisfaction and our commitment to quality.”

Annie Malik, creative operations associate director, Kepler: “We have a rigorous quality assurance process to ensure every project aligns with our high standards. Each piece of work is reviewed against benchmarks tailored to the client's strategic and creative objectives that are agreed upon at the beginning of each campaign’s ideation. From there, we incorporate feedback loops to refine and perfect the deliverable. This thorough approach is combined with regular client check-ins. Typically, we check in on creative performance two weeks post-launch, and in intervals of two weeks, as creative typically starts to fatigue around the 2-4 week mark across most channels. Our client solutions and creative leads collaborate closely, reviewing each project with a critical eye before final delivery.”

Cedric Devitt, chief creative officer, SPCSHP: “We believe in deep, cross-disciplinary collaboration, making quality a shared responsibility. Our value of ‘no silent disagreement’ means that no one lets work go out if they feel it could be stronger. We encourage everyone to speak up, revealing new perspectives that resonate with our audience. This approach moves beyond single sign-offs, creating a culture of innovation and authenticity rather than one that is hierarchical and rigid.”

Nishat Akhtar, chief creative officer, Instrument: “Trust is our benchmark. Rather than relying on rigid hierarchy, our executive leaders are empowered to foster collaboration, connection, and continuous learning, driving excellence in every project and process. These leaders, combining expertise across design, strategy, writing, development, and production, bring their diverse and seasoned perspectives to set a standard of enduring design excellence. To ensure consistency, our leadership cohort collaboratively defines what best-in-class work looks like, integrating testing and feedback to shape user-centered experiences that meet a range of needs. This approach guarantees our work is not only high-quality but also inclusive and innovative, creating impactful, lasting value for our clients.”

Stephanie Spicer, president, Luquire: “Brilliant creative outputs start with meaningful strategic inputs, so that’s where we focus first. Our teams ask tough questions,not only of our clients but of ourselves, throughout every project. This approach helps us zero in on what truly matters for a client’s business and their audiences, ensuring the work has purpose and depth. It’s never about creating great work for its own sake. We ask, ‘What is great work in this category that will resonate with the audience and drive our client’s business forward?’ Every project begins with our ‘backgrounder’ process, where individuals from strategy, PR, content, paid media, analytics, and creative come together. This team stays with the project, grounding each idea in solid strategy and letting it develop into something truly impactful. We don’t stop at benchmarks; we take an always-on approach to data, gathering new insights and adjusting in real time. By staying engaged throughout, we ensure that our work not only connects but adapts.”

Nick Valenti, chief executive officer, Mādin: “Quality is the byproduct of curiosity and creativity guided by rigor. First, we define success collaboratively with the client, focusing on outcomes that matter. We build benchmarks around impact – does it help someone think, feel, or act differently? Our team reviews each piece through multiple lenses: strategic alignment, emotional resonance, and visual cohesion. Since we are a smaller, close-knit team, all strategists and creatives are at the top of their field and can ensure each piece of work not only solves a problem but does so memorably and distinctively. We are guided by a simple line of questioning: Does this work make us and the client proud, and did we explore a route that’s the first of its kind?”

Alvar Suñol, chief creative officer and co-president, Alma: “It all comes down to telling a good story that emotionally connects our brands with the consumers. No matter the format or platform, it’s about storytelling. We strive for our ideas to show two things: a great strategic insight and the right craft that conveys the idea in its best form possible. We pride ourselves on being craft-obsessed. There’s nothing more powerful than an idea, and we put our passion into the search of it (while having fun doing it). You never know where a great idea can come from; one might plant the seed and someone else will help it grow. That’s why we like to say at Alma “ours is not an agency with a creative department but simply a creative agency.” Allowing creative freedom is a part of leading creatives, and we make sure campaigns meet standards by letting our team do what they do best, while having myself on hand to help brainstorm, refine, and rally each other throughout the journey. Ultimately, our greatest checkpoints are our people. We refine each other’s ideas, creativity, and expertise, and as a team produce award-winning work for our clients that also brings real business results.”

Gabor Schreier, chief creative officer, Saffron Brand Consultants: "At Saffron, we don’t serve a network nor have one to fall back on; we’re fiercely independent, and each piece of work needs to stand on its own as testament to our expertise. Our work should better clients’ businesses, futures, customers and employees. It means we’re not always 100% on our client’s side; we’re on the side that delivers the best results. We benchmark against our most recent best work, regardless of sector or global location. Our work is centered around evoking emotion – does it make the viewer feel something? Does it tell a good story? Is it relatable? Brand is meaningless if it isn’t experienced in a memorable way. We have one guiding standard we hold ourselves to which is to always be unbiased: sometimes uncomfortable and always truthful.”