Building Trust in the Agency World: A New Approach

Agencies often face a tough crowd when pitching new clients. Many brands have had bad experiences with other agencies, leading to mistrust. Kristin “KJ” Jones, SVP of integrated media at Rise, a Quad Agency, has seen this firsthand. She loves the moment when clients realize they’re dealing with a different kind of agency. Jones and her team focus on building trust from the start. They make sure the team that pitches is the team that will work with the client. This approach helps clients feel more comfortable and relieved. Jones also emphasizes the importance of transparency in how money is spent. There are no hidden costs or non-disclosed pricing models. Principal-based media buying is a controversial practice. Jones explains that this approach can lead to agencies marking up costs and putting their own interests first. Instead, her agency focuses on delivering client objectives without any conflict of interest. The agency landscape is changing rapidly. Rise has evolved from a digital media planning agency to a full-service agency. They now offer a wide range of services, from audience development to measurement and analytics. Being part of a larger organization, Quad, gives them access to proprietary data and tools that many other agencies don’t have. AI is becoming a big part of campaign creation and deployment. Jones believes agencies need to use AI responsibly. They should infuse AI into their tools to find efficiencies but never replace human strategic thinking. Clients pay for the human factor—the ability to read insights and move at the pace of the business. Looking across the industry, Jones sees many misconceptions and false promises. These can impact client relationships negatively. Agencies need to be transparent and authentic in their practices to build trust and long-term partnerships.