It was, yet again, refreshing to join 50 other independent agency executives in Portland last month at the Worldwide Partners North American Region Conference. Refreshing because we gained and shared so much knowledge, but also refreshing because it reiterated how special being an independent agency is, and the value that independence is to clients.
WPI president and CEO John Harris said it best recently in his op-ed in the Drum, “The operational freedom that independent agencies enjoy better positions them to support the requirements of speed, agility and accountability – without sacrificing creativity, innovation and scale – that brand marketers are demanding from their agencies today.”
One panel at the conference stood out to me – a panel of search consultants and consulting firms – where they focused on what a client wants from an agency in today’s marketplace. Themes were: relationships, people, culture, value add, business adviser, social content understanding and nimble. I couldn’t agree more, and further, it is supported in R&R Partners’ recent re-publishing of our “Who We Are” statement and focus of our 2017 business strategy:
I am proud to work for a fiercely independent agency and be part of the Worldwide Partners independent agency network, where all the themes discussed with this esteemed panel are paramount in everything we do.
Additionally, the WPI NAR Conference had other great topics that we covered, from Instagram to innovation in OOH to the Contagious guys who strive to keep us relevant to exceptional Women in Advertising:
Thank you to WPI for keeping us, independents, relevant, inspired and refreshed!
