"We Won't Save the Industry by Selling Hours, but by Investing in the People Who Can Help Us Build it Back up" 

There have been a lot of consistently recurring news stories around the pandemic, from when restrictions will finally be lifted to which politician has broken Covid regulations this time. 

In our industry, this perennial story has been new ways of working. Agencies talking about being more agile, adopting the digital process, becoming versatile and collaborative. 

Sure, this all sounds mighty interesting, but for forward-thinking and progressive agencies and people, this was all happening way before Covid struck. This is not new.  

And these changes were happening because, no matter how much we like to blame the pandemic, the industry was already struggling. 

Transformative competitors were not only stealing the clients and budgets from bigger agencies at every turn, but were also establishing a new industry reality where heavy structures would not necessarily mean better work, and where collaboration was key in finding the best solution for each problem.

So, with even the bigger network agencies having to embrace this new format, this new way of working, it is interesting to reflect on whether the future of our industry is independent. 

By posing this question, I am not necessarily questioning multinational agencies against independent ones, some big networks are more than capable of adapting and moving faster. It is more about analysing the mindset of both offerings. 

And then trying to understand what it is that we need as an industry to become attractive again.

In this complex scenario the only real way we can start helping agencies not just grow back, but grow along with their clients is to move at the right speed, with the right energy and the right connections. 

Compromise. Believe. Relate.

And collaborate. It is now up to all of us to climb out of this mess together.  

And we won’t do that by selling hours, but investing in people instead. If only we could use these times and take the emphasis away from reporting growth monthly, and hold on to our most important asset. People.

Individuals building a collective vision. This is what every company needs now. Interested, motivated and diverse talent. People that will be the face and heart of your agency and will live beyond the spreadsheet.

Yes, they have a name. And if you work in an independent agency or a big one with the right mindset, you will probably know who they are. This is what makes independent agencies different and attractive, giving the clients the chance to interact with more than a logo, but with the people that understand the business but also the human challenges the last two years have brought to their door.

People that now are working together, towards building back this great industry, upon different and hopefully stronger pillars.