I was in a meeting today (I won’t drop any names, but they were certainly worthy of dropping) and I was asked, “If you started an agency today, what would it look like?”

I threw out some generic ideas and buzz words, and of course it wasn’t until I was on my way home that an idea hit me.

There is a fundamental problem with the agency/client relationship. Agencies are constantly forced to compromise on pieces of communication for client approval. It makes economic sense because without happy clients there’s no one to pay for the expensive furniture in the office. But, it does mean the communication is not at its most effective. It seems to me, the two parties in this relationship have almost opposing objectives. These differences are usually overcome by settling somewhere in the middle. An area of compromise.

So if I started an agency today, perhaps its motto would be “No Compromise”. At all. If the client wasn’t 100% happy with the work, then we wouldn’t work with them. It’s either take it, or leave it.

Financially, it’s never going to happen. But it does ensure only the best work is ever done.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t overcome the fact this is an industry where success is determined and therefore influenced by awards. But maybe it’s the start of a conversation worth having.