Articles. News. Inspiration.
by WayFillian
Posted on January 03, 2022.
As we steer ourselves towards another year with marketing directors and decision makers of big brands looking future-forward to 2022 and their budgets, the rate of change in lifestyle, technology and consumer behaviour in the world as we know it, means that those that are able to 'course correct' and bring in new partners, with unique skill sets are those that will thrive in this new world.
“There is an agility within our agency, where we can respond to change in the market in a way the big networks can’t,” says Ben Krawchuk from WayFillian. “This opens up an abundance of conversations between big brands and smaller agencies like ours.”
There has been a growing confidence of late in indie agencies from a senior level, those who typically saw smaller agencies as risk, now see them as the opposite of that. They see the potential to a business, the benefit of more agility and access to senior expertise. For many corporate clients and brands, a unique energy, passion, and motivation is a key selling point of the independent agency. As one such smaller agency, WayFillian is more invested directly in the work that they do, and this helps provide a better relationship and ensures quality work for corporate clients.
For Krawchuk: “It’s not just confidence to work with an agency that isn’t famous or networked, it’s about trusting your agency to do the right thing when it matters. I believe clients that trust their agencies are the ones that benefit from the best work, which is a positive thing for the industry and our growing agency.”
Clients are more open than ever to alternatives to the marketing mix. “We recently received a brief and the team dynamic we had around the table were digital, social, advertising, PR and media. The client could end up picking one solution, or multiple, based on the ideas which we brainstormed, presented and felt best suited the brief and objective of the brand,” says Krawchuk. “The answer can come from one place, or multiple places, which is why fluidity and agility is so important.”
Where does the best creative work come from? This is a common question for agencies as teams juggle several projects at once, consistently looking for the right story to tell with the most revealing insight. But often, the best creativity comes from unlikely places. Independent agencies are usually smaller and have fewer resources, which can be a big advantage as it gives you more clarity of thought and encourages you to be more resourceful in how you think about developing insights and communicating as a team.
Every agency cares about growth – something that can only be achieved through nurturing and expanding your client base. But how much it means isn’t always the same. “For WayFillian, it’s not about the biggest clients, it’s about all clients. Our success isn’t just driven by need or a sense of duty, there’s a personal desire that plays an innate role. We value our clients to another level because we know we need to develop and grow that relationship and keep that business,” says managing director Ben Krawchuk.