Whose team is it anyway?
Why the best client-agency relationships don’t always feel like client-agency relationships.
“An extension of your marketing team” is a philosophy we take pretty seriously.
It shapes how we work and how closely we get to know the businesses we work alongside.
Here’s what that looks like in practice. 👇
Know the business, not just the brief
A brief might ask for an email, or a website. But the more you understand what’s happening around it, the more you can bring to what’s right in front of you.
That means knowing the bigger goals and how the work fits into the plan.
It’s also the stuff that would never make it into a brief:
- how things get approved
- what the legal team will flag
- who needs to weigh in
- that one tiny detail that is, in fact, a very big deal
The more you know, the easier it is to think beyond the deliverable and more like someone on the inside.
Pushback isn’t a dirty word
Being part of the team doesn’t mean agreeing on everything.
Sometimes it means asking why. Or suggesting another way in. Other times, it might mean saying “We hear you, but here’s why we think this should stay.”
That back-and-forth can uncover what’s really behind a comment and lead somewhere neither side expected. The point isn’t to defend the work or win an argument. It’s to care enough about the outcome to have the conversation.
Fill the gaps
Not everything a marketing team needs fits neatly into an “agency” box.
Sometimes an unexpected or unique request comes up.
Our instinct is usually less “Is that our job?” and more “How can we help?” Being a smaller team helps us stay nimble and adapt to how our clients work. And sometimes, it simply means rolling up our sleeves and getting something done.
What it all comes down to
Being an extension of the team doesn’t mean pretending the agency isn’t an agency. There’s value in bringing different perspectives and expertise to the table.
It’s about getting close enough to understand what the team needs, and being invested enough to jump in to help solve problems.
Because the closer marketing and creative teams work together, the less it feels like passing work back and forth across the table — and the more it feels like sitting on the same side of it.
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