It’s clear that independent agencies are having a moment. Look no further than the AdAge 2025 A-list where 6 of the Top 10 agencies are independent. We’ve seen the pendulum swing in the past between the big holding company creative agencies and the smaller independents but this time feels different. Flock Principal Consultant, Bonnie Chu, hosted a webinar to delve into the reasons behind this movement and what this means for the future of the agency ecosystem.
We were lucky to have a line-up of some great industry names on the panel:
- Emma Armstrong: CEO, FCB
- Nicole Rowett: Managing Director, Mother New York
- Sean Kelleher: Head of Brand Strategy and Advertising, Liberty Mutual
- Jackie Woodward: Founder of Brand.Culture.Grow and alum to Bojangles, Krispy Kreme, Miller Coors, General Mills and more.
So, should brands choose an independent agency over a HoldCo model?
It was great to hear from all sides of the equation. The panel agreed that \it doesn’t matter what name is on the door, it depends on the unique client needs and who is best placed to deliver them. There is a perception that Independent means agile and fast and Holdco means slow and traditional – but this isn’t always the case. It’s about creating a culture with the right people and the right skills.
- “We use independent to connote a few different things being part of a holding company, and a network does not necessarily mean that those traits aren’t also present.” – Emma Armstrong
- “It starts with the brands. We have an obligation to be thoughtful, and to be able to set up a framework and talk about what it is that we really need, because every agency partner wants to deliver, whether they’re a holding company or an independent, but the needs are very different, and we have to articulate those.” – Jackie Woodward
- “We talk a lot about autonomy and what autonomy means to us, and we’ve all kind of touched on it in different ways is the ability to innovate.” – Emma Armstrong
Scale isn’t binary anymore
The debate between the value of scale (associated with holding companies) and the importance of speed and agility (often attributed to independent agencies) was a recurring theme. Is scale still seen as a competitive advantage disappearing given technology is now allowing Independents to compete globally without the infrastructure? The panel talked about how scale is sometimes necessary for the type of brand, i.e. global multinationals. However, it depends – scale isn’t necessarily binary anymore, scale can be created through great collaboration. There is a perception that smaller indies do not have the capabilities to access data on a larger scale, but whether you’re a large Holdco or smaller independent, it’s all about how you use and leverage technology. We also asked the audience if they thought speed and agility is more important over scale and infrastructure – and the vast majority (82%) voted for speed and agility.
- “Scale is kind of a misnomer. It doesn’t matter if you have scale, you create scale through collaboration.” – Emma Armstrong
- “Maybe gone are the days where it’s perceived small independent agencies couldn’t get access to the capabilities to utilize data or to understand different targeting.” – Nicole Rowett
- “Consumers are moving at a very speedy pace, and at the end of the day. If you’re a consumer driven marketer, like I am, we’ve got to move at the pace of consumers.” – Jackie Woodward
Media and creative need to recombine
One key theme that arose was the integration between media and creative, which the panel agreed could easily be the topic of a whole other webinar (we hosted this topic in 2024 – see here.) The panellists spoke about technology being the tool to bring the two together and move the needle for clients.
- “When I ran media for Miller Coors and for General Mills, I mean, this was a clear example of where we really wanted and sought out a holding company solution, because the scale was simply too great for us to ignore, so that buying power was really important.” – Jackie Woodward
- “I think how media and creative work together is where the magic happens for consumers. So I think we’ve got to keep media in the conversation.” – Jackie Woodward
Effectiveness over efficiency
The panel discussed how effectiveness trumps efficiency, and ultimately its about what value agencies deliver their clients, and efficiency is only one part of value equation. The panel talked about ‘reframing’ efficiency beyond a cost focus, to also include how you train people to use their time.
- “Efficiency is not just about money. It’s about time and understanding how to train our people to use their time in an effective and efficient manner.” – Jackie Woodward
Do clients need to structure themselves differently depending on the agency mode?
The panel agreed that simply put, yes – a brand’s structure plays a huge role in determining the most beneficial agency model. Brands need to have the right skill set, people and structure to get the best from their agencies. It’s a ‘people business’. Agencies also need to have the culture of being great partners to other agencies where necessary – setting both themselves and the partner agencies up for success.
- “I think that you just cannot get stale or protective in a way, I think you have to be constantly open minded, evolving and moving with our clients. And so, if that means that a different partner needs to come on board to meet a different need. Then how do we set that up for success? How do we make sure that we’re great partners in that?” – Nicole Rowett
As you can see, there’s no right answer on what is best – Independent or Holdco. It all comes down to the client problem, the people, skills, integration and how technology is leveraged. We were thrilled to tackle such an exciting topic with our amazing panel. Thank you to everyone who tuned in, and if you missed it we are offering to share the recording on request, just fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch!
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