The fall of the traditional agency, & the birth of Agency 2.0

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Text Format-3 Manifesto with Chair in purple background

Sunday, 07 January 2024

3 min read

by Hardy Sidhu

As individuals who have spent their entire careers within the agency world, 2022 was a year of shock to us as we started to witness influential design studios we had helped grow and lead start to crumble as a result of a volatile global economy.

Every other post on Linkedin was about world-class talent looking for roles due to reputable creative houses downsizing significantly. We quickly understood why. Design Agencies have not progressed since the days of Ogilvy. As an industry, we have adopted new tools and processes, but have kept the core operating habits the same; whilst the tech scene had been rapidly progressing and demanded change.

These fundamental operating habits have caused a divide between client and agency teams. That divide itself has been a friction point to becoming a collective, high-performing team, creating impact and value at speed. The high surcharge of working with the leading design houses was ultimately one most companies decided not to back when the economy began to fall.

We saw a need for a new type of agency – a collective energy that was based on partnerships and ambition. Format-3.

Our Agency 2.0 Manifesto

There is no agency team

From the point of our first interaction, we see ourselves as part of your in-house team; we are the injected collective energy, not the doers on the other side of the wall. We create in the open with the entire team, plan as a collective, and make magic together from the start of the journey through to success.

Thought Over Output

Our ROI value comes from our thought leadership that creates successful product releases; we are not pixel pushers hopping between projects. Our mission within partnerships is to transform businesses and expose new heights of disruption.

We never shy away from being a voice of expertise to aid teams and companies.

Dom in his natural habitat. Doing 2552 things at once.

Complete Honesty & Transparency

No business can escape the capitalist model in which we operate, but it's no excuse for overinflated prices and imaginary resources. Our talents are leaders within the space, but in our scope of works, we price their time fairly and do not fill pockets. We ensure our partners are getting the best value for their investment and can use budgets more effectively within the organisation. Our resourced collective for an objective is always created with the leanest approach possible; everyone on the team is hands-on and directly involved daily.

Committed Partnership

We promise to see our partnership through to success on the outlined business objectives; this includes taking ownership within an organisation; on things that are out of our set of responsibilities, to achieve together.

We dream together, work hard together, and celebrate success together.

We stand firm behind in-person collaboration with our partners; we always promise to be available wherever you are to create real human moments that spark magic; no one needs to be remote 100% of the time.

No Agency Diva

This is a simple message that large-scale agencies frequently miss. Our process of team building is rigorous, but ensures that we hire the best of the best talent and the best people who can mould with culture, naturally creating joyful work environments.

The Traditional Agency was a factory line; Agency 2.0 is all about human collaboration supercharged with expertise. Genuinity at the core of humanity is the war cry.

Our manifesto is our guiding pillar to every working relationship and has proven to be appreciated by companies and teams across the globe. The philosophy is simple.