While many networks exist for independent agencies, Agencies Vanguard is uniquely designed to attract agencies of all shapes and sizes, Rooney said. As the program grows, there will be opportunities to create “affinity groups” for similar types of agencies.
“We firmly believe that you learn more from the different than the same,” she said.
While ADWEEK’s editorial core is central to the offering—creating pathways to access and influence for members—there are also off-the-record spaces to safely share ideas. All Vanguard networking events are “Chatham House Rules,” meaning, “it’s not like our editorial team is going to get access to everything you say,” Rooney said.
“But editorial perspective is an expertise that, quite frankly, no other group has,” she added. “Our reporters have frontline visibility into where this industry is going, the trends that are happening in real time on a day-to-day basis.”
As Kneebone put it, that journalistic backing brings a sense of “academic rigor” to Vanguard.
“That’s a really critical element of the Vanguard platform, too. It’s not just a therapy session. We’re here to do real work and have conversations that actually bring back insights that move the needle for your business,” she said.
