Third, and most importantly, we should refocus the entire conversation on brand growth.
Most major brands have not grown as quickly as the U.S. GDP over the last 30 years.
There are many reasons for that, but here is one worth considering: Any agency or vendor focused relentlessly on proving brand growth beyond a reasonable doubt wouldn’t have five look-alikes standing behind them waiting to do the work for less. In fact, they wouldn’t have many look-alikes at all. Provable growth is the best antidote to the fee pressure that drives the whole cycle.
We’ve become so caught up in playing the existing game, we forget we’re the ones who can change it.
