Are CMOs asking their agencies the questions that matter?
Budgets for the new year should be set and most CMOs are now fine-tuning their 2026 strategies. But as the new year races towards us, marketing leaders face an increasingly complex question: Do I have the partners to help me achieve my business and marketing goals?
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With all eyes on the bottom line, maintaining alignment between partners and brand has never been more important. For too many local brands, one of the largest obstacles to success is the disconnect between what brands really need and what their agencies are tasked to deliver. This often stems from a lack of clear focus and agreed-upon priorities regarding business and marketing objectives.
When agencies and brands are not precisely aligned on goals (whether it’s short-term sales, long-term brand building, profitability, or specific business KPIs), resources risk being misdirected. In fact, sometimes the gap is so wide that marketing strategies are not even linked to the outcomes of the organisation’s leadership team. This ambiguity can lead to ineffective collaboration, or even foster mistrust, making it almost impossible for either side to realise tangible results.
Looking for substance
Rather than relying on surface-level reporting or assumptions, now is the time to be asking tough, diagnostic questions to probe the substance behind each marketing initiative. These include:
- How is this campaign or spend directly linked to a core business result?
- What is the marginal return on investment expected from each channel, and how will it be measured? And, can my partner translate this to the boardroom with conviction?
- Is there a robust, data-backed marketing mix model guiding our collective decisions, or are we relying on intuition and platform attribution reports? And, most importantly,
- Are both agency and brand equally fluent in understanding and acting on the business outcomes (be it profitability, market share, or pricing power) that the C-suite truly cares about?
- Can my partner turn the hype of AI into improved business and marketing outcomes?
Tools can help. And so can partners
Technology and tools can, and should, play a role in optimising the agency-brand relationships.
Today’s most successful marketing organisations are technically equipped to integrate third-party tools and platforms as required, basing their toolset on the evolving needs of the business rather than the latest trend. However, agencies with strong accreditation and track records in their niche (think Google Marketing Platform, partners or specialised consultancies), bring more credibility to the table than merely ‘toolbox shopping.’
Taking the first step towards profit-based gains
Brands looking to optimise their agency relationships and achieve measurable, profit-based gains must start with collective clarity.
Begin with open, strategy-driven discussion across all your teams including creative, media, performance, and brand. Then, together with your agencies, define the key outcomes.
Step two is to establish clear measurement strategies, and agree on a schedule for collaborative review and adaptation. This system not only ensures accountability and transparency, but also creates a shared language to discuss progress, calibrate tactics, and balance the tensions between immediate sales activation and longer-term brand equity.
For this process to work, it’s vital that both sides check their egos at the door and let marketing serve the business above all else. The most impactful partnerships are those where agency and brand leaders are honest about strengths, acknowledge gaps, and are willing to direct investment toward whichever lever, be it brand or performance, that most benefits growth in a given cycle.
Finally, remember that tools and technology should underpin strategy, not dictate it. Ultimately, the goal is a profit- and performance-driven relationship anchored by measurable business outcomes, mutual trust, and real collaboration.
By asking the right questions now, CMOs still have time to course correct before they begin their 2026 implementation. Taking action means you can ensure your agencies aren’t just executors, but vital, measured, drivers of business growth.
About the author
Jaco Lintvelt is MD of Incubeta SA.