A MAJOR new survey exploring how brands and agencies work together – and how artificial intelligence is changing the dynamic – is being launched in what organisers describe as the largest and most ambitious study of its kind in the North of the UK.
The project, spearheaded by Brands & Agencies in partnership with research specialists Mustard and data intelligence platform Agency by Agency, will reach more than 30,000 organisations – including around 25,000 agencies and 6,000–8,000 brand-side marketers – across the professional and financial services sectors.
Described as both an audit and a bridge, the survey aims to help brands and agencies understand each other better, identifying gaps, tensions and opportunities in how they communicate, collaborate and evolve, particularly around the fast-changing role of AI in marketing.
“The idea behind the survey originally was really looking at what brands are concerned about and what they’re actually looking for in an agency,” explains Tom Salmon, Co-Founder of Agency by Agency, which joins the project as data partner. “We’re going to take the survey results in terms of what brands are prioritising when they’re looking for an agency, and basically analyse our data through that lens.”
A comprehensive audit of agency and brand priorities
Salmon’s Leeds-based company, Agency by Agency, provides the UK’s only complete benchmarking dataset for the marketing, advertising, creative and media agency sector. Its mapping and insight platform tracks 25,500 agencies, analysing 90 pages of web text for each to understand how they position themselves and what trends are shaping the market.
That makes the platform uniquely suited to power this study, which will cross-reference what brands say they value with what agencies actually offer.
“It’s about understanding the gap,” Salmon says. “We often find that agencies talk in ways that differentiate them, but not necessarily in ways that make them easy to buy. Sometimes the language can be alienating for brand-side marketers who just want a partner they can trust to deliver.”
The findings will create an “audit” of the modern agency landscape – a data-driven comparison between what brands want and need, and what agencies are actually offering and saying.
“An agency might focus on new trends or complex terminology to stand out,” he explains. “But clients often just want reliability, effectiveness and a stable team. There’s a real mismatch there, and understanding it could help both sides make better decisions.”
The survey, being coordinated under the Market Research Society Code of Conduct, is open to senior marketers within b2b / professional services organisations across the UK. It takes around 5–7 minutes to complete and all responses are confidential.
You can take part here. The results will offer a detailed picture of how brands and agencies are navigating AI, managing relationships, and preparing for what comes next.
Richard Walker, Director at Mustard, says the timing of the research is critical. “The relationship between brands and agencies can be complex, but it’s never been tested like this,” he said. “Economic strain, pressures to do more “in house” and the rise of AI are reshaping what collaboration looks like, whilst agencies continue to fight for attention and differentiation. This study gives us the opportunity to strip away conjecture and replace it with data – to show where we’re at on key metrics such as trust, value and understanding, and how both sides can build stronger partnerships.”
“We’ve been helping different audiences understand each other for over three decades. What’s different here is scale and transparency. This isn’t just about
opinions – it’s about real data, gathered independently and analysed rigorously – synthesising what clients say they value with how agencies are talking about themselves. The findings will help agencies talk the language of their clients again.
“There’s likely to be a perception gap between what agencies think clients value and what clients actually want. Evidence is the bridge that closes that gap – and that’s what Mustard is here to provide.”
AI as a fault line and opportunity
A major focus of the survey will be how brands and agencies are approaching AI adoption, and what each expects from the other.
Salmon says: “There’s a chunk of questions about the challenges that client-side marketers are experiencing with AI and what support they want from their agencies.”
He points out that while many agencies are already using AI, few are comfortable positioning it openly within their propositions. “There’s this distance between agencies using it – around 75% – and those talking about it in their proposition, which is only about 23%,” Salmon says. “I think that’s down to fear about what it means. Will clients expect faster, cheaper results? Have agencies figured out how to commercialise it? Are they still wedded to selling hours instead of outcomes and value? These are big questions.”
Despite the uncertainty, he warns against paralysis. “I think people are potentially planning for a future that hasn’t arrived yet,” he says. “AI might be able to do amazing things in two or three years, but it’s not there today. If you’re delaying decisions, campaigns or innovation because of it, you’re basically delaying for something that hasn’t arrived yet.”
For Walker, there are many hypotheses to prove or disprove in regards to AI in particular: “Agencies are increasingly experimenting with AI, but to what extent are they confident talking about it? Brands, meanwhile, are likely to be intrigued but inherently cautious. We want to know where the reality sits between hype and hesitation.”
Economic strain and shifting expectations
The timing of the survey is deliberate. The past few years have seen the relationship between brands and agencies tested by economic pressures, budget constraints and the rise of in-housing.
“Budgets have been under pressure,” Salmon says. “Procurement has come into the frame far more, which means agencies are often judged not just on capability but on price. That can be a mistake. The last five to ten years have been dominated by an approach to marketing that prioritises efficiency over long-term impact. Performance channels like social and search have grown, while brand-building channels have been down-weighted because they’re harder to measure month-to-month.”
Yet Salmon argues that, even in difficult times, the agency–brand relationship remains vital. “I don’t think we’ll ever get to a world where everything is in-housed,” he says. “New channels and approaches pop up all the time, and agencies are far better placed to respond to those and be entrepreneurial and innovative around them than an in-house client team.”
A bridge for better understanding
Salmon describes the collaboration between Brands & Agencies, Mustard and Agency by Agency as a “bridge” designed to build mutual understanding at a pivotal moment for the industry.
“Brands and agencies are two sides of the same coin,” he says. “If they don’t understand each other, we’re all in trouble. This survey and the data behind it can help both sides see what’s really happening. It will give us real evidence of where the gaps and opportunities are.”
Alexandra Balzas, Managing Director of Prolific North and Brands & Agencies, says the timing could not be more crucial: “This survey comes at a moment of massive change for our industry. The relationship between brands and agencies has always been complex and dynamic but never more so than now, as technology, AI and economic pressures reshape what collaboration looks like. Our aim is to shine a light on that relationship to understand what’s working, where trust is strained, and how both sides can adapt together.”
For Salmon, who previously led the award-winning digital agency Epiphany (now part of Jaywing plc) and has advised agency founders and investors across the UK, the project is a natural extension of his mission to make the sector more transparent, data-driven and collaborative.
“There are lots of opinions about how brands and agencies should work together,” he says, “but very little hard data that connects what both sides are actually saying. This project gives us a way to see that clearly – and act on it.”
